Digital marketing trends roundup
It's time to spill the tea on the marketing trends and challenges we experienced this year.
By Rachel Lyndon-Jones · 2024-12-23 · 8 min read
With so much going on it can be a challenge to keep up, and the sheer volume of tech evolution and digital trends can be overwhelming, so the marketing team at Ouma have plucked out the highlights and tied them up in a neat bow for you to peruse at your leisure.
Last year was all about breaking boundaries, and businesses had to shift gears and quickly adapt to not only stay ahead of the curve but to keep from falling behind at a rapid rate.
From AI turning content creation on its head (and subsequently not knowing how to create a human looking head), and the decline of legacy platforms like X, businesses had to pivot, jump on the latest TikTok trends and dance their way through.
This year's round-up, dives into the trends that defined the year, complete with real-world examples and exploring how they're shaping marketing.
Now that you've taken a moment to indulge, pour yourself a cuppa and read on to discover the digital marketing trends that defined the last year...
TikTokification of Strategies
TikTok's bite-sized, dopamine-boosting content format has fundamentally changed how brands go to market. Snackable, short-form videos have reshaped the way we engage with content, with consumers craving content that provides instant gratification, pushing brands to adopt fast, snappy storytelling styles.
TikTok's dominance on socials, and user demand for short-form, brain-rot content, has revolutionised social media marketing, with search terms such as "user interaction metrics" and "engagement-driven ranking factors" gaining prominence last year as Google emphasised metrics like watch time, clicks and swipes to determine search rankings.
How this will shape marketing:
As much as we're starting to see a shift toward users demanding the depth, storytelling and substance of long-form content, short-form video content remains the dominant format. B2B brands will be embracing a lighter, more relatable vibe inspired by TikTok trends, adopting more dynamic and relatable storytelling that gives an insight into the people behind the brand.
Rachel's hot take:
Did your Gen Z employee write that one? Yeah, of course they did!
Video-centric platforms are the future. Short-form content isn't just a trend - it's become the primary way consumers learn about products and services. Video will evolve further, with interactive and shoppable features taking centre stage.
Top Tips:
Incorporate short, engaging videos into your strategy, focusing on authenticity and relatability.
Use SEO on TikTok by embedding relevant keywords in captions and content.
Tap into trending audio and visuals to stay relevant.
Prioritise humour and behind-the-scenes authenticity over polished perfection.
TL;DR: TikTok's short-form, dopamine-driven content has reshaped marketing - brands must embrace fast, engaging storytelling, prioritising authenticity, SEO, and interactive video to stay ahead.
Social Media as a Search Engine
Instagram and TikTok rivalled Google for product discovery in 2024, with users relying on keywords in captions and videos to find relevant content. Brands adjusted SEO strategies to rank on social platforms instead of solely focusing on search engines as "social SEO" and "keyword optimisation for TikTok" emerged as common search terms.
How this will shape marketing:
SEO strategies will need to expand to include social SEO, they will need to be inclusive of engagement-driven rankings and have an emphasis on creative use of keywords.
Rachel's hot take:
With Gen Alpha audiences heading to social media as their sole source of searchable information, and some admitting to not even knowing what 'Google' is, social SEO has become a vital component of social media strategies.
Incorporating SEO into your social activity is a little time consuming but straightforward, and can have a huge impact on reach.
Top Tips:
Optimise captions with searchable terms relevant to your audience.
Update your page name to include keywords.
Include relevant keywords in your captions, imagery and content on social media channels.
Image descriptions and Alt Tags are a great opportunity for including additional keywords.
TL;DR: Social media is now acting as a search engine - brands must optimise captions, keywords, and engagement-driven rankings to boost discoverability on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Email Marketing Reinvented
Brands are incorporating hyper-personalised, multi-channel nurture journey campaigns into their strategies to build connection with their audiences and showcase their value. We aren't talking simple personalisation where a generic email is altered to include the recipient's name, we're talking super personalised content that is tailored to the individual.
