State of Email - 2024 Email Marketing Predictions

As we journey into 2024, expect email to not just survive, but thrive!

A new year brings new email trends! Working in a constantly evolving industry requires keeping a finger on the pulse. This is especially true after an eventful year of AI updates, BIMI advancements, Apple’s Link Tracking Protection, and record email volumes.

Are you prepared for 2024?

We watched the State of Email with Guy Hanson to learn more about email trends we’ll see in 2024—and how to prepare.

Validity's Email Analytics

• Email remains a high performer in terms of return on investment.

• Many increase email campaigns towards year-end to boost conversions.

• Caution: Increased volume can lead to neglect of best practices, risking inbox rejection.

• Common issue: Sending emails to non-existent addresses.

• Solution: Utilize an email list validation service before ramping up volume.

• Action Step: Remove unknown or invalid addresses from the list.

• Recommendation: Enhance segmentation criteria based on the recent engagement history of the email addresses.

Spam Trap Trends from Validity

• Increasing email volume often leads to hitting Spam Traps.

• A rise in recycled and pristine traps indicates issues with sunset policy or segmentation.

• Sending to non-engaged addresses is a common problem in such cases.

• This scenario is a definite indicator that the email volume strategy needs reassessment.

Email Rejection Data from Validity

• Mailbox providers analyze all available data about senders and their messages to establish a sender reputation.

• Each mailbox provider operates independently in evaluating sender reputations.

• A positive sender reputation enhances email deliverability, ensuring messages are accepted and likely delivered to the inbox.

• Monitoring email rejection metrics is crucial as it directly reflects how mailbox providers perceive and treat your messages.

• Increased email rejections suggest a potential decline in the sender reputation.

Valuable Spam Complaint Insights from Validity

• Increased email volume typically results in more complaints.

• In December, a noticeable decrease in complaints is observed.

• Possible reasons for fewer complaints in December:

• People may be more lenient due to the holiday spirit.

• Reduced email checking frequency during the holiday season.

• Higher likelihood of people being away and less engaged with emails.

Average Validity Client’s Test Results

• Inbox goes down in November/December

• Missing rates (waiting for a message that never arrived) go up in those same months

What Predictions Can We Make From This Data?

Email Value Is Going Up!

• Rapid Growth in Users: From just 55 million email users worldwide in 1997, we're expecting an astonishing rise to 4.73 billion by 2026, according to Statista.

• Increasing Email Volume: Daily global email volume is projected to swell from 306 billion in 2022 to over 393 billion by 2026, as per Radicati's findings.

• Rising Email Revenue: The global email marketing sector, valued at $9.2 billion in 2022, is set to soar to $26.7 billion by 2028, reports Market Growth Reports.

About 15% of global email volume constitutes personal emails. The remaining 85% is commercial, with approximately two-thirds of these being unsolicited. However, when we analyze the 100 billion permission marketing emails sent daily and compare them with the revenue figures, we find an average value of 12.9 cents per email. This figure is expected to increase to around 17 cents by 2026.

Validity predicts that the value of email is growing by an impressive 15% every year.

Four Key Reasons Behind the Growth

1. New Privacy Laws: Robust consent and greater transparency are having a positive effect on marketing efforts.

2. New Email Standards: Regulations introduced by Yahoo and Gmail are set to boost subscriber trust significantly.

3. Advancements in AI: The ability to send more effective triggered emails is a major revenue driver, aiding in one-to-one hyper-personalization.

4. Shift in Ad Spend Due to 3rd Party Cookie Restrictions: With Google Chrome planning to ramp up restrictions on 3rd party cookies, there's a likely shift in ad spending from search ads to email marketing.

VIP Treatment Is the New Personalization 

• Identifying VIP Subscribers: Understanding what elevates a subscriber to VIP status is pivotal. Assess whether your email program is finely attuned to the unique needs and behaviours of these valued customers.

• Loyalty Through Experiences: Consider the foundation of your subscribers' loyalty. Often, it's rooted in the great experiences they've had with your brand. Enhance this connection by offering engaging experiences that deepen their commitment.

• Engagement-Boosting Strategies: Interactive experiences, such as scratch-offs, have been proven to ramp up engagement. Hickory Farm recently created a lot of engagement with a scratch-off campaign. You can also use experiences instead of discounts.

Hickory Farms' Scratch-Off Campaign

• Data-Driven Personalization: Employ preference centre data to personalize communications effectively. Quality data is essential to understand customer behaviour, anticipate their next purchase, and suggest complementary items that show you're paying attention to their likes.

• Intelligent Segmentation: Group customers by their preferences and purchase history. For instance, if a segment predominantly buys shoes, tailor your emails to feature footwear. Similarly, respect lifestyle choices by not sending a vegan client advertisements for steak.

• Communication Is Key: Maintain regular communication with your customers to stay informed about their preferences. This consistent engagement not only provides valuable insights but also reinforces their VIP status.

