Our Top Current Digital Marketing Trends

Welcome to Pattern’s March blog.

As we wrap up the third month of 2024, many of our clients have continued to revive their digital strategies to adapt to the ever-evolving industry and market conditions. Here at Pattern, we strategically partner with our clients to guide them to business success.

1. 2024 Strategic Focuses

Based on the market trends and evolving digital marketing landscape, the Pattern team has put their heads together to narrow down the strategic focus areas that will accelerate our client’s growth this year. There are 5 strategic focuses that we’ve identified as pivotal for year-on-year growth:

1. Drive New Customer Acquisition

   “With the deprecation of first party cookies, it’s important to have a budget stream in your digital marketing strategy focussing on new customer acquisition. This will build your future customer base” Nuala McBride, Client Account Director at Pattern

2. Engage Existing Customers

   “In today’s fiercely competitive digital landscape, where paid media costs are on the rise and third-party cookies are facing depreciation, the key to sustainable growth lies in finding a healthy balance between engaging existing customers and acquiring new customers. Leveraging cutting-edge technology is paramount in crafting effective retention strategies that withstand market challenges. From optimising website stickiness to personalising email campaigns, every interaction counts towards nurturing lasting relationships and driving sustained business success.” Bianca Robinson, Client & Operations Director

3. Embrace AI In Your Processes

   “Embracing AI in your processes will help you operate more efficiently, deliver better customer experiences, and stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.” Tania Knight, Principal Consultant at Pattern

4. Build An Omni Strategy

   “An omnichannel strategy should be your only strategy. Ensuring your digital strategy complements your existing retail store and offline user experience should be a fundamental part of your marketing plans. Local inventory Ads, Posting on your Google Business profiles and social location ads are all ways you can use your digital presence to drive in-store footfall” Katie Mckelvie, SEO & Analytics Department Director at Pattern

5. Continuous Test & Learn Strategies

   “The greatest lessons are often learned through trial and error. Pattern embrace every test as an opportunity to learn and grow, for it is through challenges that we truly discover our path forward” Colin Boucher, Senior Performance Department Director

2. Industry Innovations & Trends

Digital marketing is a constantly changing landscape and we pride ourselves in keeping across the latest innovations and trends in the market. Doing so ensures there’s planning for these changes in our client’s long-term strategy, and that we have the corresponding measurement in place. Below is a round-up of what we see as the most important industry innovations to be across in H1 2024:

1. Social Media

   1. Instagram Messenger Updates & Shareable Content

      Over the past few months, Instagram has been launching new features for direct messages (DMs), including message editing, chat themes, and pinned group chats.

      These updates respond to a growing trend of engagement shifting away from public feeds to private messaging. Algorithm changes now highlight recommended content, with 40% of feed content falling into this category. Consequently, brands should focus on creating shareable content, recognising that engagement is increasingly happening through private messages rather than on feed and their posts.

   2. TikTok Continues To Encourage Searching

      TikTok launches dedicated search shortcuts, urging users to download a new app to improve their browsing habits. This initiative aims to streamline user experience by providing quick access to trending topics and content, ultimately aiming to encourage more active engagement with the platform.

      The prompt is yet to appear in the Australian market, but it’s another step TikTok is taking to rival search engines

      

2. One Search – Organic & Paid Space

   1. SEO: Google Algorithm Updates

      Google released an Algorithm update (5th March 2024) that set out to remove “unhelpful content” from Search results. This update is seen to be punishing sites that have used AI to create large volumes of low-quality content.

   2. Paid Search: New Performance Max features

      Google has launched two new exciting features to get more granular across Pmax and increase revenue efficiencies. The first one allows us to go after new customers, by enabling the new customer acquisition and excluding Brand. The second one is a Re-engagement goal feature in Pmax, which will allow us to target lapsed customers, which is currently in the Beta phase.

3. Affiliates

   1. Commission Factory Custom Report Upgraded

      With the new ability to add comparison data to your custom reports, you can effortlessly review how your program has been performing across different campaigns across time.

   2. NRMA Rewards Launch

      Well known for their roadside assistance NRMA will be launching their CLO rewards program. With an estimated 2.9 million account holders this will be a big one to look to get onboard with. Expected to launch around May at this time.

4. CRM

   1. Google & Yahoo’s New Sender Requirements

      This will come into play during Q1 2024 and will be a positive change for the industry. It will ensure that inbox providers are identifying your business as a legitimate sender and reducing the junk and spam content.

   2. One-Click Unsubscribe

      Google and Yahoo’s new sender requirements also include that every email campaign and trigger must include a one-click unsubscribe link in the header of the email.

As always, there’s lots happening in the digital marketing space in March. As we move into April and May there are lots of key seasonal events like Mother’s Day coming up that brands should start planning for with the strategic plays mentioned above and new platform innovations.

If anything has sparked your interest here, contact our team for a free audit by Pattern. We can identify new growth opportunities for your brand.