Key Marketing Trends To Follow for 2026

All marketing is multi-channel at this point, with needs to be addressed in social media, SEO, PPC, email, and more. Marketers and business owners must follow what’s trending, or they’ll fall, possibly hopelessly behind. There is no shortage of digital marketing tips, tools, tricks, and trends across all industries. Here are our suggestions for the trends to watch as the year progresses.

The world is changing – trends that matter

• 80% of businesses say video marketing is an important marketing strategy. Video is a dynamic and influential medium that enables businesses to connect with a broader audience and establish a deeper connection with customers.

• 92% of businesses say they have seen an increase in website traffic after implementing SEO best practices. This shows that SEO is a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. By optimizing your website for search engines, you can make it easier for potential customers to find you online and invest for the long term, shielding your business from dependence on paid advertising.

• 72% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase after watching a video about a product or service. You can significantly improve your chances of converting potential leads into loyal customers by utilizing high-quality videos to showcase your products or services. This statistic further solidifies the importance of incorporating video marketing into your strategy.

• 63% of consumers say they are likelier to do business with a company that offers personalized experiences. Personalization is a crucial aspect of modern marketing. By customizing your messages and experiences to suit your customers’ needs and preferences, you can create a strong bond with them that will keep them coming back for more.

• 44% of businesses say they have seen an increase in sales after implementing a content marketing strategy. Sharing valuable content through content marketing is a potent strategy to generate leads and drive sales. By creating content that resonates with your target audience and showcases your expertise, you can establish trust and credibility with potential customers, positioning yourself as a reliable source in your industry.

Increased Use of AI and ML

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) allow computers to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as analyzing data and making decisions. These technologies can automate tasks like content generation, email campaigns, paid advertising, and social media management in marketing.

AI and ML can also be used to analyze data about consumer behavior, such as what products they have purchased in the past or which ads they tend to click on. This information can help marketers better understand their target audience and tailor their efforts accordingly.

For example, systems like Google Gemini or ChatGPT might be trained to analyze customer data and identify patterns that can be used to create personalized marketing campaigns. These campaigns might include targeted emails or ads more likely to be relevant and effective for each consumer.

Personalization

Personalization refers to the practice of tailoring marketing efforts to individual consumers. This can involve using data and technology to deliver customized messages, advertisements, and other communications that are more relevant and likely effective for each person.

Personalization can be achieved through various tools and techniques like segmentation, data analysis, and machine learning. For example, a marketer might use data about a customer’s purchase history, demographics, and interests to create personalized email campaigns or recommend specific products.

When building your brand, personalization can help improve the effectiveness of customer-centric marketing efforts by making them more relevant and engaging for consumers. It can also help companies stand out in a crowded marketplace, as consumers may be more likely to respond to personalized messages and communications.

The Rise of Micro-moments

The concept of micro-moments refers to the short periods when consumers turn to their devices to take action on something they need or want. These moments can be triggered by various factors, such as a desire to learn something new, the need to make a purchase, or the desire to be entertained.

Marketing in the age of micro-moments requires a shift in focus from long-term campaigns to real-time, context-driven interactions. It involves meeting the needs of consumers in the moment and in the context of their daily lives rather than trying to interrupt them with generic messages.

To effectively market in micro-moments, companies need to understand the specific needs and preferences of their target audience and be able to deliver relevant, timely messages and experiences. Data and technology can be used to analyze consumer behavior and deliver personalized messages and recommendations.

Beyond the Funnel

Many marketers have fully internalized the marketing funnel as their basic model for marketing. It’s looking like it may be time to acknowledge this approach is a bit stale, and that could be why you’re not seeing sales results that are to your liking.  

The flywheel marketing approach may just be what’s next in marketing models. First presented by HubSpot, this model takes a new view of the buyer’s journey. Here all customer-facing roles—including customer service, marketing, and sales—interact with customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey and past the point of purchase.

The funnel focuses on getting new customers and engaging them to turn them into quantifiable leads. Using the flywheel means continuing to attract, engage, and delight past the point of purchase. Your company continues interacting with customers rather than treating them as one-time-only prospects. This, in turn, keeps you top-of-mind, so they are more likely to recommend you to their network.

Shop with Social Media

Close to half the world is now using social media, making it more or less mandatory that your brand, products, and services are available on these platforms. This has shortened the sales funnel by combining the steps from awareness to purchase through the proliferation of shoppable posts. A single button click takes you from prospective buyer to customer on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. These shoppable posts have gained traction and should be the norm in 2024 marketing strategies.

Content is (still) King.

Although content remains important in 2024 marketing strategies, the trend is to present quality over quantity in your content and more diverse content. High-quality content shows your expertise and allows you to communicate with your customers from a place of authority.

Diversify your content strategy by varying the way you attract customers. Try creating more video and interactive content. Regular blogging and other longer forms of written content are still invaluable, as they drive visibility and strong SEO. Likewise, they provide a great way to show your brand personality.

Stay aware that overuse, saturated content, or content posted just for posting will negatively affect engagement. You don’t have to have something to post every day. Work on attracting and engaging your audience while being careful not to annoy them by presenting low-quality and simply space-filling content.

When you’re trying to attract a consumer’s attention via a social media post, blog post, or search engine results listing, you can use several keywords to help that consumer find you. But when the customer is shopping using, for example, Alexa or Google Assistant, the only relevant keywords are within the command spoken to Alexa or Google Assistant. You must have the most relevant words throughout your online marketing, reviews, and ratings.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

It is admittedly early in the game when using VR and AR in digital marketing. The impact will become huge, but the timing is unknown. These methods are different, and no one can say which will dominate.

There is a bit of a consensus that, initially, AR will dominate. A good example is IKEA’s app, which lets customers bring furniture home digitally before purchasing.

For a bite-sized version, you can look to the AR Snapchat filters that put dancing figures wherever you point your camera. This enables placing a brand figure or logo directly in a personal space for each user.

Normal is a Chatbot

The novelty of chatbots will fade —or maybe it already has— but their use will become more widespread, and they will be ever easier to use. To be ahead of the curve, develop and implement an AI chatbot for your brand. This can be the difference between closing a sale or losing the customer to a competitor with an easy-to-use chatbot already up and helping customers.

Interactive Content

Greater interactivity provides new experiences for buyers when they go online.

• Interactive content is different and still new, so it stands out.

• Visitors tend to stay on your page longer when presented with interactive content.

• This kind of content is very shareable, and that virality helps build brand awareness.

• Interactive content is simply more engaging, and users enjoy it more than other types of content.

Promote Community-First Content

To create more of a meritocracy for content makers, Instagram has been testing not showing likes to anyone but the poster. The intent is to help nurture the community and smaller creators. This reflects an emerging trend of focusing on community instead of status chasing.

As platforms focus on quality and ad-friendly content that both users and platforms can monetize, there will be a move toward promoting community and connection. It’s probably a good trend to watch and encourage in the coming year!