5 Marketing Trends That May Not Survive 2024 [HubSpot Research + Expert Insights]

Few marketing trends last forever. In fact, they come and go at a rapid pace — and marketers need to adapt.

Because marketing is always evolving, your marketing book should too. But if your strategy is the same as it was years ago, it’s time to do some cleaning.

Here, we’ll cover five marketing trends that are losing steam and how marketers can respond.

1. Account Based Marketing.

In 2023, only 13% of marketers used account-based marketing (ABM), according to HubSpot’s annual State of Marketing report.

For Dustin Brackett, CEO and founder of HIVE Strategy, this makes sense. As he told me, “While I’m a firm believer in ABM and the power it has for organizations trying to sell to a targeted list of other organizations, I can understand why it will never be at the top of marketing trend lists. ABM is only really valuable to organizations that have high value customers There isn’t a ton of ROI that investing in ABM can have for a B2C organization or any organization that has a lower customer lifetime value because ABM is a big investment in time, resources and dollars.

Matt Freestone, CEO of Unmatched, sees many of his clients investing in ABM. However, he believes the resistance to ABM comes from sales and marketing alignment issues.

As he puts it, “We’ve found that the reason ABM tends not to be used by marketers is that many businesses still have problems aligning sales and marketing. I think ABM will see a resurgence in 2024 as long as sales and marketing teams can come together, create effective campaigns and share common goals.”

Finally, Katherine Forbes, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Creative Circle, believes that ABM is not at the top of the “marketing trends of 2024″ list because it has become the status quo for most sales reps. As he says, “The ABM approach has become so mainstream for B2B businesses that it can no longer be considered a differentiating tactic or trend. In fact, it’s probably the foundation of a salesperson’s typical sales methodology, rather than an approach used exclusively by marketing teams.”

He adds, “ABM is still a productive tactic, but marketing teams (like ours) may be better off focusing on providing a white and personalized experience through e-commerce and self-service options. According to research by Gartner, Inc. of 771 B2B buyers, 75% of B2B buyers now prefer a repeat-free experience, but digital-only buyers are more likely to regret their purchase.”

2. The metaverse.

Marketing is all about experimentation and the metaverse has become a new playground for marketers to explore. However, that initial excitement seems to be fading.

In 2024, 14% of marketers plan to stop marketing in the metaverse (eg Horizon Worlds and Roblox). Additionally, 13% plan to stop using VR and AR.

While the metaverse is fascinating, it proves difficult to execute. The equipment is expensive, the hardware is inconvenient, and adoption is slow.

Adrian Alexandrescu, CEO of Mediapost Martech, says, “I didn’t really believe in the whole idea of ​​Metaverse, as it seemed too much like something inspired by movies like ‘Ready Player One.’ Fast forward to today: most of our clients have not invested a single penny in Metaverse Marketing, Roblox or similar platforms and have absolutely no plans in the near future to do so.”

That said, the metaverse is still in its infancy. As it continues to evolve, things could change.

3. Podcasts and other audio content.

This surprised me. As a consumer, I listen to podcasts daily. And I’m not alone – about one in four internet users listen to podcasts, and in 2024, there will be over 500 million podcast listeners.

So why aren’t podcasts appealing to marketers?

As Blend’s director of marketing, Dan Stillgoe, told me, “Businesses are often quick to shut down podcasts because they don’t see an immediate ROI from them. It’s true that you can’t directly generate leads or revenue from a podcast, but that’s not the point of it. Podcasts are a long-term branding channel that can improve relevance and connection for your brand like no other channel. When you realize the long-term and surrounding benefits, podcasting becomes a clear and obvious investment.”

He adds, “Podcasting is the perfect way to create content that’s engaging and authentic – something buyers are beginning to crave in this AI age.”

Plus, I guess some marketers think the barrier to entry is a little high. Creating a full, high-quality podcast episode takes time and resources. It takes more effort than, say, posting a reel to Instagram, and it’s harder to track ROI. But while it’s not easy, it’s worth thinking about if most of your consumers are podcast listeners.

4. Audio chat rooms.

If you follow tech news and tech publishers like TechAcute, you’ve probably come across an audio chat room at some point. Audio chat rooms – such as Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces – grew in popularity at the start of the pandemic, when many people were looking for opportunities to connect with others.

Fast forward to today, and more than a quarter (14%) of marketers plan to stop investing in acoustic chat rooms in 2024.

Additionally, only 13% of marketers invested in audio chat rooms in 2023.

From a marketing perspective, the biggest problem with audio chat rooms is that users prefer to talk to people — not brands.

Stephen Lackey, VP of Marketing at SmartBug Media, says, “The ephemeral nature of audio content in these rooms makes it difficult for marketers to create lasting impressions. Unlike visual or written content, which can be easily reviewed and shared with immediate attribution, spoken words are dispersed into the digital ether, making it harder for brands to maintain a lasting presence in users’ minds.”

He continues, “Furthermore, a lack of visuals limits marketers from harnessing the power of visuals and multimedia content, a cornerstone of digital marketing in the coming year. Without the ability to showcase products or services, marketers struggle to engage their audience effectively, missing out on potentially valuable opportunities to convert interest into action (especially considering the significant time investment required for these platforms).

Instead of leaning into acoustic chat rooms, Lackey suggests marketers focus on platforms that allow for a more controlled, visually appealing and scalable approach.

5. User Generated Content.

In 2024, 13% of marketers plan to reduce their investment in user-generated content (UGC).

There can be several reasons for this, including:

• Concerns about quality: It can be difficult to maintain a consistent brand image when you rely on user-generated content, and that content may not always be as high quality as you’d like.
• Limited control: Marketers have limited control over messages when reposting user-generated content. Additionally, it can be much more difficult to track comments and engagement on these posts.
• Difficulty tracking ROI.: It’s hard for marketers to track ROI on user-generated content.

During this turbulent time where consumer preferences and behaviors are rapidly changing as a result of artificial intelligence and algorithm changes, marketers may prefer to retain full control over the content they produce – particularly because it’s easier to monitor impact in their own content.

However, when I spoke with Emplifi Chief Strategy Officer Kyle Wong earlier last year, he emphasized the importance of UGC, telling me, “When you’re investing in a strategy around user-generated content, it’s important to understand the basics, which are: we invest in a strategy that actually helps capture more positive word-of-mouth marketing from our customers.”

I don’t think UGC will go away, but I could understand why marketers might temporarily reduce their investment as they consider how consumer preferences and behaviors change in 2024 — instead, especially with the current popularity of influencer marketing.

Back to you

Marketing is always evolving, so your marketing book should too. As we head towards 2023, it’s important to take stock of which trends you want to capitalize on and which ones are better left behind.