Small business

marketing
trends report
2024

1
 Table of
Contents
Introduction 03
Trend predictions 04
Data
Email marketing in 2024 05
Best days and ways to send emails 07
To emoji, or not to emoji? 10
List-growth 101 11
Expert Q&A 15
Closing
The future is email 20
About Flodesk 21
Sources 22

2
Introduction

2024 is shaping up to be another

transformational year for marketing.
New trends are constantly emerging, so to help
you stay ahead of the curve, we dug into data,
asked the experts, and compiled our marketing
team’s top predictions for what’s ahead. This
report is designed to empower and inspire your
business to thrive in 2024, guiding you toward
marketing strategies that deliver meaningful
results and impact.

We believe that knowledge is power. Each trend

and insight presents a new opportunity to engage
with your audience, get experimental, and
achieve your best year in business yet. While we
can’t guarantee what lies ahead in 2024, we’re
confident that we’ll continue to see customers
expecting more authenticity, personalization,
and values-based messaging from brands. This
year also will undoubtedly disrupt marketing
norms as AI grounds itself further into tech and
Gen Z revolutionizes the workforce. The world is
changing fast, and we hope this report arms you
with the insights needed to navigate marketing in
2024 and beyond confidently.

Before you dive in, remember this: there is

nothing small about running a small business. The
work that you do matters, and you’re doing great.
No new year, trend, or insight changes that.

This is your year to shine. We’re rooting for you

every step of the way.

3 INTRODUCTION
2024 trend
predictions
1. Community-led growth
Brands will reallocate time and
resources toward marketing channels
that can foster genuine, meaningful
connections with their community,
like email.
2. Personalized AI
Personalizing all AI-generated content
with a human touch will be essential.
Stand out with a flare of personal
branding, authenticity, and fact-
checking.
3. Unfiltered content and opinions
Expect more sass, wit, snark, and
personality in the form of unpolished
content, unpopular opinions, and
unfiltered videos.
4. Unconventional storytelling
Storytelling will be essential to
marketing success as brands tap into
diverse voices and turn everything
about traditional storytelling on its
head.
5. The entrepreneurship era
Entrepreneurship will rise as younger
generations pursue side hustles or
ditch the traditional 9-5 workplace in
favor of self-employment.
4 2024 TREND PREDICTIONS
6. Social search and commerce
You no longer need a website to reach
new audiences and build a profitable
business—you can use free tools like
social media and Flodesk forms.
7. Mass video repurposing
Rather than producing new videos for
every channel, we’ll see brands getting
creative with content repurposing to
create short and long-form videos.
8. The ready-made revolution
From website and social media
templates to email funnels and
everything in between, we expect
an uptick in ready-made marketing
templates.
9. Holistic brand experiences
Customers will expect brands to be
consistent and have omnichannel
marketing strategies in place to serve
them at every point in their journey.
10. Hyper-personalized marketing
Tailored, hyper-relevant marketing
will be crucial as individuals
increasingly disengage with brand
content and providers enforce stricter
mandates.
Email marketing
in 2024
In an era where marketing trends seemingly rise and fall
overnight, one marketing channel consistently converts:
Email marketing. While that may feel like a biased statement
coming from an email marketing company, the data speaks
for itself.

Email marketing promises the highest ROI of all marketing

channels, earning an average of $42 back for every dollar
spent. And in 2024, there will be an estimated 4.48 Billion
global email users and 361.6 Billion emails sent daily. That’s
A LOT of emails.

If you’re not leveraging email marketing in your business

already, there’s never been a better time to start. To help
you build strong, informed email marketing strategies in
2024, our team analyzed 2023 email marketing data to
uncover benchmark metrics and insights.

5 EMAIL MARKETING IN 2024

 In an analysis of over 6.8 billion emails,
here’s what we found:

46.32%
AVERAGE OPEN RATE

1.94%
AVERAGE CLICK RATE

0.09%
AVERAGE BOUNCE RATE

Friday
BEST DAY TO SEND AN EMAIL

6
Best days
and ways to
send emails
In our analysis of 2023 data, we set out After reviewing month-over-month
to answer questions like: open rate and click rate averages,
we found that Friday is the best day
→ Which day of the week is best for
to send an email. We also found that
sending emails?
segmented emails are significantly
→ How does segmentation impact more likely to be opened and engaged
email performance? with than unsegmented emails.

