At the end of each year, I spend hours and hours locked in my creative cave predicting the future…

Not really… lol.  

But I do take a deep dive into what’s in the cards for 2024.

What are the trends that are redefining the way online business and internet marketing are being done?

Where are the landmines?

And where are the goldmines? 

This year, I analyzed and researched, and I found 11 distinct trends that may just change the internet and online business world as we know it, so if you want to make 2024 your best year yet, pay close attention because one (or more) of these trends may just hold the key to serious growth…

Trend #1: People Don’t Just Want Personalization — They Demand It

Personalization has come a long way since the days of simply addressing customers by their first names in your emails.

Nowadays, your customers expect (and practically demand) personalization at every single touchpoint — from your marketing messages to the responses from your customer success team to the fulfillment of your course or program.

Now don’t freak out… because there are 2 things that can help you win the personalization game in 2024 — Segmentation and Generative AI.

Start by segmenting your audience so you can better meet them where they’re at. And one way to do that is to “bucket” everyone that comes into your world. 

We recently reworked our buckets to better speak to both who we are as a company and where our audience is in their business journey. We went from 3 vague ‘audience buckets’ to 5 specific markets — Business Curious, Business Explorer, Making Money Consistently, 6-Figure Business and Empire Builder — and we deliver free resources and trainings that meet them where they’re at (so they can get to that next level in their business).

I recommend no more than 5 buckets — too many and you’re creating unnecessary work for yourself. 

Now that you’ve bucketed your audience… it’s time to create more personalized content (this includes everything from your marketing messages to the delivery of your program).

For years, this has been a massive headache for time-strapped entrepreneurs.

This is where generative AI comes in… 

Generative AI can be used to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos. 

You can find prompts everywhere online and if you do a search for “AI video” or “AI audio” you’ll find a number of options to test out. Now, the key here is that you feed ChatGPT (or whatever AI tool you’re using) with enough specific information so the output fits your voice and your audience. 

If you do a quick search on TikTok for “chatgpt prompts” you’ll get some super quick, step-by-step tutorials on how to better “prompt” ChatGPT. (This guy has some great AI-specific tutorials).

But here’s the real game-changer for 2024… 

Using AI to better support your students, clients or customers IN your programs. 

Earlier in the year, when I saw where AI was headed and how it was going to completely shake up the online world, I knew it was time to fully hop on the AI train or get left behind. 

But I didn’t want to just use it for improving productivity and generating content — my goal was to improve our student experience (which was already top-notch) and deliver better results. 

Enter Ainslee. 

Ainslee is our proprietary AI tool that helps our students overcome common stuck points and get results even FASTER. 

We’ve created dozens of integrated AI Generators to help them define their niche, generate their profitable product idea, come up with winning offers, design marketing campaigns and so much more.

Trend #2: More People Are Unsubscribing From Email Lists

Now, don’t let this one scare you. Email ISN’T dead and growing your list is still super important. But people are unsubscribing from email lists that lack personalization (Trend #1!) and are just sales, sales and more sales.

So, how can you combat this?

Start by creating segmented lists based on your buckets (covered in Trend #1)… and deliver content that’s relevant to those segments.

Let’s say you teach people how to start and grow businesses on Etsy and you’ve created a step-by-step guide on how to start an Etsy store from scratch. This is great content to send to the newbies on your list (the people who’ve identified as not yet having an Etsy business but are interested in getting started) BUT it probably won’t benefit the more advanced people in your world who already have an Etsy shop.  

You also want to provide real value — consistently, year-round — instead of suddenly dropping emails in inboxes after being silent for months. 

This way you can build and nurture a super hot audience for when you’re ready to sell! (On a side note, I’ll cover YouTube in a bit… but your new YouTube tutorials are also a great value piece you can send your email list.) 

Okay, let’s go back to the Etsy example. You’re launching a course on how to start an Etsy store and make your first 10 sales in 30 days. Avoid making the mistake of sending your audience a series of sales emails out of the blue. 

Instead, warm up your audience by providing relevant value that speaks to the problem your online course will solve (setting up an Etsy store and getting your first sales). 

I call this your “launch runway” (and it’s simply priming your audience before the sale). 