Netflix's hyper-personalised recommendations in email newsletters increased watch times and subscriber retention. They monitor their customers viewing habits to tailor content recommendations to their viewing habits.
How this will shape marketing:
Email will further integrate with omnichannel experiences, combining insights from social media, AI and sophisticated algorithms for seamless customer interactions. Brands will be expected to produce highly personalised email content that is truly valuable to the recipient.
Rachel's hot take:
Email isn't dead. Quite the opposite, in fact. As much as we're clearing out our junk and marking 100s of emails as spam on a daily basis, we still value quality email content.
The rise of big data has allowed brands to communicate on a deeper level with their customers and provide a tailored approach to their online experiences. And this is what consumers have come to expect. With the ability to bring emails to life with engaging features such as GIFs, video snippets and interactive elements, brands can use every interaction as an opportunity to craft dynamic, hyper-personalised experiences. If your emails are anything less-than, you might want to consider switching things up!
Top Tips:
Create a multi-channel nurture journey that follows a synchronised loop from collecting data of interested consumers through to purchase.
Personalise subject lines and content to reflect the interests of your customer.
Use interactive email formats (e.g. clickable links to their favourite products, GIFs and embedded videos).
Sync email campaigns with social and web activity for consistent messaging.
TL;DR: Email marketing isn't dead - it's evolving. In 2025, hyper-personalised, AI-driven, and interactive emails will be key to boosting engagement, retention, and omnichannel nurture journey experiences.
AI Meets Marketing
AI continued its rapid evolution, with tools like TikTok's AI Creative Assistant helping creators generate and optimise content. Even chatbots have set a benchmark for interactive customer support.
OpenAI and Coca-Cola collaborated on AI-driven marketing campaigns, creating user-generated, AI-assisted ad designs that combined consumer creativity with brand storytelling. Phrases like "AI-powered SEO tools" and "automated content optimisation" were popular search terms in the past year, driven by brands incorporating AI into their search strategies. These tools help predict content performance, streamline SEO efforts and enable hyper personalisation.
Along with this, Google's Performance Max and Meta's Advantage+ ads optimise ad delivery with the use of AI.
How this will shape marketing:
Expect AI to further enable personalisation in marketing while focusing on ethical and transparent use; companies will be expected to address biases in AI outputs and will be held accountable for copyright infringement and false information.
Rachel's hot take:
Love it or hate it, AI will be an integral part of marketing activity and business evolution for many brands in the coming years. The challenge comes in learning how to use AI tools effectively and efficiently while ensuring personal touches, emotion and human connection aren't lost.
Top Tips:
Audit AI tools for biases and have content reviewed and edited before distribution.
Use AI as a research tool and combine its output with personal creativity to maintain brand authenticity.
TL;DR: It's time to embrace AI in marketing - enhancing personalisation, automating SEO, and optimising ads is just the beginning. Brands must balance efficiency with ethics, creativity, and human connection.
Raw, Unpolished Content
Raw, authentic content consistently outperformed highly produced ads, especially for product launches. Brands began sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses and user-generated material. Users are engaging with messy, 'ugly', authentic content over content that's polished to perfection.
How this will shape marketing:
Expect unfiltered content to dominate, driven by our demand for authenticity, trust and genuine storytelling.
Social users are less likely to be drawn to pretty aesthetics, and care more about transparency.
Loyalty will come from trust and alignment with values.
Rachel's hot take:
User-generated content is more than a buzzword in social media – UGC has become a trust-building tool for brands. Consumers are less trusting of fake reviews, subtle product placement and even our favourite celebs when they recommend yet another must-have product that they swear by, yet they've promoted 7 different versions over time.
It's not just a trend; authentic marketing is the way forward.
Top Tips:
Showcase real-life use of your product or service, by real people.
Involve customers and employees in creating organic content.
Avoid over-editing; let imperfections add charm and authenticity.