Accessibility Standards Awareness Increases

Validity predicts and hopes that marketers will increase accessibility awareness and functionality for their email programs.

They think marketers will become increasingly aware of accessibility standards in 2024, and develop a holistic accessibility strategy for email by:

1. Investing in robust accessibility tools

2. Soliciting feedback directly from subscribers

3. Establishing a standard operating procedure for accessibility quality assurance for email campaigns

4. Sourcing technology and consultants that specialize in improving accessibility in marketing channels

5. Working across teams to ensure cross-channel accessibility

Email Will Get Political

This year 70 nations including Namibia will be having elections! This will touch email in a big way! We will need to:

Monitor customer behavior

• Understand the impact of increased political and economic uncertainty on engagement

Understand customer expectations

• Will your target audience expect your brand to make a clear stand on political issues, or to stay out of the conversation?

A study by Edelman found that 64% of GenZ say they buy from brands based on their beliefs.

Stay on brand

• Now is not the time to change your message to be relevant to the election.

Be flexible and willing to pivot

• Incorporate trendspotting and social listening into campaign planning. Be aware of – and responsive to key political events and dates.

Bulk Senders Prepare For Yahoo and Gmail Updates

As we step into February 2024, significant changes in email authentication practices are on the horizon, especially for those using Gmail and Yahoo. Understanding these changes is crucial for businesses and email marketers aiming to maintain high deliverability and a strong sender reputation.

New Sender Requirements from Gmail and Yahoo: Ready or Not, Here They Come!

Definition of a Bulk Sender

• 5000 messages per day to Gmail accounts

Authentication for sending domain

• Required: SPF, DKIM and now DMARC

• DMARC policy can be set to “none”

Easy Unsubscribe

• Bulk senders must have One-Click List Unsubscribe

• Visible opt-out link in the message body

Spam Complaints Threshold 0.3%

• Gmail: Use Postmaster Tools

• Yahoo: Use FBL data

Validity feels this could lead to a "report illegal content button" or a "mass unsubscribe" button.

Minimalist Email Design

Targeted Marketing

• Using segments created from preference centres and shopping habits, design shorter and more targeted emails

Quicker Browsing

• No more long scrolling emails with every possible product, keep it simple and encourage quick click-throughs to the website

Better Designs

• Minimal designs are cleaner and easier to see on all devices

Clearly Defined Purpose

• What is the goal of your email? Minimally designing an email means better planning and a clear strategy

A great example of clean design in email

Huge rise in e-receipts to combat waste

• France has banned the use of paper receipts.

• V5 Digital has you covered with SmartSlip™.

• Or you could use, email, QR codes, or SMS.

Artificial Intelligence Will Eat Itself

Cycle of Inputs

• If AI relies on itself for fresh inputs, we're missing the mark. Remain (or get) personal with customers to fuel your AI data, and use it wisely

AI & Laziness Become Synonymous

• AI has become lazy! Use it for ideas and inspiration but utilize subscriber data to enhance content and engagement

Go with what you know

• Conduct A/B testing, use preference centre data, lean on things you know that spark the interest of your subscribers

Keep it legal

• Watch for new laws that will encourage transparency when AI is used. Ensure you're staying within boundaries to avoid potentially costly fines

Stay on brand

• Subscribers (and mailbox providers) expect brand consistency, which fosters trust in the legitimacy of your messages

Focus on Sustainable Email Marketing

Marketers will put sustainability at the forefront of email communications to:

• Align with consumer values and retain customers

• Achieve business and government objectives

• Stay competitive and retain customers

Depending on the type, emails can release between 0.3 and 26 grams of C02 emissions says Validity.

So making your email campaigns more efficient can help the planet!

If a customer can choose between two brands why would they choose the one with a lesser commitment to our environment?

V5Digital recommends the following

Back to Basics

MarTech Reduction

• Brands are reducing their MarTech stacks, and only the most critical solutions remain

Email Program Audits

• Infrastructure, triggers, etc. will be up for review

Retention vs Growth

• More focus on keeping loyal customers over increasing file size

Email "plus"

• Due to staffing cuts email marketers now have SMS and social channel responsibility. This could lead to more seamless customer experiences across channels

Automation & Efficiency

• Brands looking to maximize spend and do more with less. (e.g. use of AI and no-code platforms)

We all know the big four, Gmail, AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft but is it time for a new contender?

Where is the Next Big Email Provider?

MAGY – Microsoft, AOL, Gmail, Yahoo

• Launched between 20-30+ years ago

As technology changes, mailbox providers adapt and grow

• Auto-complete; app versions; tags; spam algorithms; etc.

Many other mailbox providers exist

• And new ones are launched regularly

• Are we due for another major contender?

Many integrations exist that can be added to your inbox to suit your needs

• But first, you need to know what you need!