Here’s an example of how it might look… 

• A simple guide with the 3 best practices to set up your store for success
• A new video where you take your audience through the steps of selling your first product
• A blog post with the current Etsy trends
• A Facebook or YouTube Live where you answer their most pressing questions…

And so on. 

By doing this, you’ll establish your authority and build the critical know, like and trust factor you need to make consistent sales. 

Trend #3: Combatting “Program Burnout” 

The harsh reality is that there are thousands of courses and programs out there vying for your audience’s attention. 

So, how can you stand out from this noise (especially with the onslaught of AI-generated courses to come)? 

By paying close attention to WHAT your audience is focusing on, what’s going on in both the physical world and the online world… and being agile and ready to pivot.

I saw people in my industry — who’ve had successful program launches for years and years — kind of fizzle in 2023. 

Why? 

They were either using the same marketing and messaging they’ve used for years (after all, if it ain’t broke, why fix it, right?) or their program content didn’t speak to what people needed, at this tricky and uncertain moment in time.   

In 2024, pay extra attention to what’s happening — what are the trends your audience is obsessing over? What’s going on in the real world that has their attention? 

And then be ready to rethink and pivot your marketing, messaging and even your program… to both meet your audience where they’re at and give them what they need to succeed (especially in this increasingly volatile world).

We did this in October with the annual launch of our signature program — the Experience Product Masterclass. We saw everyone talking about AI and ChatGPT… and knew we had a real opportunity to grab their attention WHILE serving them better. So, we created Ainslee (I talked more about this in Trend #1) and our students are LOVING it (meaning better results for them and more social proof for us… it’s a win-win!)…

The simple fact is that your audience has likely been burned by a program before because SO MANY out there overpromise and underdeliver. This means you have to fight harder and harder to overcome this mistrust and convince your audience that your program is different.

So in 2024, let’s turn this tide together by creating programs that deliver real results for our students, clients and customers.

Trend #4: Take Some of the Pressure Off With Lower-Ticket, Evergreen Offers

Launches are so flipping exhausting (I’m still recovering from October… lol)… and it’s becoming more and more difficult to rely on them completely to keep your business afloat…

Especially in a world where people are hesitant to open their wallets for larger expenses.

This is where your low-ticket, evergreen offers come in. 

Because while some people are pausing their big business splurges… they’ll still open their wallets for small ticket items that give them joy, results and that quick dopamine hit we’re all looking for :.

And to keep your business top of mind while adding a consistent income stream, think of creative ways to repurpose or create small ticket do-it-yourself offers that provide value but don’t break the bank — such  as guides, templates, calculators, bundles and packs. 

But how do you know WHAT your audience needs?  

First pay attention to the most common questions that people are asking during your live events, in your communities and on your social media channels. You can use tools like ‘Answer The Public’ and YouTube to discover what people are searching for. 

Then, ask your people directly. 

We sent out a business “wish list” email where we asked our audience: If I could wave a magic wand and give you EVERYTHING you need in your business… What would you wish for?

(You may have seen it if you’re on our list!)

We then created a word cloud with the most common words that came up and looked for the biggest needs… so now we can brainstorm and start creating these low-ticket offers as well as new free lead magnets and guides. 

You also might consider turning your trainings and guides into a low-cost monthly subscription service as a way to keep people in your world longer… 

Speaking of that… 

Trend #5: The Subscription Industry Is Booming

The global subscription industry is expected to reach $2 trillion by 2025 as different industries broaden their traditional revenue models. This provides a unique opportunity to not only diversify offerings but bring in consistent revenue… even during lean times.

Back in the day, you may have had a subscription to your favorite magazine, but now, you’ve got subscriptions for movies, music, shopping, fitness, beauty, e-learning and more.

So, why do consumers find subscriptions so enticing? 

3 reasons — Pricing, Convenience and Personalization/Curation. 

Consumers today have more demands on their budget than ever before… so for many, a monthly subscription fee is more accessible than a higher one-time expense.

They also have more demands on their time. 

The ability to have products or services delivered to your doorstep, in your inbox or an easy-to-use app has led to the popularity of subscription-based models. There’s a reason why you see new food-based subscription services pop up on your Instagram feed every week.

By understanding and responding to customers’ needs, subscription businesses can create a more valuable and engaging experience that leads to higher retention and lifetime value (after all, your existing customers are 12x more likely to buy from you than someone who hasn’t bought from you before!).

