Social Media Marketing Trends in 2024: Our Predictions
Goodbye 2023, hello 2024! From AI and personalisation right through to the rise in digital communities – join us as we discuss our social media trends predictions for next year.
Table of Contents
As we close the curtain on 2023, it’s time to look forward to the social media trends that we think will take the marketing world by storm in 2024.
2023 has been a whirlwind of a year for marketers – from the introduction of Instagram Threads (we always love a new platform to get used to!), right through to Twitter rebranding into X (we’ll keep our opinions hush on that one!)
And, with the rise of AI and consumers demanding more from brands on social media, there’s a lot to look forward to and be prepared for next year. So let’s dive in.
The Rise of Digital Communities
One of our key predictions is the rise of digital communities and audiences focusing their engagement on brands that they are aligned with, rather than just ‘any brand’ on their feed. With this, we also expect customers to be more picky with the brands that they engage with.
Social Media is full of brands which have similar a tone of voice, and customers are already turning away from brands which don’t align with their own values. For example for 55% of consumers, values are important enough that they might boycott brands they disagree with. You may want to relook at your social value brand proposition – especially if it hasn’t been refreshed in years!
Digital communities are already a concept explored by Instagram. Although their Broadcasts feature is still new and targeted more towards creator accounts, it can be used to build stronger bonds between influencers and their communities. It will be interesting to see how this develops more in 2024.
Don't Count Out Instagram Threads
Talking of Instagram, this brings us to our next prediction about Instagram Threads. Since its initial launch in July 2022, Instagram Threads has seen a strong uptake – being downloaded more than 30 million times in 16 hours, followed by its downfall with its average daily users being down 79% compared to its launch.
But does this mean this is the end for Instagram Threads? Far from it. Users are already turning away from Twitter’s rebrand (X) and may seek alternatives which Threads offers. Don’t believe us? X saw its weekly active users drop 4% over the following weeks after the rebrand (August 6-20), while the X app fell four spots in the Overall category rankings to No. 36, according to a new analysis from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
However, Instagram Threads is also far from being perfect, with the head of Instagram, Mosseri keeping users up to date on the latest updates to come.
'X' Continues Its Downfall
Oh, how we miss the blue bird. As we’ve mentioned above, ‘X’ has seen a decline in active daily users since its rebrand, and we predict this to carry on.
Even though ‘X’ is trying to bring out new features to improve the app (such as new subscriptions) and on the flipside, removing features (goodbye Twitter Circles), it seems as though this isn’t enough to bring people back to the app.
However, this doesn’t mean it’s all over for Elon Musk’s ‘X’. X is already trying to drive more video discovery, by improving its video feed and updating its live-streaming options, while it’s also considering a new UI that would better highlight its own TikTok-style full-screen display. Although this could drive some existing users away, it could act as a hook to get new people onto, or back to the app. Stay tuned with this one!
AI and Personalised Content
We have already predicted the rise of AI in the overall digital landscape, but it will also be interesting to see how it grows in the social sphere. Although personalisation has been on the rise for the past few years, the rise in AI and new technologies makes it easier to personalise content than before.
So how can personalisation be done via social media? One big way to utilise this is using paid ads. By analysing buyer personas, and using previous customer data you can cater your ads to each audience type no matter where they are in the customer journey.
Brands such as Netflix and Spotify have already cracked the meaning of customer personalisation so make sure to analyse their strategies and take a leaf out of their book while tailoring it to your own business and audience!
Final Thoughts
Although other trends will influence social media marketing in 2024 such as the continued rise of short-form video and using social media for customer service as well as e-commerce shopping, the above are just some of the key trends we expect to see next year.
By developing your marketing strategy around these trends, you will stay ahead of the curve and reach customers where you need them, and how you need to,
Stay tuned to our blog in 2024 for trend updates as they come in – and make sure to bookmark this for future reference!