• There could be integrations that you don't even know to look for

Gen Z has entered the workforce with the oldest in their early/mid-20s

• Not known for being an email-heavy generation

• But Email isn't going anywhere

• How will they change things?

• We predict they will bring something new to the table

Possible Priorities:

1. Include SMS number processing through the MBP

2. Auto tl;dr summary

3. Exclusivity

4. Social Media integration, or part of the platform

5. MBP created a preference centre (how often do you want to see emails from us)

6. Gamify emails

7. Privacy focused

Going Forward

As we transition into 2024, the landscape of email marketing is poised for significant transformations. The insights gained from the Webinar, State of Email alongside the evolving trends and statistics, highlight the critical need for businesses to adapt and innovate.

Are you ready to embrace these changes and elevate your email marketing strategy?

V5 Digital is here to guide you through these dynamic times. Our expertise in harnessing the latest email trends, combined with our commitment to sustainable, efficient, and highly personalized email marketing, ensures your business stays ahead of the curve.

Reach out below for a no-commitment consultation with a member of Team V5 Digital below.

Contact Us

Watch the full Validity Webinar for even more insights: Here

Hearts and Hashtags: Valentine's Day Marketing Campaigns We Adored

Just like in love, marketing is all about genuine connections

Roses are red, 

Violets are blue, 

We ❤️ these campaigns, 

And so will you! 

All over the internet banners are turning red and pink, agencies are crafting engaging love letters to customers and brands are embracing the spirit of romance with innovative and heartwarming campaigns.

Here at V5 Digital, we've donned our Cupid wings and embarked on a quest to find the most captivating and creative Valentine's Day campaigns from around the globe.

We aim to inspire your business or brand by sharing past campaigns that set our hearts fluttering with their passion, sincerity, and keen insight into what their audience truly desires.

Freda’s Favourite Campaign

V5 Digital's Customer Success Strategist knows how to put one word after another to catch attention, inspire action, and ignite a lifelong love affair with a business or brand.

When in doubt she follows the advice of the advertising executive Leo Burnett: “Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”

A great example of this is Brooklinen’s Valentine's Newsletter. This gift guide promises to solve your shopping woes with a fun-to-follow flowchart. It turns negative situations (if they don’t love you back) into positive ones (treat yourself) including everyone in the fun. At the bottom, they create a little urgency and relieve a common pain point for shoppers.

Never underestimate the marketing power of a great newsletter

Top Tips for Your Valentine's Day Campaign

• Keep it short: Modern attention spans mean every word has to earn its place on the page.

• Say their name: Personalize your message by addressing your reader directly.

• Include emojis: Market research has shown that people ❤️ emojis.

• Inject urgency: Words like “hurry” and “don’t miss out” inspire action.

• Attract attention: Use engaging questions, snappy sentences, clever puns, or great copy to grab your audience's interest.

Some Examples of Email Titles

• 🌹 [Name], Roses or Chocolates?

• What you adore. At your door. 💕🚗🚪

• Last-Minute Luxuries 🛍️ For Your Valentine

• You may not believe in Valentine’s Day, oh but they do…😬

• Hey, You’re Running Out Of Valen-TIME…

Armin’s Favourite Campaign

As a business owner, V5 Digital founder, Armin, is always on the lookout for marketing strategies that not only capture attention but also drive substantial growth. He finds the current initiatives by Stanley particularly noteworthy for their effectiveness and impact.

Ingenious marketing strategies, including leveraging user-generated content on TikTok and Instagram Reels and targeting women, have significantly boosted demand for Stanley Quencher Travel Tumblers, catapulting their earnings from about $70 million annually before 2020 to an impressive $750 million per year.

The recent collaboration between Stanley and Target for a limited-edition Valentine’s Day cup is a prime example. This campaign created an incredible buzz, leading to intense shopper excitement, with customers eagerly competing to get their hands on these coveted pink cups.

In this video by TikTok user victoria_robino_26, you can see the cups sell out in four minutes!

What Lessons Can You Take Away?

• The scarcity model still works: Limited-edition releases in new colours and collaborations in small bursts can create a big impact.

• The Bandwagon effect: Getting influencers to recommend your product to a new audience can boost sales without having to change your product.

• Leverage User-Generated Content: TikTok user danimarielettering posted a viral video featuring a Stanley Cup that survived a car fire with ice still intact. The company responded by buying her a new car, capitalizing on the viral moment and creating goodwill.

This viral moment from danimarielettering highlighted the durability of Stanley's product

Zoe's Favourite Campaign

Our Content Creator, Zoe, loves it when Community Management is done right! A brilliant example of a Valentine's Day marketing campaign comes from McDonald's South Africa. In an innovative and engaging strategy, the campaign started with a post from McDonald's SA that humorously indicated they were 'dumped'.

This sparked a trending thread as other local brands and fans joined in, creating a lively, interactive campaign that led up to the launch of their Valentine's Day promotion, "McMeal Match Day", where customers could get a free McFlurry when using the app in-store on Valentine's Day.