When it comes to personalization and curation, no one does it better than Netflix. The subscription giant tracks what you’ve previously watched to suggest movies and TV shows you’ll like (to keep you watching). 

So, how can you forecast what your audience wants and needs when setting up a subscription-based offer without the tracking and resources Netflix has?

Watch, listen and ASK.

Observe the most common issues your audience has — what questions are they posting in communities? What objections are they bringing up during your live webinars, events or coaching calls? What issues/concerns are they emailing to your support team? 

Based on those trends, survey them to identify where they really need help. 

You may notice common trends that’ll work better as a subscription-based offer.

For instance, I noticed that many in our audience were hitting the same wall — they didn’t know what to focus on, nothing was clicking quite right and everything was taking SO long to get momentum… 

And after years of teaching people the specific actions to take to grow and scale successful businesses…

I had a eureka moment — I could create an accessible solution, where each month, students could focus in on their Message-Market-Match, shortcutting years of trial and error.

Your Message-Market-Match is where your knowledge, skills, passions and desires meet the market opportunity. 

The problem most entrepreneurs face is that they can be either steadfast in their decision to do what they want, even if it’s not what people want and are willing to pay for, OR they can meet a market need and do something people are asking for but it’s not aligned with WHO they are…

Which is why you need alignment! This is where your business meets the market opportunity but in a way that still feels aligned with who you are.

And Live Your Message Lab is my membership community dedicated to helping YOU zero in on YOUR Message-Market Match — FAST!

When you join Lab today (it’s just $97/ month!) you’ll get access to a truly incredible amount of support, including:

* Training Lab & 28-Day Business-Growth Experiment That Anyone Can Do

* AI-Driven Messaging and Copy Generators

* Weekly Lab Time With Our Coaches to Guide Your Progress and Overcome Challenges

* Exclusive Lab Community Available 24/7

So, go here to join us inside Live Your Message Lab — and get your goggles ready…

Because you’re about to experiment your way to success in 2024 🙂

Trend #6: Don’t Abandon Your Bigger Ticket Offers 

In an uncertain world, I understand that the knee-jerk reaction is to abandon your higher ticket offers and focus on low-ticket. 

You don’t want to do this. Here’s why…

Because now more than ever, people are seeking more in-depth support.  

At the end of our live Workshops, we host question-and-answer sessions… and this year, people had A LOT of questions centered around the support and coaching they would receive.

So, while your low-ticket, evergreen offers can diversify your revenue and bring new people in… you can really skyrocket your business by offering a more expensive, more in-depth program, capturing the part of your audience that’s willing to pay way more for more support. 

We see this year after year in both our year-long business-growth program, Momentum and in our signature 12-week program — the Experience Product Masterclass… students re-enroll year after year BECAUSE of the coaching and support they receive.  

And if you don’t have a coaching element or you’re flying solo… you can start small. Try implementing a group coaching call once a week, twice a month or even once a month where you get students in “hot seats” and coach them through a particular sticking point. 

Trend #7: Test Your Big Idea With a Mini Course  

One of the most important things I teach my students is to test their big idea before they spend tons of time (and money!) creating their online course or product. I usually recommend hopping on live and teaching a part of your course… this remains a great way to see — in real-time — if your idea will land. 

But if you’re looking for another easy way to test your idea, create a mini course. This is where you take one part of your course — something actionable that’ll give your audience a real result — and turn it into a 5-day course they can quickly and easily complete (no coaching or community or fancy bells and whistles)… just really bare bones, simple stuff. Just make sure it delivers a real result in the end! 

Not only can you use a mini course to test your big idea before you go all in, but you can turn it into an evergreen offer you can charge a small amount for — say $9 — and then you can add an upsell at the end for your course or program. 

Or you can turn your mini course into a free lead magnet that drives a ton of subscribers to your email list with an upsell on the backend. Let’s say your mini course is free but you offer them a special offer on a related product at the end. 

Trend #8: The Platform Trend 

“Go where your audience is.”

Great advice… unless you’re talking about social media in 2024!

According to Hootsuite, the average social media user logs into seven platforms each month. SEVEN. 

