10 Marketing Phrases You Should Know in 2024
Introduction
The world of marketing is always changing, and 2024 is bringing new trends and terms that every marketer should know. Whether you’re new to the field or experienced, understanding the latest marketing lingo will help you stay ahead. From the rise of voice search to social commerce, these changes are reshaping how businesses connect with customers. To succeed, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with these concepts, as they’re essential for shaping marketing strategies in the coming year. Let’s dive into 10 key marketing phrases to get familiar with in 2024—and what they mean for your business.
1. Zero-Click Searches
A zero-click search is when users get their answer directly on the Google search page without clicking through to any website. This can happen in a few different ways. For example, if you Google “today’s weather” or “define marketing,” you’ll often see the answer at the top of the search results, provided by Google’s featured snippets or knowledge panels.
These zero-click results are becoming more common as Google strives to give users faster answers. For marketers, this means that while getting a website link to rank highly is still important, showing up in these “answer boxes” is now crucial. In 2024, businesses need to optimize their content to increase the chances of being featured as a snippet or appearing in a local map result.
- Tip: Use tools like Google’s “People also ask” to get an idea of common questions people search for and include concise, factual answers in your content to increase your chances of being featured.
2. Customer Data Platform (CDP)
A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is software that pulls together data about your customers from all the different places you interact with them—your website, social media, email marketing campaigns, in-store visits, and more. The goal is to create a single, comprehensive profile of each customer, which allows for better, more personalized marketing.
What makes CDPs stand out is their ability to unify this data in real-time. That means marketers can get insights that help create immediate personalized experiences, whether through email campaigns, social media ads, or even website content. As personalization continues to be a key driver of engagement in 2024, understanding and leveraging CDPs will be vital for businesses looking to stay competitive.
- Example: Imagine a customer browses shoes on your website but doesn’t make a purchase. A CDP can track this behavior and later send a personalized email showcasing those shoes or similar products.
3. First-Party Data
First-party data is the information your business collects directly from your audience. This could be through newsletter sign-ups, customer surveys, purchase histories, or website interactions. What makes first-party data so valuable is that it’s yours—it comes directly from your customers, meaning it’s more reliable than third-party data.
With recent changes to online privacy regulations, such as the phasing out of third-party cookies by Google, businesses need to focus more on collecting their own first-party data. In 2024, this trend will only grow stronger as companies need to rely on data that is both trustworthy and compliant with privacy laws.
- Tip: Start building your first-party data now by encouraging newsletter sign-ups, creating more interactive content, and leveraging customer loyalty programs to gather more meaningful insights.
4. Social Commerce
Social commerce refers to selling products directly through social media platforms. Instead of clicking a link that takes users to your website, customers can now make a purchase directly within the social media app. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have integrated shopping features that allow users to buy without leaving the app.
In 2024, we expect to see more brands adopting social commerce to take advantage of the seamless, mobile-friendly shopping experience it provides. For businesses, social commerce means reducing friction in the buying process—making it easier for consumers to go from browsing to buying in a matter of clicks.
- Example: If a user spots a jacket they like in an Instagram post, they can click on it and buy it without leaving Instagram. This convenience drives impulse purchases and boosts overall sales.
5. Cookieless Future
In 2024, marketers are preparing for a cookieless future, which refers to the fact that third-party cookies (the little pieces of data that track users across different websites) are being phased out due to privacy concerns. This change, driven by companies like Google and Apple, means that brands will no longer be able to track users across the web as easily as they have in the past.
This shift will force marketers to rethink how they target ads and gather insights about their audience. Instead of relying on third-party cookies, businesses need to focus on gathering and leveraging first-party data, contextual advertising (ads based on the content someone is viewing), and building strong customer relationships.
- Tip: Start developing strategies for acquiring first-party data, such as asking customers to create accounts, participate in loyalty programs, or take part in interactive surveys.
6. Voice Search Optimization
Voice search optimization means preparing your content to be found easily when people use voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri. More and more users are asking questions out loud to their devices, such as “Where’s the nearest coffee shop?” or “What’s the weather like tomorrow?”
Voice search tends to be more conversational than traditional search, which means your SEO strategy should focus on long-tail keywords and natural language phrases. In 2024, optimizing for voice search is becoming more important as consumers expect faster, hands-free answers.
- Tip: Think about how people would phrase a question when speaking naturally and include those conversational keywords in your content. Questions that begin with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how” are key for voice search.
7. Hyper-Personalization
Hyper-personalization is about delivering marketing messages that feel custom-made for each individual customer. While personalization might be as simple as using someone’s name in an email, hyper-personalization goes further by leveraging real-time data, AI, and detailed customer insights to offer highly relevant and timely experiences.
In 2024, customers expect a deeper level of personalization. For example, Netflix’s recommendation engine or Amazon’s product suggestions are great examples of hyper-personalization in action. Customers are shown exactly what they’re interested in based on past behavior, and they’re more likely to engage with those suggestions.
- Tip: Use your customer data to segment audiences and deliver messages that match where they are in the buying journey or reflect their personal preferences.
8. Augmented Reality (AR) Marketing
Augmented Reality (AR) marketing is becoming a game-changer for businesses looking to engage their customers in new and innovative ways. AR marketing allows brands to integrate virtual elements into the real world through smartphones or tablets. Customers can interact with products or visualize how something might look in their home before making a purchase.
In 2024, AR will be used for everything from virtual makeup try-ons to interactive product demos. By providing customers with an immersive shopping experience, AR can help reduce the gap between online shopping and in-person experiences.
- Example: Home décor brands like IKEA allow users to place virtual furniture in their rooms through an AR app, helping them visualize how it will look before buying.
9. Omnichannel Marketing
Omnichannel marketing is all about providing customers with a seamless experience across every platform they interact with—whether that’s in-store, online, on social media, or through email. Instead of treating each channel as its own silo, omnichannel marketing integrates all of them into one smooth experience.
For example, if a customer adds an item to their cart on your website, they should be able to complete the purchase from their phone later or see a reminder when they log into their social media account. In 2024, businesses that master omnichannel marketing will build stronger customer relationships by ensuring a consistent experience no matter where customers interact with the brand.
- Tip: Make sure your messaging and offers are consistent across all platforms, whether it’s email, social media, or in-store promotions.
10. Content Experience
The content experience focuses on how your audience interacts with your content—not just the content itself. It’s about the structure, design, and functionality of your website or app. In 2024, it’s not enough to create great content—you also need to ensure that it’s easy to find, navigate, and engage with.
For instance, a blog post that’s hard to read on mobile devices or takes too long to load won’t perform well, no matter how valuable the content is. A positive content experience leads to more time spent on your site, higher engagement rates, and ultimately, more conversions.
- Tip: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and that your content is easy to scan with clear headings, bullet points, and visuals.
Conclusion
Marketing in 2024 is evolving quickly, with new technologies and customer expectations reshaping how businesses engage with their audiences. By familiarizing yourself with these 10 key marketing phrases, you’ll be better prepared to create personalized, effective, and engaging marketing strategies that meet the demands of the modern consumer. Whether you’re embracing social commerce, preparing for a cookieless future, or optimizing for voice search, staying on top of these trends will set you up for success in the year ahead.
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