Here’s a concise roundup of the major marketing updates and trends for March 2024 that you should know.

1. Branding Through Values 

Marketers are increasingly creating content that reflects their brand’s values to retain customers. This trend is driven by consumer demand, with a significant percentage of shoppers wanting brands’ values to align with their own.

2. Short-Form Video Content Dominates

Continuing from previous trends, short-form video content on platforms like TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts remains a crucial marketing strategy. It’s noted for its effectiveness in engaging audiences with quick, impactful messages. 

3. Sponsored Advertising and Influencer Marketing

Both sponsored advertising and influencer marketing continue to be valuable tools for marketers. The preference for sponsored advertising stems from its ability to blend with content more naturally than traditional ads. Meanwhile, influencer marketing remains vital, with a focus on collaborations that expand brand awareness.

4. Google March 2024 Core Update

Google has launched a comprehensive update to its search algorithms, aimed at improving the quality of search results and reducing spam. The update focuses on reducing low-quality, unoriginal content by 40% and introduces new spam policies targeting manipulative practices such as scaled content abuse, site reputation abuse, and expired domain abuse.  

5. Social Media Trends

Engagement is moving from public feeds to direct messages (DMs), and there is a growing importance of social search. These trends reflect changing user behaviours and the platforms’ adaptations to keep users engaged.

6. AI in Digital Marketing

AI’s role in digital marketing is expanding, with platforms developing self-learning capabilities. Marketers are encouraged to co-create with AI, focusing on soft skills and reasoning that AI lacks. This trend underscores the need for marketers to continuously adapt and integrate AI into their strategies.

7. SEO and PPC Trends 

SEO is becoming more user-centric and technology-driven, with generative AI playing a significant role in transforming search experiences. Meanwhile, PPC remains a key strategy for targeting core audiences, with Google leading the space in terms of revenue and advancements.

These updates and trends highlight the dynamic nature of digital marketing, emphasising the importance of adapting strategies to leverage the latest technologies and consumer behaviours.