Maintaining a presence on multiple networks is hard… if not darn near impossible. And it’s not just a struggle for us entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. In fact, it’s such a challenge for organizations that it’s emerged as the top ROI concern for social media for them (and they have hundreds if not thousands of employees). 

So why does it take so much time and energy to be active — and thrive — on several networks?

For one, social content needs to be tailored to the unique audiences — there’s different lingo, trends, word counts, visual specs for each and every platform.

In other words, what works on one platform won’t necessarily work on another (although there are major time-saving crossovers that I hope to cover in another post).  

Also, platforms change constantly. From algorithm changes to new features… it’s challenging to try to keep up with. 

Which is why, in 2024, strategic businesses will commit to their champion social platforms — using ROI to determine where to focus their time and attention. 

So, do a dive into your analytics and then commit to choosing the 1-3 social media platforms that you like being on, feel the most confident on and enjoy creating content for — instead of trying to be on all the platforms or the next “trending” platform that’s sure to come in 2024. (and hey, your audience is all over social media so you really can’t choose incorrectly!). 

As for me, I’m largely focusing on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook in 2024. Here’s why…

• Instagram because it’s rising as TikTok has become more toxic — people are returning to Instagram as it’s become a more positive force in the online world. So, it’s a great place to build an active and engaged audience (even though it IS super crowded).

• YouTube because I LOVE to teach and help people start and grow businesses online… and this is still a great avenue for me to do that.

• Facebook because I’ve got an established community there already… and I want to continue to nurture it.

So, what are the 1-3 social platforms you’re focusing on in 2024 and why — I’d love to know! 

Trend #9: Personal Branding is Dead. So, Now What? 

Speaking of social media…

When Elon Musk took over Twitter, people left in droves.

The same people who had spent years and years carefully crafting an online persona on Twitter, had to face up to the fact that they needed to find a new home online.

The problem? 

Many of these brands were only effective within the confines of Twitter and now they were forced to reframe their personal stories and recreate their personal brands somewhere else. 

The even bigger problem?

Every platform has their own “unwritten algorithm rules” — from bios to content types to hashtag use (and everything in between) and what spurs engagement on one platform… can equal crickets on another. 

So, it’s a tall task to translate your carefully curated personal brand somewhere else.

This all poses an even more worrying question: 

If you can change your identity at will, did it ever exist in the first place?

The problem with personal branding is that these online personas have been carefully curated and finely crafted and designed. For people like Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson, personal branding is a stellar opportunity to give people a picture-perfect slice of personality — one that both inspires and makes people envious.  

But for the rest of us, this traditional method of personal branding flat out doesn’t work. We aren’t the billionaire founder of our own media enterprise or the billionaire owner of Virgin Airlines.

Which is why it’s time to (un)brand yourself. 

So instead of fruitlessly plugging away trying to carefully curate your online persona and create a personal brand that sticks, there’s another, more ethical way: Just be honest. 

In a world with rampant mistrust — people are increasingly willing to call out misrepresentation, embellishments and lies. You don’t want to get caught up in this! 

So just be YOU and seek to understand your audience and what they want and need. 

Ask questions you honestly want to know to understand your audience. Focus on your story rather than your brand bible. And don’t try to live by a label — you’re changing, growing and evolving… so what you were just 2 years ago may be different today. So, don’t be afraid to change your “label” online as you evolve. 

After all, you are a person, not a brand. Speaking of which…

Trend #10: Overly-Branded, Designed or Edited Social Media Is OUT

Entrepreneurs *still* think they need to “show off” every time they’re on camera (all the big shots posting photos and videos on their private jets certainly doesn’t help).

But the truth is that — especially in this era of mistrust online — people want to engage with people who are genuine.

So it’s time to put yourself out there… flaws and all. 

Including on YouTube!

I’m not going to lie — YouTube is HARD (there’s just so much to it). But there’s still a massive opportunity for YOU on YouTube as long as you focus on delivering real value instead of trying to go “viral” with clickbaity/aggressively edited videos. 

I made an interesting discovery this year…

The ultra-successful people on YouTube are now teaching others how to start and grow a huge audience using their current strategies (the wild thumbnails, clickbaity titles and aggressive editing styles).

The problem? 

They already have huge audiences… their videos will be served and their audiences will watch… no matter what.

