Navigating the Future: Emerging Trends in Marketing Technology

Trying to manage multiple different marketing channels, marketing tools, and emerging marketing trends is a big challenge for small and local businesses. There are only so many avenues and tasks you can manage with a small internal team. Even though cutting-edge marketing tools like AI-powered CDPs and smart marketing platforms promise new efficiencies, trying to decide which ones to adopt and how to use them can add an impossible load onto your marketing team's to-do list.  

Instead of feeling swamped by all the new marketing technology trends and feeling like you're impossibly far behind, the technology team at Mid-West Marketing La Crosse has created a list of the six most important trends and concepts you need to pay attention to in 2024. Start with this quick list, and then reach out to see how we can help you incorporate them for maximum benefit. 

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) 

Of all the marketing technology trends transforming the marketing landscape, AI and ML are arguably the most important. You can use AI to generate content, sift through data, and provide insightful recommendations or summaries. While there are dozens of different ways to use AI and ML, start by using it for data analytics. 

Today, business owners have access to more data than ever before. But if you can't read through all of it to pull out trends and insights, the data is useless (or even worse, will send your marketing team off track). Start using AI-powered analytics tools to: 

• Develop customer personas 
• Predict trends and the impact of different campaigns on your business 
• Identify crucial patterns 

Another route you can use to introduce AI into your business is chatbots, which can help either employees or customers answer their questions. 

2. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) 

Next, determine how AR and VR experiences can fit into your business model. If you sell products online, these cutting-edge marketing technologies can be incredibly powerful. Use engines so customers can virtually try on products or see how your products look in their space. Offering this option can make customers more certain that they're making the right purchase and increase overall satisfaction. You can also develop AR-enhanced producer packaging that offers discounts, links, and immersive experiences to customers once they get their products.  

The more interactive your brand is, the more memorable it will be. 

3. Voice Search Optimization 

Emerging marketing strategies orient themselves around changes in customer behavior, and one change that businesses must capitalize on is the increased use of virtual assistants. Consumers use Siri, Alexa, and other voice search tools to interact with the Internet when their hands are busy.  

Modernize your content and resources to follow this trend. Create short answers and featured snippets that directly answer some of the most common questions in your industry, convert text-based content into audio and video options, and make sure consumers can learn about your products without ever having to read a sentence themselves.  

Optimizing your content for voice search isn't one of the flashiest marketing technology trends, but it's becoming one of the most influential. 

4. Influencer Marketing 2.0 

Speaking of influence, an easy and essential way to update your marketing approaches to match emerging marketing strategies is to change your approach to influencers. Conventionally, "influencers" were people with large followings who could promote your product to another segment of the market. But in influencer marketing 2.0, companies are changing to prioritize micro and nano influencers. 

These influencers have fewer followers, but they inspire much stronger loyalty and have a very tightly focused audience. This, in turn, provides you with a more cost-effective route to reach consumers who align exactly with your target markets. Cutting-edge marketing platforms use AI to track down smaller influencers who match the needs of specific small and local businesses, and they can minimize the risk of you encountering fraudulent influencers or influencer marketing agreements that won't generate real profits for your business. You can also prioritize relationships with local micro influencers, such as on-air personalities and radio show hosts, by partnering with Mid-West Family La Crosse and accessing our network of influencers.  

5. Data Privacy and Compliance 

This is less of a cutting-edge marketing opportunity and more of a new responsibility emerging from all these marketing technology trends. All these options rely on customer data, but the requirements for protecting consumer data and asking for consent before collecting it are growing more stringent every day. Set aside time to make sure your business is complying with GDPR and CCPA regulations from start to finish—this shows customers that you value their privacy. It also protects you from potential cyber threats and penalties for failing to protect data. 

6. Customer Data Platforms (CDPs)  

Finally, turn back to the internal marketing tools you use and evaluate your CRM and other data tools. The stronger your customer profiles are, the better you can make sales, and customer data platforms are becoming the gold standard in making that happen. Rather than having separate platforms for marketing, sales, support, and so on, businesses should have comprehensive customer records that paint a full picture of customer experiences. This allows you to identify problems, capitalize on positive trends, and make better campaigns. 

Cutting-Edge Marketing Makes Businesses Stand Out in Any Industry 

All of these marketing technology trends and cutting-edge marketing tools can help your business grow. But even focusing on just these six concepts can be overwhelming.

Reach out to Mid-West Family La Crosse to revolutionize your approach and capitalize on emerging marketing strategies that use AI, more dynamic tools, and better data-backed insights.