5 Social Media Trends You’ll See in 2024

The immediacy of social media is a double-edged sword. It's a space where brands  can make a near-immediate impact, but that immediacy also causes it to evolve at what seems like break-neck speeds. Savvy marketers (ahem....) keep up with trends to further understand how people want to use social media now and anticipate what they’ll want next. Merging these expectations with the expectations of your clients is  key to successful social media strategy. 

Here’s the top 5 social media trends to keep an eye on and integrate into your 2024 social media marketing efforts.

1. Marketers Delegate Digital Copywriting To AI 

You’ve no doubt heard a lot about AI (most likely on social media…oh the irony of reading about AI from a likely AI generated or AI revised copy). Marketers will delegate more tasks to AI in 2024 (a survey from HootSuite reports that 75% of social media marketers plan to use AI to completely revise and rewrite text in 2024, that’s up 103% over 2023). While these AI assists in copywriting are helpful in revision and brainstorming, they will never be a strategically sound way to develop a unique voice for your brand nor are they capable to (competently) tailor copy to specific platforms – but that’s a big topic for another blog. 

2. Social Media is the Official King of Advertising

Digital ad spend has been on the uptick for years and it's not stopping in 2024. In fact, more than $600 billion was spent on digital ads in 2023 (an approximate 10% increase YOY, since the pandemic). That 10% increase in ad spend is expected to continue as more people join social media and those who are already there continue to spend more time on their preferred platform(s). We’ve seen brands struggle with the reality of knowing that social media platforms (especially Meta) are pay to play. Good organic content, good messaging, and strategy aren’t enough – it all must be powered with strategic allocation of budget to propel your brand across social.

3. Brand Content That Demonstrates Authenticity 

The days of hard-selling brand content on social media are over. People don’t want to connect with brands that only talk about themselves and their products – people want an emotional and human connection in the content they see. This means that brands need to focus on creating content that demonstrates brand authenticity. A Sprout Social survey showed that 28% of consumers say that the most memorable brands on social media are the ones that highlight the stories of their audience over their own products and services. We have seen great success with the brands we work with who incorporate this kind of UGC (user generated content) as a consistent part of their content strategy. After all – your brand isn’t cool just because you say it is. It’s cool because others do!

4. Searching Social Media Like Google

More people are turning to social media over Google’s search bar to discover products, research brands, and get advice. Social search is incredibly convenient for people because they’re already on the platform and the search results are updated in real-time as more content is added. Smart brands are realizing this and learning to meet potential future fans of their brand where they are already – on social media. Social search optimization should be a part of your brand's social media strategy in 2024. Content executed with strategic hashtags, adding alt text, and placing keywords in captions makes their content easier to find in the noisy social media landscape.

5. Social Media Strategy for Heavy Times

More anxieties are reflected on social media as global wars rage and the 2024 election looms. Heavy topics such a data privacy, children’s mental health, war, genocide, and domestic political upheaval is a part of the social media landscape whether we like it or not. In 2020 we saw this lack of strategy from brands unfold in real time – scheduled ads sandwiched between COVID death tolls and societal unrest. Brands jumping on and off bandwagons so fast it gave us whiplash. But what does this mean for marketers and brands throwing more ad spend and efforts into social media than ever in 2024? It means that expecting to market during difficult times should be a part of your brand's strategy. Our clients are looking for us to stay nimble and aware of how their brand messaging dovetails into people's timelines and the world at large. Remaining authentic and knowing when to pause is everything. Have strategic conversations internally to minimize making the wrong move in real time. 

Let us know which trends on social media you anticipate in 2024 and as always – adapt quickly, be authentic and expect to be surprised!

-Naomi Osborn // naomi@jbd.agency