In today’s episode I’m talking about what’s working in online business in 2024 and I don’t even know if I’d go so far as to call them upcoming trends, because they’re a reflection of what I’ve seen working already in 2023.
There was a big difference last year between the people whose markeitng and sales efforts were working and the people who saw their businesses drop off or plateau last year – I’ve seen a real shift in marketing and sales but I wouldn’t say that sales are tough: they’re just different and we can no longer do what we were doing last year or in the years prior because it just isn’t going to work.
I’ve seen so many shifts across the years too – in 25 years’ of marketing there’s been huge shifts in the market so it’s not about throwing the baby out with the bathwater – it’s about leaning into human behaviour and psychology and leveraging new trends to optimise what is still working.
So here are the 6 things that are working now in online business
1. Specificity
People want to know exact details of things. They want case studies of clients and to know the exact steps they’ve taken and how they’ve achieved certain results.
- They want numbers.
- They want data.
- They want case studies.
Consider how in where you show up for your people, you’re including specific information.
2. Longer Lead times… but also more urgency
It’s a fine line and something that we experimented with a bunch last year but people need… just generally more in order to make the leap.
That means more nurturing and trust, but also more urgency in order to jump in with you.
We experimented a lot last year with longer doors open periods, and I must admit they were really laid back, but this year we’re really extending out our lead and prelaunch times, but going back to short doors open periods.
So that’s typically looking like:
- 90 Day Prelaunch Runway
- 21 – 30 Day Conversion Event Runway
- 7 – 14 Day Cart Open
3. Consistency
Gone are the times when you could run a short Facebook Ads campaign or concerted effort on your Podcast (or even seasons) or Instagram (posts and stories!) during launch periods – the people who remain consistent are the people who are building massive trust and having businesses that work.
4. Sophisticated Funnels
When you’re getting started I’m a huge believer in a really simple and plain business, but as you get traction and have optimised the basics, it’s time to move into a more sophisticated business model and build out a more sophisticated funnel and ascension ladder.
Note: that doesn’t mean creating loads of moving parts and that’s not what I’m talking about – but adding flexibility and more profit markers into your programs and products to optimise them.
One of the things I am seeing work really well (and something we focus on in the Well Conceived Mastermind) is at I call feeder funnels and they’re just such an important part of getting to the next level in your business after you’ve launched and have your signature program up and running because people have been so burnt in the past – they want to be able to ‘try before they buy’.
5. Human Marketing
Oomph this one is big. In a world of increasingly robot-created content (most of which is obviously so), but where humans are craving deep and meaningful human connection – it’s the people who are able to build community, compassion and connection – through things that I don’t see AI do well at all – storytelling, relatability and shared connection – who will really stand out – and thrive.
Ready to dive deeper into these topics and get more of my thoughts? Tune into the this podcast episode where I go deep on the strategies that are working in 2024 (because I promise you – many of my clients are having incredible launches and reaching personal bests).
P.S. Another thing people are craving in 2024 is in-depth support and incredibly high value – like what I provide within our Mastermind – a 6 month high touch program for female business owners who want to create highly profitable businesses in part-time hours. Here’s all the details if that sounds like exactly what you’ve been looking for this year.
Listen here.
