titleJump forward 12 months; what are you most proud of in 2024? What have you achieved in your business?

Maybe you have more customers, you've introduced a new service, or you've employed more people to keep up with growing demand.

Looking ahead to a new year in business

A new year is a great time to make plans for the coming months. But how do you achieve them?

What marketing tools are you going to use in 2024 to reach more customers and generate more enquiries? We've put together seven inspiring marketing ideas to help you achieve those ambitious goals in 2024.

7 smart marketing ideas to grow your business in 2024

1. Be authentic
2. Leverage social media
3. Establish your expertise
4. Tell your story
5. Use video
6. Share your values
7. Local SEO

Let's look at each one in turn...

1. Be authentic – Artificial intelligence offers opportunities for businesses to save time and money, but with the growth of chat bots we’re all going to be looking for a genuine human connection.

With the increasing dominance of AI, one way to stand out in your industry is by highlighting your personal service and sharing a bit about yourself. Take time to respond to people who comment on your social media posts, share short videos of progress on your latest projects and get in front of the camera to personalise your brand.

2. Leverage social media – Whether you prefer Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, your customers are on social media, scrolling in search of entertainment and amusement. You may already have social media accounts but be sure to check in regularly to keep up with conversations and trends.

And don’t forget about Pinterest! The latest data suggests it has over 16.7 million monthly active users in the UK, accessing the platform for inspiration and ideas.

Three things you could focus on in 2024 could include being where your customers are, publishing content consistently (use our content calendar to get started), and using popular and relevant hashtags.

3. Establish your expertise – It’s taken thousands of hours to finetune your knowledge and expertise. Your experience hasn’t come overnight and it’s easy to forget just how impressive your skill set really is.

Show off what you can do by shooting a short video. Maybe you have a bit of kit that has transformed your daily work process, or there’s a handy technique you’ve developed over the years. Think of the times your friends, family or customers have been wowed by something you’ve done and share this online.

You can also establish your expertise by trying something new or offering a new service. Brands perceived as innovative achieve three times more growth than those that aren’t, so it’s worth your time testing new services and ways of working.

Another way to establish your expertise is to take advantage of opportunities for press coverage – take a look at Help A Reporter Out (HARO), a free tool used by reporters looking for specialists to speak to for stories. You can join for free and receive a daily email summarising details of all outstanding journalist requests. You may be just what the Guardian is looking for…

4. Tell your story – Sharing how you got started and why you love what you do is a great way to connect with customers and build loyalty. As the management experts at Bain and Company point out, a mere 5 percent boost in customer retention increases profit by 25 percent, so customer loyalty is a relatively easy way to achieve growth.

Share old photos of how you got started, open up about your passion and enjoy building stronger customer relationships that drive revenue.

5. Use video – In 2024, more experiential and interactive content will keep consumers entertained.

Research shows people prefer visual short form content to educate, entertain and inform. The explosion of TikTok, YouTube shorts and Reels shows that the trend for short, easy to absorb content isn’t going anywhere soon.

People love it, and it can also give your SEO a boost, helping you get found online by the right people. A video is more than 50 times more likely to appear on page one of Google than a text post, so get creative and try making tutorials, explainer videos and customer testimonials. You don’t need a professional set-up; a smartphone is all you need to get started.

6. Share your values – Globally, 80% of consumers say they “make an effort” to buy from companies that support causes important to them.

And it’s not just about the environment or reducing your carbon footprint. People are also increasingly interested in social responsibility and ethical business practices.

This links closely with authenticity and is a great way to boost your visibility and build a brand that resonates with customers.

7. Local SEO – SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is simply a technical phrase for making your website easy for Google (Bing and DuckDuckGo) to understand. SEO makes your website more attractive and can help you appear as one of the top results when people search online for the service you offer.

Think back to when you last searched for a service online – chances are you didn’t bother scrolling past the first few results – so it’s worth taking a bit of time making sure your website is easy to understand by search engines and people.

There are a few things you can do to help your SEO – use the same words and phrases on your website that your customers use.

Claim and complete your Google My Business profile – this is one of the easiest and most effective ways to boost your visibility in search results. You can also ask satisfied customers to leave you a Google review as this helps move you up the organic search results.

How will you be marketing your door and window business in 2024?

So they're the top tips we've picked up from scanning the web this new year.

Make 2024 your best year yet and smash your growth goals with a clear and realistic plan. And we'd love to see your successes; come and join us on Instagram. Tag us in your latest project using Coastal hardware you could be crowned our Project of the Month.