New year, new marketing? 2024 has brought some significant changes to marketing, including the expanded use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the rise of female buying power, rapidly changing consumer behaviors, and more. During the “COVID” years, we saw the rise of the influencer. However, the 2024 marketing landscape demands a return to brand awareness and a more meaningful approach to marketing your small business.
Here are six steps to improve your small business marketing in 2024.
Embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence - I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s been a buzzword in the news throughout 2023, but marketers have used it for years as a helpful tool. You can use AI to edit images, create designs, craft copy, and more. But be mindful of the content you’re creating! AI is meant to be a helpful tool, not an all-encompassing marketing team. So make sure that you’re vetting the content instead of using it ver batum!
Pro Tip: Canva can be a powerful AI marketing tool, which I use often at Iron City Social. It’s small business budget-friendly, effective, and easy to use!
Consider Accessibility
Do you use subtitles and captions? What about alt text for images? If you’re not, you’re alienating some of your customers! Making your marketing more accessible should be a priority for 2024. According to HubSpot, one in four people live with a disability in the United States.
And as a small business, you can do plenty to make your small business marketing more accessible. Start small with captions, alt text, and optimizing your website for voice search. Then, extend those practices to your marketing content, branding, and more.
Pro Tip: There are plenty of tools out there to help! Use the backend caption tool on social platforms and check out Vox Product Accessibility Guidelines for a comprehensive checklist for accessible design and marketing.
Get Started with Small Business Video Marketing
I know crafting videos can be intimidating, but I promise it’s not as difficult as it seems! Now more than ever, video has to be in the mix of your small business marketing kit. Try product videos, behind-the-scenes content, or hopping on a trend (that fits your biz, of course). And remember, your goal isn’t perfect, but consistency. Ditch the idea of the “perfect video” and show your audience something real!
Pro Tip: Need help with ideas? Check out my blog, Six Quick Ideas for Content Marketing!
Get to Know Your Customer (or Client)
Before you do anything else, you need to know who your customer (or client) is. Why? Because you can’t do anything if you don’t know who you’re marketing to! Think of the Who, What, Why, and Where. Who is buying your product or service? What needs or wants are you satisfying? Why should they choose your product or service? And where can they find you? After you answer these questions, you’ll be well on your way to knowing your customer!
Pro Tip: Try developing buyer personas. A buyer persona represents your ideal customer based on market research and data about your existing customers. If you have data on your current customer base, consider including that information, such as demographics, behavior, patterns, motivations, and goals. The more detailed you can get, the better.