The campaign was a masterclass in creating engagement and buzz on social media, turning a humorous premise into a successful promotional event.

McDonald’s said they got dumped and through social listening, witty community managers could capitalize brilliantly on this marketing opportunity.

Benefits of hiring a Community Manager for your social media

• Enhanced Brand Representation: They act as the brand's voice, ensuring consistent and engaging communication with the audience.

• Improved Customer Relations: Community Managers provide timely responses to inquiries and feedback, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• Increased Engagement: They create and manage interactive content, boosting engagement and keeping the audience interested and involved.

• Valuable Insights: By monitoring social interactions, they gather insights on customer preferences and market trends, aiding in strategic planning.

• Crisis Management: They are skilled in handling negative feedback or PR crises, protecting the brand's reputation and maintaining a positive public image.

Jessica's Favourite Campaign

Our talented designer Jessica understands the power of engaging video content, particularly short and impactful pieces. A standout example is Stella Artois' Valentine's Day campaign. They created a 15-second YouTube video that beautifully narrated the growth of a couple over the years, intertwined with Stella Artois' beer.

This approach resonated with viewers, as evidenced by the nearly 3 million views the video garnered on YouTube. Simple yet beautifully crafted videos can significantly amplify your brand's message, especially on occasions like Valentine's Day.

Capture More with Less! Short-form videos are great for engagement!

Benefits of short-form videos in marketing

• Quick Engagement: Captures audience attention quickly, aligning with short attention spans.

• Higher Retention: Concise content often leads to better viewer retention and engagement.

• Versatility: Ideal for various platforms, especially social media like TikTok and Instagram.

• Enhanced Storytelling: Allows for creative, impactful storytelling in a brief format.

• Wide Reach: Short videos are shareable and can go viral, increasing brand visibility.

• Cost-Effective: Often quicker and less expensive to produce than longer video formats.

Jürgen's Favourite Campaign

Jürgen, our Customer Success Officer, was deeply moved by a heartwarming campaign related to a KFC proposal in South Africa. When a man popped the question at a KFC, he faced ridicule online. However, the situation quickly turned around as the community and brands showered the couple with support and generosity.

This campaign showed the power of community spirit and how social media can be a force for good, turning a moment of mockery into a beautiful story of love and kindness. It's a powerful example of how brands can engage with real-life stories to create meaningful and positive impacts.

KFC turned something negative into positive marketing magic!

The Takeaway

This campaign embodies the essence of emotional marketing, turning a simple, personal moment into a nationwide sensation that resonates with many. It demonstrates the profound impact of empathy in marketing and the potential of social media to transform narratives and perceptions. This campaign serves as a reminder of the power of community and the positive role brands can play in people's lives, creating lasting memories and connections.

Thanks to all the generous brands the couple celebrated in style!

Jonathan's Favourite Campaign

As a long-time Pledge 1% participant V5 Digital loves doing good while doing well. This is why our amazing designer and dog lover Jonathan admired The Brewery with a Cause campaign by Coors Light.

The laid-back brand chose to focus on a different kind of love, that between humans and their pets. They supported new pet adoptions in February by offering $100 to assist with pet care expenses.

This campaign not only helped promote responsible pet adoption but also subtly addressed alcohol dependency, highlighting the benefits of support animals. It's a brilliant example of a brand aligning its marketing efforts with a noble cause, gaining positive attention and raising awareness on important social issues.

The beer brand helped cover pet adoption fees for 1000 participants

Standing Up for a Cause Can Be Beneficial for Several Reasons

• Builds Brand Loyalty: Customers often develop a deeper connection with brands that support causes they care about.

• Enhances Brand Image: Advocating for a cause can positively shape public perception of a brand.

• Differentiates the Brand: Supporting a cause can set a brand apart from competitors.

• Engages Employees: It can boost employee morale and attract talent who want to work for a socially responsible company.

• Expands Audience: Aligning with a cause can attract new customers who support the same issues.

• Contributes to Social Good: Beyond business benefits, it's a way for companies to contribute positively to society.

Damian's Favourite Campaign

Damian, our Customer Success Officer, appreciates how brands can offer love, value, and expertise beyond typical Valentine's products. Woolworths SA exemplified this by showing their audience how to create a stylish Valentine's Day breakfast.

This campaign effectively demonstrated the brand's commitment to offering practical value and engaging content, appealing to a broader audience and enhancing the customer experience in a unique and relevant way for the holiday.

Give your audience tips and tricks for Valentine's this year!

Make Your Content Memorable, Engaging, and Shareable

• Use Relatable Themes: Focus on everyday experiences or feelings that resonate with a wide audience.

• Incorporate Visuals: Utilize appealing images or videos to enhance your message.

• Encourage Participation: Invite your audience to share their own Valentine's stories or ideas.