→ How frequently do small businesses And when it comes to sending emails,

send emails on average?
the frequency of sends varies greatly.
18% of Flodesk members sent emails
multiple times per month in 2023, while
63.3% of members sent emails less
than once per month.

7 BEST DAYS AND WAYS TO SEND EMAILS

Average
open and click rate
by day of the week
OPEN RATE CLICK RATE

MONDAY 46.04% 1.89%

TUESDAY 46.66% 1.89%
WEDNESDAY 44.92% 1.84%
THURSDAY
46.24% 1.89%
FRIDAY
47.48% 2.05%
SATURDAY
44.38% 1.93%
SUNDAY 45.66% 2.12%

Segmented
email performance
OPEN RATE CLICK RATE

SEGMENTED 48.26% 2.01%

UNSEGMENTED 14.98% 0.08%

8
 Average email sending frequency:

12.5%
WEEKLY

18%
MULTIPLE TIMES PER MONTH

6.2%
ONCE PER MONTH

63.3%
LESS THAN ONCE PER MONTH

9
To emoji We analyzed over 6.8 billion emails

or not to emoji?
to determine if email subject lines
get more opens with or without
emojis. The result? A nearly
equivalent email open rate.

Open rate
Email subject line with emojis 45.73%
Email subject line without emojis 46.99%

“Our team also wanted to

understand if placing emojis at the
beginning or end of the subject
line performs better, so we tested
it out ourselves. On average,
we saw a 1.5% increase in open
rates on subject lines with emoji
placement at the end compared
to those with emoji placement at
the beginning. We also saw a 0.5%
increase in click rates.”

Fer Villanueva, Flodesk Lifecycle

Marketing Manager

10 TO EMOJI, OR NOT TO EMOJI?

List-growth 101:
Which forms convert
best and when?
Rather than continuously navigating
changing algorithms and search
engines, opt-in forms allow you to
funnel your audience into your email
list and engage with them directly,
forever.

Flodesk forms make it easy to capture

subscribers right from your link in bio,
publish gorgeous landing pages, and
boost website opt-ins while remaining
beautifully on-brand. The stunning
templates are fully customizable and
optimized for conversion—but do some
convert better than others? And does
seasonality impact list growth?

To find out, we analyzed 2023

conversion rates by form type and
month. We found that Landing page
forms and a Flodesk Link in bio
convert exponentially better than
website forms. Additionally, April and
December proved to be the highest
list-growth months overall.

11 LIST-GROWTH 101
 Average opt-in form conversion rate by month:

3.15% 3.55%
JANUARY 2023 FEBRUARY 2023

3.00% 4.59%
MARCH 2023 APRIL 2023

3.56% 3.45%
MAY 2023 june 2023

3.05% 2.96%
july 2023 AUGUST 2023

3.53% 3.07%
SEPTEMBER 2023 OCTOBER 2023

3.08% 3.9%
NOVEMBER 2023 DECEMBER 2023

12
 Average conversion rate by form type:

0.85%
INLINE

0.75%
POPUP

23.03%
LINK IN BIO

35.09%
LANDING PAGE

13
We hypothesize that there’s higher
intent when someone consciously
chooses to click on a Link in bio or
landing page form rather than being
passively presented with a website
opt-in form, contributing to a higher
conversion rate overall. These findings
further emphasize the importance of
having email acquisition within your
Link in bio instead of solely using it as
an aggregated repository of links.

Create yours—completely free.

14 LIST-GROWTH 101
Expert
Q&A
To add some color to our data, we
turned to the experts for hot takes
on what they think lies ahead for
marketing in 2024. Here’s what
they had to say.

