As 2024 wraps up, major changes can be seen  in the field of marketing!  Who would have thought AI would have such an impact?  In some ways the advent of AI has taken some of the load off of marketers.  For Example, using chatboxes can decrease time spent answering common questions and in turn possibly increase the likelihood of a customer making a purchase by having answers to their questions quite literally at their fingertips!

AI has also aided companies in providing customers more products that coincides with the current purchase.  Amazon is a great example of AI In action.  Usually when a purchase is being made, magically other products that complements the order appear.  Coincidence, or did this happen on purpose?  The answer is, it was intentional.  AI learned that a purchase was in the process of being executed, so it showed products that the consumer  may add to the cart without giving it a second thought!

Another trend that most marketing professionals should turn their attention towards is publishing the “right” content on social media.  For many years, the emphasis has been on the intention of putting content out there.  With the new year, many companies will turn their attention towards posting the “right” content.  Some may be wondering what exactly is the right content.  In its basic form, it boils down to publishing content that interests your target audience.  This could be a blog LinkedIn article that details a process in your industry, or Pinterest images of new products that are about to be released.  The point is develop content that peaks your consumers’ interest, which is directly related to the next trend that will be a cornerstone for most businesses, and that is truly connect with the public.

Even though this concept isn’t new, marketers are realizing the impact of engaging with their audience can have on the brand.  This could begin with creating an online community where both the brand and customers could meet and talk about products, services, or a community project that can benefit both the community and the brand.

Consumers may not see a lot of these changes in marketing efforts, but marketers can and should implement some of these tactics.  AI is a great tool, and note we said tool.  AI should not complete every task for you.  AI can be great for tasks like running analytics or some sales reports, but do not succumb to letting AI do your creative projects.  It is true that AI can come up with ideas, but that should be the extent of it.  Feel free to use it to generate ideas for written and visual projects!  However, when it comes right down to it, ensure that you are doing the writing or graphic design.  After all, who can best connect with another human being:  a computer language that knows the language, or someone who has some of the same emotions as those around them?