• Create Share-Worthy Content: Develop content that people are excited to share with others, like unique gift ideas or Valentine’s Day hacks.

• Utilize Storytelling: Tell compelling stories that capture the spirit of Valentine’s Day.

• Offer Value: Provide valuable information or tips, like how to create a memorable day at home.

• Keep It Positive: Maintain an uplifting and positive tone to spread joy and love.

In Conclusion

Inspired by these creative campaigns? V5 Digital can help you design content that sparks lifelong connections! 💘 Click the button below to start your journey with us.

Contact Us

The 2024 State of Marketing: Navigating business growth with technology and creativity for more human marketing

Discover the trends, winning opportunities and challenges brands will face this year, with data from close to one-thousand five-hundred global B2B and B2C marketers

It’s no secret that the marketing landscape is changing quicker than ever. AI and automation, alongside a fast-paced world, have the majority of marketers agreeing that marketing has transformed more in the past three years, than over the past 50. We no longer live in a go-to-market world where having information alone is enough – those who want to succeed must instead act on intelligence. We’ve shifted from the Age of Information to the Age of Intelligence.

If you’re anything like me, you probably wish you had unlimited time and resources to get through your busy work, come up with game-changing ideas, and ultimately give your audiences unforgettable brand experiences.

While AI's quickly become a marketer's ultimate assistant in many of these quests, it's also caused our landscape (and competition) to evolve even faster.

Using data from our survey of B2B and B2C marketers across the globe, we’ll dig into the top marketing trends of 2024, how AI will keep shifting our industry, and how you can win over audiences in a new era of marketing.

Key Findings:

1. AI is quickly becoming the ultimate marketing assistant but still faces adoption barriers like job security concerns, brand reputation, and lack of knowledge about how to use it.

2. Social media apps could drive higher ROI than ever in 2024 as they evolve into frictionless e-commerce platforms.

3. Video-centric apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube will see the most growth in 2024, though Facebook is still the most used and ties with Instagram for the highest ROI.

4. Short-form video offers the highest content ROI and will earn more investment than all other formats.

5. Marketers will turn to social media targeting, first-party data, and AI tools to reach their audience after Chrome's third-party cookie phaseout.

The Top Marketing Trend of 2024

1. AI's becoming the ultimate content marketing assistant.

We can’t discuss marketing trends without AI, and the impact is so huge it takes the first and second spots on our list.

The most important takeaway is that AI is quickly becoming the ultimate marketing assistant, with 64% of marketers already using it, and 38% of those who don’t yet planning to start in 2024.

AI is only growing in importance. In fact, Sean Downey, Google's President, Americas and Global Partners, believes it will be the single biggest trend in 2024. He says:

"It should come as no surprise that in 2024, the biggest marketing trends will center around the possibilities of AI. Today, marketers are faced with pressing challenges to navigate evolving consumer expectations and consumption habits in today's media landscape, which is fragmented and shifting dramatically — all while delivering business outcomes more efficiently."

He adds, "The AI opportunity is coming at a time of transformation for everyone, including marketers. In fact, in addition to connecting brands and products to people, more than ever before, marketers need to be growth drivers for their companies."

AI can't do anything without YOU!

Things get interesting when we look at how marketers see AI being used - 60% say it will act as an assistant that helps them across their job duties, while 20% see AI primarily taking over menial tasks. 

But there’s no debating that AI will make a big splash in the world of marketing in 2024. 

85% of marketers say generative AI has changed the way they will create content in 2024 and  63% say that in 2024, most content will be created at least in part with the help of generative AI. 

Marketers who use generative AI are seeing great results, saying it helps them make significantly more, higher quality content that performs better.

As Briana Rogers, Head of Product Marketing at Miro, tells me, "Marketers will have to learn how to integrate AI into their work." She explains:

"The space is moving so quickly and we need to experiment with everything … from the more well-established use cases — like leveraging machine learning to improve ad buying, or creating predictive customer value models — to newer spaces, like identifying patterns in user research and data, assisting in creative development, and building full customer campaigns that are powered by AI."

How Generative AI is Revolutionizing Content Creation in Marketing

81% of marketers who use generative AI say it’s effective at assisting them in their role, saying. Specifically, it helps them:

• improve the quality of the content they create (85%)

• create content more efficiently (84%)

• make significantly more content (82%)

• create more personalized content (77%)

On top of all that, 56% of marketers who use generative AI for content creation say this content performs better than content created without it.

Also, our survey shows marketers who use AI/automation tools are 95% more likely to say their marketing strategy was very effective this year compared to those who don’t.

But, a big disclaimer is that AI shouldn't replace your entire content team. You're consumers won't want this, and neither will platforms like Google.

In fact, a recent report from one of our colleagues, Curtis del Principe, highlighted the punishment handed down to one agency after they farmed thousands of posts with AI in what we're calling an "SEO Heist."