TL;DR: Unpolished, authentic content now outperforms perfectly polished content - brands need to embrace transparency, UGC, and real storytelling to build trust and engagement.
Decline of X (formerly Twitter)
Amid safety concerns, biases, user drop-offs, and a diminishing ROI, brands strategically exited X and shifted focus to other platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok to avoid any potential backlash from remaining on the platform.
Businesses such as General Motors discontinued paid ads on X, reallocated resources to TikTok and LinkedIn campaigns. And that was all before the presidential inauguration.
How this will shape marketing:
Brands will diversify platform strategies, focusing on high-engagement, trust-centric platforms like TikTok and LinkedIn.
Here's where we're at:
Republicans love it; Democrats have pulled out.
Bots are rampant, and user numbers are declining.
For most remaining users, it's less about new value and more about staying put.
Diversifying strategies isn't just smart; it's essential. At a time where safety, trust and community matter more than ever, X might not be worth the risk.
Rachel's hot take:
Last year, X became one of the most polarising social platforms, and not just because of its content. It's the first time a social media platform has been politicised by its' owner, and there has been a huge amount of fallout. Brands have felt the pinch, with many reallocating budgets to other social sites and search engines for better returns. And honestly... can you blame them?
Top Tips:
Monitor platform-specific analytics to gauge effectiveness for your brand.
Test new platforms to identify growth opportunities.
Focus on the platforms that align with brand values.
TL;DR: As X becomes increasingly polarising, brands are shifting focus to trust-centric platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok, prioritising safety, engagement, and ROI.
We'd love to hear your thought on these digital marketing trends. Did you have your own predictions? Have any caught you by surprise?
Join the conversation!
Summary
In 2024, digital marketing was defined by rapid tech evolution and changing consumer behaviours. Key trends included the "TikTokification" of strategies, the rise of social media as a search engine, reinvented email marketing, and the pervasive integration of AI in marketing. These shifts forced businesses to adapt quickly to stay competitive and relevant.
Key takeaways
- TikTok's short-form video content reshaped marketing, pushing brands towards fast, authentic storytelling and video-centric strategies.
- Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram became significant search engines, requiring brands to broaden their SEO strategies beyond traditional search engines.
- Email marketing transformed with hyper-personalised, multi-channel nurture journeys, focusing on valuable and interactive content tailored to individual customer behaviour.
- AI rapidly evolved, becoming integral to content creation, ad optimisation, and personalisation, with a growing emphasis on ethical and transparent use.
- The decline of legacy platforms like X (formerly Twitter) further accelerated the need for brands to adapt to new and evolving digital landscapes.
FAQs
- What were the main digital marketing trends in 2024?
The main digital marketing trends in 2024 included the 'TikTokification' of marketing strategies, social media evolving into a search engine, the reinvention of email marketing with hyper-personalisation, and the continued integration of AI into various marketing functions. - How did TikTok influence marketing strategies in 2024?
TikTok's short-form, dopamine-boosting content led to a fundamental shift in how brands engage consumers. It pushed for fast, snappy storytelling, authentic content, and prompted a focus on video-centric platforms as primary ways consumers learn about products and services. - Why is social media considered a search engine now?
In 2024, platforms like Instagram and TikTok rivalled Google for product discovery, with users directly searching for content using keywords. This led to the emergence of 'social SEO' as brands optimised content and profiles for discoverability on these platforms. - How has email marketing evolved?
Email marketing has moved beyond simple personalisation to hyper-personalised, multi-channel nurture journeys. Brands are now using insights from social media and AI to create highly tailored, interactive content that integrates seamlessly with omnichannel experiences, aiming for deeper engagement and retention. - What role did AI play in marketing during 2024?
AI continued its rapid evolution in marketing, from assisting content creation and optimisation with tools like TikTok's AI Creative Assistant to powering personalised ad delivery through platforms like Google Performance Max and Meta Advantage+. There was also increasing focus on ethical AI use and accountability for its outputs.