They’ve forgotten how they got here… they’ve forgotten the basics. 

So, HOW can we attract and grow an audience on this crowded channel?

Start by making a personal connection with your viewers — talk to them like an old friend. There’s a reason why vlogging content is beginning to make a resurgence — people are craving connection to creators. Use that to your advantage.

And don’t try to copy creators who have massive audiences and views. You’re never going to be a successful copy of another creator. So figure out your way of presenting content, your opinion, your unique perspective and your style. Lean into this.

YouTube is a long game… so stop focusing on trying to go massively viral… instead focus on serving YOUR audience. 

Trend #11: Experiences (Continue) to Reign Supreme

Without experiences, your students, clients and customers won’t complete your programs… meaning they won’t become repeat customers.

Which means you’ll spend far too much time, energy and money constantly trying to acquire new customers.

You’ll never escape this never ending cycle! 

So, if you haven’t fully embraced experiences yet… 2024 IS your year!

You don’t have to just take my word for it — say hello to my friends: Taylor, Beyonce and Barbie. 

During and after the Pandemic, concerts and movies were considered dead in the water. 

But just 3 years later, people flocked to concert venues and movie theaters in record numbers… 

Why? 

The pent-up demand for experiences and social connection following the Pandemic. 

Take Taylor Swift… 

One thing she knows about her audience — they crave participating in social events. So, what did she do? She turned The Eras Tour into one huge dance party and actively encouraged audience participation. Every single decision — from the visuals to the costumes to how the stage moved — served the experience.

And then there’s Beyonce…

Her Renaissance Tour is a celebration of the fans who’ve been with her since the beginning… she catered every aspect of her performance to serve them — further fostering a fierce loyalty that’ll last a lifetime. 

Both Taylor Swift and Beyonce KNOW their audiences and set out to turn their tours into social experiences their fans would NEVER forget… and the impact has reverberated well beyond the concert walls (the Eras Tour movie has made $200 million and counting!). 

The power of experiences wasn’t just felt on the big stage… just look at the monumental success of Barbie.

Not only did the Barbie marketing campaign create viral experiences online… it translated to the physical world…

At movie theaters, Barbie boxes were set up and moviegoers were encouraged to hop in and “become” Barbie… this went viral as people snapped pics and shared on social media.

Here’s the lesson: People are CRAVING experiences and IF you don’t deliver — your business will struggle to compete.  

So in 2024, focus on experiences OVER information.

Let me leave you with a few ways you can deliver experiences so people complete your course or program and get the result you promised (meaning they’ll come back to you again and again)…

Use Facebook messages, emails and text message campaigns for important program reminders so your students know what’s coming up and don’t get left behind. 

You can also create a private group where students can hold each other accountable and you or your coaches can provide extra support.

Try hosting special events and celebrations when your students hit milestones. We do this over Zoom. Just recently, we held a sparkler celebration ceremony for our Momentum students who enrolled for another year (Momentum is our year-long business-growth program). 

By celebrating your students’ successes, you create a sense of pride and community, while showing how much you care. 

Send physical goods to support your online programs or events.

Each year, we send a box of business-building goodies to our Live Your Message LIVE attendees — this helps to build anticipation BEFORE the event and also keeps people engaged throughout. And the box has been carefully curated FOR the event so our attendees get the most out of it!

So that’s it for the 11 trends that I believe will change the internet (and your business) in 2024:

• Trend #1: People Don’t Just Want Personalization — They Demand It
• Trend #2: More People Are Unsubscribing From Email Lists
• Trend #3: Combatting “Program Burnout” 
• Trend #4: Take Some of the Pressure Off With Lower-Ticket, Evergreen Offers
• Trend #5: The Subscription Industry Is Booming
• Trend #6: Don’t Abandon Your Bigger Ticket Offers 
• Trend #7: Test Your Big Idea With a Mini Course
• Trend #8: The Platform Trend
• Trend #9: Personal Branding Is Dead. So, Now What? 
• Trend #10: Overly Branded, Designed or Edited Social Media Is OUT
• Trend #11: Experiences (Continue) to Rein Supreme

Let me know your thoughts about one or more of these in the comments, as well as what trends you’re seeing.

In case you’re curious, check out my trends post from 2023 (these are all still relevant today)!

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