So, if you can't create ALL of your content with AI completely, how can you still leverage it to the best advantage in your content plan?

How Marketers Use AI for Content Creation

The marketers surveyed said the top use cases for generative AI are data analysis, research, and content creation (but, don't stop reading here).

This graphic illustrates the diverse applications of AI in content creation

When it comes to creating content, marketers aren't replacing writers or creatives with AI. Instead, they primarily use AI for:

• Brainstorming new ideas or angles

• Re-purposing or adapting pre-created content for a different audience, format or channel

• Writing basic copy or outlines

• Creating images or basic videos

In terms of the types of content marketers use generative AI to produce, social media posts, emails, blog posts, images, and product descriptions.

Generative AI is becoming an essential part of the marketer's toolkit

While that all sounds great, there are a few concerns to be aware of with AI we should talk about.

Where AI Still Faces Barriers

The AI revolution is a huge change, so it’s no surprise that close to half of marketers are concerned about AI replacing their jobs. 23% even think marketers should avoid using generative AI altogether.

But based on how marketers are actually using AI, it isn’t replacing their jobs, but acting as an assistant.

Among marketers who use generative AI to write copy, just 6% use it to write the entire piece of content for them. 45% use it for ideas/inspiration, 31% use it for an outline, and 18% use it for a first draft.

The data underscores the growing role of AI as a partner in the creative process, not just a tool

Additionally, 95% of marketers who use generative AI to write copy make edits to the text, with 44% making significant edits. 

Another issue is integrating AI throughout marketers’ workflow, with 46% feeling overwhelmed at the prospect.

The good news is businesses are going out of their way to help, with 40% of marketers saying their company has hired a new employee specifically to help their team leverage AI.

Still, with AI being so new, just 21% of marketers have integrated it throughout their daily workflow. 32% of marketers use AI for specific tasks and 10% are still in the experimentation phase. Of course, 36% don’t use AI at all - but 38% of marketers who don’t say they will start using AI in 2024.

This pie chart paints a clear picture of how AI is being woven into the fabric of marketing workflows

One final concern shared by 60% of marketers is that AI can harm their brand’s reputation due to bias, plagiarism, or misalignment with brand values.

This is definitely an issue, but if you’re using AI as an assistant, you’ll be editing and watching over the output every step of the way.

AI tools are also aware of these problems and some have already rolled out capabilities to source and fact-check the information it spits out.

For example, Google’s Bard will allow you to double-check the output with existing information on the web to let you know if it can be confirmed by other sources, while also providing links to relevant sources.

Luckily, as companies hire AI implementation experts, marketers become more comfortable using AI as an assistant, and AI tools become more accurate and trustworthy, we predict the concerns above will be overcome quickly.

Top Marketing Channels

2. Social media is the highest ROI marketing channel as it continues to evolve with e-commerce.

Social media is indisputably the #1 marketing channel. Not only does it offer the highest ROI, but it's used by 43% of marketers.

The reason social media is so effective is that it’s become a leading product discovery and purchasing channel as shopping takes centre stage across platforms. 

Marketers can set up virtual stores to give shoppers an all-in-one frictionless shopping experience, from discovery through influencer recommendations to in-app purchases and customer service via DMs.

Earlier this summer, a Consumer Trend Survey found that 64% of Gen Z, 59% of Millennials, and 47% of Gen X discovered a product on social media in the past 3 months. On top of that, social media is the most preferred product discovery channel for Gen Z and Millennials, with Gen X and Boomers warming up to it quickly. 

This bar chart offers a generational snapshot of preferences for product discovery on social media.

What's more, 17% of social media users bought a product in-app in the past three months. In that time, one in four bought something based on an influencer’s recommendation, and 19% sent a DM for customer service.

Additionally, every time we run and rerun our Consumer Trends survey, these numbers increase significantly. So, it’s no surprise marketers are quickly embracing social selling.

A social selling survey even found that 87% of marketers who sell on social say it’s effective, and 59% say they’re making more sales in 2023 than they did last year.

The data underscores the expanding influence of social media as a powerful sales channel in today's digital marketplace

Currently, 27% of marketers use social selling tools, 23% leverage influencer marketing, and 22% use social media DMs for customer service. Marketers plan to invest heavily in these channels for 2024.

Now that we’ve gone over the benefits of social selling, let’s take a look at the most effective platforms for marketers in 2024.

Top Content Trends & Formats

3. Video-first apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube are growing fastest - but don't ignore Facebook.

If you’ve been on social media lately, you know it's all about video, and marketers report that video-centric social media platforms are the most effective and offer the best ROI.

Instagram and Facebook are tied for the highest ROI platforms, followed by YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and X.

Facebook and Instagram are tied as the top social media platforms for offering the highest return on investment

Facebook's still the most popular platform used by markers (57%), followed by Instagram (55%), YouTube (52%), TikTok (44%), X (39%), and LinkedIn (37%).

