HELLO READER,
It's a new year, which means there are plenty of trends and learnings to apply in the months ahead. Today, I'm sharing some of the insights that are top-of-mind for me and my team as we tackle 2024.
1. NAVIGATING ECONOMIC HEADWINDS 🧭
First, let's address the elephant in the room. There are many reports that claim 2024 will bring economic headwinds. It's not all bad news, though. In our experience, we've seen an upward trend in growth for eCommerce brands over the past year. This is something we've really leaned into as we honed our eCommerce performance marketing services and helped dozens of new DTC clients grow.
On the flip side, we've noticed B2B lead generation has slowed down overall. It doesn't mean B2B brands can't be successful right now — but they'll probably have to work a little harder to get the same results that they used to. For startups and SMBs, there is a silver lining in this; bigger brands have pulled back on their campaigns and left room for smaller players to get their footing in highly competitive niches.
2. AI GROWS UP? 🤔
To say that 2023 was the year of AI would be an understatement. Hundreds of AI-powered tools burst onto the SaaS scene and legacy players like HubSpot and Shopify raced to add AI features to their existing platforms. The dust has now (somewhat) settled, and one critical question remains: How will AI actually be applied every day by marketing and sales professionals?
We suspect businesses will find out the answer in 2024. From AI-powered automation to intelligent live chat, there are plenty of use cases that can help businesses improve efficiency without sacrificing quality or integrity. The not-so-practical use cases, however, will most likely fade away.
3. LESS IS MORE 🎯
Last year, there was a lot of talk about consolidating performance marketing services that have been traditionally a la carte — things like PPC management, web development, and SEO.
With buyer's journeys spanning more channels than ever before, it makes sense that brands are looking for a unified partner that can handle all aspects of their marketing funnel under one roof.
We also saw a similar trend when it comes to tech stacks. Teams are tired of orchestrating multiple tools and getting lost in mountains of mismatched data. In 2024, it's all about streamlining everything from your tech stack to your service partners.
What are you focused on reader? Book a meeting with me anytime and I'd be glad to hop on a call and talk shop!
Cheers to 2024!
