Digital Marketing Trends and Resources in 2024 for Small Businesses, Startups and Entrepreneurs
The digital marketing landscape has changed drastically in the 8 years since we launched Symmetrical Media Marketing. We’ve seen major acquisitions in the industry such as Microsoft purchasing LinkedIn and Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter (now known as X). We’ve also seen some social networks disappear such as Google+ and Vine, while platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat and Pinterest have surged. New platforms such as Threads, Bluesky and Mastrodon have also attracted some users that may have been looking for an alternative for Twitter/X. We’ve also seen the rise of short-form video, podcasts, livestreams, live audio events, unique E-commerce integrations, digital products and more as we move forward through web 3.0 in 2024.
“Social media requires that business leaders start thinking like small-town shop owners. This means taking the long view and avoiding short-term benchmarks to gauge progress. It means allowing the personality, heart and soul of the people who run all levels of the business to show. And doing their utmost to shape word of mouth by treating each customer as though he or she were the most important customer in the world.” - Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia, and Author
In 2024 we predict further adoption of existing social networks as well as platform diversification to the point where each platform is offering very different things, even though they may view each other as competition. Social networks have often been used as specialized search engines as the platforms have become more sophisticated and this trend should continue. We'll see more integration of artificial intelligence in social networks for engagement and content creation. We'll also see social media management tools introduce more AI into the idea and content generation processes.
Algorithms change frequently but have progressively moved towards being experiential for the users, as well as promoting discovery of new content creators based on the interests and behaviors of individual users. This is largely in an attempt to keep users on the networks, while boosting user experience.
We are going to see growth in career opportunities such as social media customer service, recruiting, paid advertising, content creation, influencer marketing, community management and analytics (business intelligence). Social media marketing has grown to the point where companies shouldn’t just have a ‘social media person’- they should have a social media department. We’ll also see platforms try to enhance user experience by offering more unique, customized and competitive features, particularly for content creators, influencers and brands.
Over the years we’ve published a variety of content on our social media marketing blog about topics such as social media marketing news, trends, research, management, search engine optimization, branding and content marketing. We’ve also written about workforce trends, remote & hybrid work, human resources management and entrepreneurship.
Here is a list of some of our digital marketing content that should help small business owners and entrepreneurs in their efforts to create effective digital marketing strategies:
Creating a Strong Visual Identity: 5 Tips for Small Businesses
How do you spend your time as an Entrepreneur? Working IN or ON your business?
Mastering Social Media Marketing in 2022: A Twitter #ContentWritingChat Featuring Andrew C. Belton
How to Create Great Content for your Business: An Introduction to our Content Marketing Strategy
How Small Businesses can Simplify Social Media Marketing: A Symmetrical Aspect
5 Content Marketing Tips on Social Media for Small Businesses
Use an "Ideal Customer Persona" to guide your social media marketing campaign
Here are a variety of related helpful resources:
Social Media Management - Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social
Marketing Automation & Integration - IFTTT (IF This Then That)
Digital Marketing Trainings & Certifications - Hubspot Academy & Hootsuite Academy
Client Relationship Management - Hubspot
Email Marketing - Mailchimp
SEO/Website Analytics – Google Analytics, Ahrefs, SimilarWeb, Majestic, SEMrush
Digital Marketing News - Social Media Today, Business2Community, Hootsuite Blog, Buffer Blog, Hubspot Blog, Social Media Examiner, CNBC-Social Media, Symmetrical Media Marketing Blog
PR & Media Appearance Opportunities - HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
Content Curation & Market Intelligence - Feedly
Premium Content Subscription Service: NICKLpass
Link Aggregator - LinkTree & AllMyLinks
Event Information - Eventbrite & MeetUp
Slideshow Publishing - Slideshare
Infographic & Presentation Creation – Venngage
Custom Image Creation - Canva
Art Generator via Artificial Intelligence - MidJourney
Copywriting Tool via Artificial Intelligence – Copy.ai
General Artificial Intelligence Tool – ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Team & Task Management - Asana
Appointment Management - You Can Book Me & Calendly
Domain Management - Godaddy
Blog Platform - Medium
Custom Merchandise Platform - Teespring (Spring), Redbubble, Printify
Survey Platform - Survey Monkey
Additional Digital Marketing Resources and Services - Symmetrical Media Marketing Resources & Services
For frequent social media marketing news and insights, connect with us:
LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/company/symmetricalmm
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/symmetricalmm
Twitter: @Symmetricalmm
Instagram: @Symmetricalmm
Threads: www.threads.net/@symmetricalmm
Pinterest: www.Pinterest.com/symmetricalmm
All Links: allmylinks.com/symmetricalmm
We are passionate about helping small businesses to create effective digital marketing strategies that are designed to build brand credibility, promote awareness, nurture professional relationships and generate leads for your small business. Please contact us if you are interested in creating a custom digital marketing strategy for your business.
Written by: Andrew C. Belton, MBA - Social Media Marketing Strategist, Writer & Owner of Symmetrical Media Marketing