Staying ahead of the curve means anticipating trends, adapting your strategies and leveraging the latest tech. To achieve this, it helps to deep dive into what 2024 has taught digital marketers. Use these insights to make game-changing strategic decisions based on empirical facts.
Key Digital Marketing Trends of 2024 and What They Mean for B2B Marketers
2024 has been a transformative year in digital marketing. If you want to maintain a competitive edge in 2025, you need to be ready for what’s coming.
Here is our take on the key changes seen this year and how you can adjust your strategies to maximise success in the B2B space.
SEO: User Experience Takes Centre Stage
Several Google core updates shaped 2024, each sharpening the focus on user experience. We can see that Google’s algorithm is evolving to prioritise high-quality, authentic content. This is evidenced by metrics like Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which measures how quickly a page responds to user interactions and illustrates Google’s drive for user-centricity.
This trend is bound to continue into 2025. Cookie-cutter, standardised SEO practices are not enough. Here’s how you can up your 2025 SEO game:
- Don’t create content based on keywords. Focus on content that delivers value.
- Concentrate on engagement—how can your content provide an exceptional experience?
- Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and structured to meet user expectations.
- Sharpen your technical SEO skills (architecture, crawling, indexing).
- Regularly update content.
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is evolving rapidly as it strives to maintain its global position as the most relevant search engine. Competition is fierce, with Microsoft’s Bing, Perplexity AI and other generative engines hot on their heels.
Read An Introduction to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) to get a mile-long head start on your competition.
Email Marketing: It’s All About Personalisation and Security
In a nutshell, 2024 was the year of email marketing infrastructure, with stricter security requirements and an increased focus on personalisation.
We also saw platforms like Google and Yahoo enforce tighter deliverability standards for high-volume senders. AI tools are now automating segmentation and creating hyper-personalised campaigns. With over 60% of emails opened on mobile devices, responsive design, design for smaller screens, and interactive elements have not lost their lustre.
Key takeaways:
- If you send bulk emails in 2025, you must get your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols in order.
- Leverage AI for better email targeting.
- Optimise for mobile.
Recommended reading: Boost Business-to-Business ROI with a Mighty Email Marketing Strategy.
Social Media: Short-Form Video and Community Building Dominate
Social Media shows no signs of slowing down. By now every B2B business should have an established social media presence, keeping up with user expectations and platform changes.
This was an excellent year for LinkedIn, which has cemented its place as a B2B networking powerhouse. Short-form video continues to surge!
What we’ve learnt this year:
- LinkedIn continues to be a dominant platform for B2B marketing, with enhanced features like Creator Mode, allowing users to showcase their expertise more effectively.
- New features, such as LinkedIn’s “Showcase Pages”, can offer new opportunities for B2B marketing.
- Improved features like “Spaces” on X (formally Twitter) are gaining popularity as users seek community on social media.
- Brands must get on board with brand messaging via video. It’s too good an opportunity to miss.
- Influencer marketing remains a popular strategy, but B2B marketers must be selective in their partnerships to ensure they align with their target audience.
- Consumers are craving authenticity—and User-Generated Content (UGC) holds the key. Three out of four (75%) of consumers are concerned about fake reviews, turning to TikTok and Reddit for “more applicable, authentic, and interesting information about products.” (emarketer.com)
What does this mean for you? Integrate more short-form video into your social media strategy and invest time in building an authentic, engaged community.
Content: AI and Interactive Formats Lead the Way
There’s no denying that AI, GPTs in particular, have dominated all business sectors this year.
Currently anyone involved in marketing has their preferred tools for research and even—ahem—content creation. Beware of the latter, please. Fast does not equal great—and you need great content to get ahead in digital marketing.
Alongside AI, interactive and immersive content formats like quizzes, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) are gaining traction. Approximately 171 million people globally are using VR technology, with user penetration expected to reach 52.8% by the end of the year (2024) and grow to 55.9% by 2028 (G2.com).
For 2025:
- Consider leveraging AI to streamline content creation and personalise communications in 2025.
- Explore interactive content formats to boost engagement. VR and AR may not be obvious, but they offer powerful ways to showcase complex B2B services.
(Psst. We called this trend, along with 8 others, back in January. Take a look: 9 digital marketing trends in 2024.)
Paid Advertising: A Video-First and Privacy-Driven Landscape
2024 saw a shift toward video-first paid advertising strategies across platforms like LinkedIn and X. Privacy regulations continue to tighten, focusing on first-party data as third-party cookies fade out. AI-powered targeting and automation are increasingly important in optimising paid campaigns.
What this means for you:
- Embrace video-first ad campaigns to grab attention.
- Respect privacy regulations, beginning with leveraging first-party data for better targeting and personalisation.
- Partner with an agency that is investing in AI tools for ad campaign automation and optimisation based on their expert first-hand knowledge.
What to read: Making Money with Google Ads.
Heading into 2025
2024 set the stage for a more personalised, privacy-conscious, and user-focused digital marketing environment. Savvy digital marketers will adapt their 2025 strategies to meet these trends.
Just as we retroactively learn and adapt from the year gone by, we should also be proactive in spotting upcoming trends and becoming trailblazers ourselves.
After years in the industry, our team at Famous Digital Media have become adept at scanning the horizon and accurately setting our clients on the path of success. Partner with us for expert guidance in navigating the ever-evolving digital landscape.