The Most Utilized Social Media Channels by Marketers

While there’s no doubt Facebook is still dominant, video-centric platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram will see more investment in 2024. 

56% of marketers using TikTok will increase their investment next year, the highest of any platform. YouTube and Instagram will also see a significant boost in investment. 

Marketers' Investment Plans for Social Media in 2024

In terms of first-time use, 27% of marketers who don’t use YouTube plan to leverage it in 2024, followed by TikTok (25%), Facebook (24%), and Instagram (23%).

But the real social media showdown of our time is between X and Threads. Our survey shows marketers are sticking with the newest version of Twitter, with 68% expecting to see greater success with X over Threads in 2024.

The pie chart reveals a clear leaning among marketers towards platform X

Right now, just 11% of marketers use Threads, and only 13% of those who don’t use it plan to try Threads for the first time in 2024.

At this point, you might ask yourself, "But are consumers I market to using these channels?" Check out these deep dives for more:

• X vs. Threads: What Marketers Need to Know

• The Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms [New Data]

• Which Social Media Channels Are Gaining & Losing Steam? [Consumer and Platform Data]

4. Short-form video offers the highest ROI and will see the most growth of any marketing content format in 2024.

Since TikTok reinvigorated the virality of Millennials' favourite app, Vine, our blog team's been predicting a short-form video renaissance.

Today, there’s hardly any contest – short-form video is now the #1 content marketing format, offering the highest ROI. Short-form video is also the most popular, used by 44% of marketers.

This bar chart highlights the content formats that are currently giving marketers the best return on investment

While short-form video has reigned for a few years now, it will continue to see the most growth of any format in 2024, with marketers planning to invest more in it than any other format.

Short-form video is the leading format with 26% of marketers planning the most investment

26% of marketers plan to invest more in it than any other format in 2024, the highest of any format by far. Additionally, 57% of marketers who leverage short-form video will increase their investment in 2024, the highest increase of any format. And to top it all off, 30% of marketers who don’t use short-form video will start in 2024.

5. Marketers will keep investing in micro-influencers -- who can engage tight-knit and loyal communities.

Not only is influencer marketing super effective and going to keep growing in 2024, but influencers are also becoming even more impactful on purchase decisions.

86% of influencer marketers say influencer marketing was effective for their company in 2023. A consumer trends survey shows that 1 in 4 social media users bought a product based on an influencer’s recommendation in the past three months - that’s up 33% from when we ran the same survey a year before.

Influencer marketing will also see significant growth in 2024, with 50% of the marketers who use it planning to increase their investment, and 20% of those who don’t leverage it yet planning to try it for the first time next year.

But the interesting thing is, marketers are finding more success working with micro-influencers who have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers than celebrities (aka, macro or mega influencers) with huge followings.

About half of marketers worked with influencers or creators in 2023, and 64% of them worked with micro-influencers, making them the most popular type of influencer.

They’re also the influencer-size marketers saw the most success with this year, according to 47% of influencer marketers.

Micro-Influencers Take the Lead!

The biggest reasons for that are that working with small influencers is less expensive, makes it easier to establish long-term partnerships, and offers access to tight-knit, engaged, and loyal communities.

This goes to show that followers aren’t everything anymore - a 2023 Social Media Trends Report found that when it comes to how influencer marketers decide which creators to partner with, they say the quality of their content is more important than how many followers they have.

Choosing the Face of the Brand: Top Factors Marketers Consider When Partnering with Influencers

Top Marketing Challenges Ahead

6. Marketers turn to social media targeting and first-party data in response to Chrome's third-party cookie phaseout.

Increased data privacy regulations have been a hurdle for marketers over the past few years, from iOS changes to GDRP and Google’s plans to phase out third-party cookies. 

With 84% of consumers in our consumer trend survey saying data privacy is a human right, public opinion is definitely shifting towards more safeguards around personal data.

On the marketer side, 84% say data privacy changes affected their strategy in 2023, with Google’s planned phaseout of third-party cookies being the most impactful.

The bar chart outlines the significant data privacy changes affecting marketers this year

The issue is marketers aren’t quite ready for this shift - 81% say their marketing activities rely on third-party cookies to some extent and around one in five marketers say they aren’t prepared to lose access to them.

Additionally, 76% of marketers say Google phasing out third-party cookies will make marketing more difficult. 

So what are marketers doing about it? 47% say their company is exploring alternatives to third-party cookies, with social media targeting and first-party data being the most popular solutions.

This bar chart displays the various alternate targeting solutions marketers are exploring

25% of marketers are exploring targeted social media ads, followed by collecting first-party data (25%), Google Topics API (21%), contextual advertising (15%), and universal identifiers (14%).

We’ll talk about the benefits of first-party data next, but to learn more about these alternatives, check out this blog post taking a deeper dive into each solution.

