State of Marketing Report 2024 | HubSpot
Artificial Intelligence |
INTRODUCTION
Marketing in the Age of Intelligence
The dynamic marketing landscape, evolving rapidly with AI and automation, demands a shift from information-centric to intelligence-driven strategies. In 2024, marketers must embrace new approaches for awareness, engagement, personalization, efficiency, and growth.
HubSpot, recognizing these challenges, integrates AI tools into its platform to aid in setting up informative systems, identifying intent, and accessing crucial data for informed decisions. Join us in navigating this transformative journey. Thanks for being part of our community.
Efficiency leads to innovative, more human marketing
There’s a well-established concept that a wandering mind fosters creative connections and “aha!” moments, often occurring during routine activities like showering or doing dishes. In the Age of Intelligence, where marketers grapple with time constraints, a new ally emerges – AI tools. These tools efficiently tackle various tasks, from brainstorming to automation, alleviating pressure on teams.
With increased scrutiny on budget allocation and ROI, six in ten marketers seek smarter investments, audience relationship-building, and task automation. Our exploration of current marketing challenges, trends, and growth opportunities involves insights from over 1,400 global marketing professionals and industry leaders. Let’s delve into the data.
Scaling relationships and proving ROI
When scrutinizing the marketing budget, every dollar becomes crucial. Marketers seek a comprehensive understanding of the impact of their efforts, relying on a unified source of truth and robust reporting linked to sales. Despite having 70% of marketers claim “high-quality leads,” a significant challenge remains in achieving sales and marketing alignment.
Approximately 75% of marketers recognize the power of personalized experiences in boosting sales and fostering customer loyalty. However, scaling relationship-building across the buyer’s journey presents new operational demands. Explore the key challenges, opportunities, reliable strategies, and noteworthy marketing trends for 2024.
AWARENESS
Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
Marketers are increasingly focusing on audiences raised in the online era, with 74% targeting Millennials and 67% engaging Gen X. In contrast, only 27% show interest in Baby Boomer audiences. As digital natives take on decision-making roles, there’s a shift in how buyers interact with businesses online.
Key challenges include generating ideas, creating compelling content for lead generation, and building a substantial follower base. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok deliver robust ROI, aligning with marketers’ investments in 2024. Additionally, 27% of non-YouTube users plan to start utilizing the platform in the coming year, while 68% anticipate more success with X than Threads in 2024.
Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
based on influencer recommendations. Marketers are taking notice, and influencer marketing is set to experience significant growth in 2024, with 50% of practitioners planning to increase their investments.
Kyle Denhoff, Director of Marketing on the Media Team at HubSpot, notes that brands collaborating with select Creators in their niche generate demand and boost sales through various channels like YouTube, newsletters, podcasts, and social media.
Over half of HubSpot’s YouTube demand stems from Creator partnerships, showcasing the preference for learning from credible experts rather than institutional brands. This strategic blend of owned and Creator media contributes to business advancement.
The future of content marketing is personal
In an increasingly competitive search landscape, prioritizing user needs over efficiency is crucial for your content strategy. Recent Google updates emphasize “helpful content” and elevate the “E” for “experience” in E-A-T. Your content should be personal, showcasing expertise and addressing real needs. The future of content marketing is personalized SEO, addressing challenges like finding ideas, creating engaging content, attracting traffic, reaching the target audience, and generating leads.
According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report, marketers face challenges in finding content ideas and creating high-engagement content. To address this, leverage three types of ebooks: functional tools, first-party data insights, and collaborations with thought leaders. Tools and data are integral to the trend of creating content tailored to individual users, making it personal without relying on personalization data.
Direct, first-hand experience is essential for SEO success, helping predict outcomes and guide readers through their education or troubleshooting process. Tools and first-party data work for lead generation, providing users with adaptable solutions. Additionally, thought leadership plays a crucial role.
As drawing traffic through search becomes more challenging, human curation offers a unique edge over algorithmic search and language models (LLMs). Thought leaders and influencers can curate experiences that surprise, delight, and provide new insights. Partnering with influencers or nurturing thought leaders within your organization can enhance content leadership and engagement, ensuring a competitive edge in content marketing.
The Table of Contents of “State of Marketing Report 2024” :
- INTRODUCTION
- AWARENESS
- ENGAGEMENT
- PERSONALIZATION
- EFFICIENCY
- GROWTH
- CLOSING
Number of Pages:
- 43 pages
Pricing:
- Free
Methodology
We conducted a survey in September 2023 with a total of 1,400+ global B2B + B2C marketers across industries to gain these data points.