Personalized Marketing with First-Party Data & AI

Despite steps towards personalization and a lot of talk about focusing on the customer experience, we know there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Our survey shows only 35% of marketers say customers get a very personalized experience with their brand and just 65% of consumers say the content they see from brands feels relatable.

The Challenge for Marketers in Creating Relatable Content

On top of that, most marketers lack crucial information about their audience, with only 65% saying they have high-quality data on their target demographic.

When they asked marketers what they knew about their target audience, less than half knew where they consume content, their demographic information, their interests and hobbies, products they are interested in, and insights on their shopping habits.

The Scope of Marketer Knowledge on Consumer Preferences

Why is this so important? Getting this data helps you create a truly personalized experience, which 96% of marketers say increases the likelihood of buyers becoming repeat customers, and 94% say personalization increases sales.

The Power of Personalization: Driving Sales and Customer Loyalty in Marketing

To top it all off, marketers whose brands give customers a personalized experience are 215% more likely to say their marketing strategy this year was very effective compared to marketers at brands that don’t offer a personalized experience.

As mentioned in the previous trend, data privacy regulations make personalization a little more difficult by reducing your access to data.

But that also presents a new opportunity with first-party data, which is data collected directly from your customers. Not only is it higher quality, but it’s also unique to your customers and your business, providing better insights and only getting more powerful with the addition of AI.

While we’ve all been using generative AI tools that leverage public information, the real magic happens when you combine AI with your own business data, allowing marketers to offer a highly relevant, personalized experience.

77% of marketers who use gen. AI say it helps them create more personalized content, personalize the experience customers get with their company (72%), improve the overall customer experience (71%), and understand their customers better (71%).

Enhancing Engagement with AI: A Tool for Deepening Customer Connections

While the power of AI and first-party data is still yet to be seen, all signs point to this intersection being the key to a truly scalable personalized experience.

And when it comes to making the most of your data, one key piece to the puzzle is having a single source of truth, so let’s go over some of the reasons having centralized and accessible data is make or break in 2024.

7. Marketers still struggle with disconnected data, tools, and company siloes.

In last year's State of Marketing report, data-driven decision-making was both a top tactic and a top challenge marketers were addressing.

And, while AI and other flashy trends might convince you otherwise, data is more important than ever in 2024. Still, marketing data, teams, and tools are disconnected. 

This makes sharing and getting necessary data challenging, prevents organizations from getting a holistic view of their data, and reduces data quality. We call this phenomenon a crisis of disconnection.

Around 1 in 4 marketers say it’s difficult to share data with other teams and get data they need from other teams at their company.

On top of that, 23% of marketers say the way marketing data is stored at their company is inaccessible and just 26% say their marketing data is fully integrated with the tools they use. Additionally, only 59% of marketers say the tools they use are interconnected. 

A survey also found that marketers with connected tools, data, and teams performed significantly better in 2023. 

This shows that marketers who use interconnected tools are 64% more likely to report effective marketing strategies

The Solution: A Single Source of Truth

While 93% of marketers with a single source of truth for data say it is beneficial to their organization, only 65% of marketers actually tell us they have one. 

A single source of truth directly addresses the top challenges marketers see with sales and marketing alignment -  a lack of effective communication between teams, sales and marketing teams using different tools, and difficulty sharing data between teams are all key drawbacks. 

The five biggest challenges faced in aligning sales and marketing efforts

So what actually happens when sales and marketing teams aren’t aligned? Marketers say their budgets are wasted, sales and leads are lost, and customers end up getting a poor experience. Marketers who are aligned with their sales team are 26% more likely to say their marketing strategy this year was very effective compared to those who aren’t aligned. 

One highly effective way to implement a single source of truth is getting a CRM, which integrates data with tools and boosts alignment across teams.

86% of marketers using a CRM say it’s effective at improving alignment between the teams and marketers with a single source of truth are 56% more likely to be strongly aligned with their sales team than those without one.

Furthermore, 76% of marketers with a CRM say it is important to the success of their overall marketing strategy, and 57% say their CRM became more important in 2023.

The CRM Advantage: Amplifying Sales and Marketing Synergy

Marketers who use a CRM are 128% more likely to say their marketing strategy this year was very effective compared to marketers who don’t use a CRM. And on top of that, 93% of marketers using Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM say their marketing strategy was effective this year.

Lastly, AI is also very effective at improving connection, with marketers who use it saying it helps their organization share data more effectively (74%) and collaborate more effectively (73%).

Boosting Team Connectivity and Collaboration

What's Next for Your Business?

If you're intrigued by these insights and curious about how they can be applied to your business, we at V5 Digital are here to assist.

Should you have any questions or if you'd like V5 Digital to present an engaging and informative session on the latest trends in marketing at your business, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We're dedicated to providing you with cutting-edge marketing solutions that drive results.

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This article was originally written by Maxwell Iskiev and adapted for the V5 Digital audience.