LaShondaBrown
Tech & YouTube educator
What small business marketing
trends will the world see more of
in 2024? Less of? The demand for
short-form content on YouTube
will increase, so vertical content
creators on Instagram and
TikTok should start saving their
content without watermarks and
repurposing now.
What’s your best small business
marketing advice to stand out as a
small business in 2024? Customers
are craving connection over
curation. Content that used to be
reserved for friends is a welcome
breath of fresh air on the feed. Go
live. Leave the filter off. Be you.
15 EXPERT Q&A

NatalieFranke
Head of community
What small business marketing
trends will the world see more of
in 2024? Less of? TikTok search
is becoming Gen Z’s Google—
younger generations are using
TikTok as their preferred search
engine. This means that small
business owners need to optimize
their content with SEO-rich
keywords, including in the video
content itself.
What’s your best small business
marketing advice to stand out as
a small business in 2024? What a
customer says about you today is
way more important than what
you say about yourself.
16 EXPERT Q&A
RosannaClark
Web designer and
educator
What small business marketing
trends will the world see more of
in 2024? Less of? Super polished,
curated content has definitely
been on the way out in 2023, and
I think we’ll see this even more
in 2024—where more laid-back,
informal content gets better
engagement. Think: phone-
captured pictures and videos,
random memes, and rough ‘BTS’
over production-quality visuals.
If there’s one thing people
should be doing with their email
marketing, what is it? Lots of
brands focus on getting people to
join their list without putting a
lot of thought into keeping them
subscribed when they’re signed
up! This is where ‘relevance’ is
key. Make sure your emails always
contain content that is super
specific to your target audience
and their desires or needs, so it’s
a no-brainer for them to open all
your emails, remain a long-time
subscriber, and become a loyal
customer.
JordynKerr
Content marketing
manager
What’s your best small business
marketing advice to stand out
as a small business in 2024?
Stories make things stick. When
people hear a story, they become
psychologically engaged. Someone
is way more likely to remember
and connect with a well-told story
than a marketing ad. That’s why
we’ll see even more brands of
all sizes and industries doubling
down on storytelling in 2024.
17 EXPERT Q&A
CodyHays
Nonprofit marketing
strategist
What small business marketing
trends will the world see more of
in 2024? Less of? Expect to see a
shift towards maximizing value.
Businesses will likely streamline
their platform usage, focusing
their efforts on a select few. Key
areas include email marketing,
with long-term investments in
evergreen content, automation,
and semi-custom templates ready
for use.
What’s your best small business
marketing advice to stand out as a
small business in 2024? Use emails
to remain at the forefront of your
clients’ minds. Provide bite-sized,
valuable, and insightful content.
Each newsletter should offer
a ‘win’ to the reader. Focus on
quality over quantity if necessary.

MadelineEddi
Social media and
partnerships manager
What small business marketing
trends will the world see more
of in 2024? Less of? UGC and
client testimonials will be more
impactful than ever before
because…people don’t trust brands
anymore.
18 EXPERT Q&A
FerVillanueva
Lifecycle marketing
manager
What’s your best small business
marketing advice to stand out as
a small business in 2024? In 2024,
we’re going to see more businesses
focusing on authentic storytelling
and building a unique identity. Be
true to your story and know who
you are. Understand and convey
your unique value—not just what
you sell, but the story behind it.”
If there’s one thing people
should be doing in their email
marketing, what is it? If you’re
going to focus on one thing in
your email marketing, make
it personalization. Focus on
creating a connection and making
your customers feel seen and
understood.
TaylorLoren
Brand marketer & creator
What small business marketing
trends will the world see more of
in 2024? Less of? In 2024, we will
see more SMBs invest in brand
awareness and storytelling to
reach their customers at multiple
touch-points through email,
social, influencer marketing,
events, and free content that
provides value.
But it’s not just about creating
more content—you also need to
be intentional about building
the foundation of your brand
and ensuring you have a strong
point of view that you can clearly
communicate to your customers
and have them not only get it, but
love it.”
19 EXPERT Q&A
If there’s one thing people should
be doing in their email marketing,
what is it? The #1 thing people
should be doing is optimizing the
link in their Instagram bio for
more email signups. I’m obsessed
with using Flodesk’s forms as the
link in my bio on both @taylor.
loren and @reelstips accounts
because I have my newsletter front
and center, and all they have to do
to subscribe is enter their email
right on the form— they don’t
need to click another button to
get to a newsletter landing page!
It’s been a game-changer for me
for increasing subscribers, and I’m
constantly testing new copy to see
how many subscribers I’m driving
from social.
The future
is email
In a world where it feels like small about the work we do. We created this
businesses are up against massive report to provide critical insights to
corporations and ever-changing the small business community to help
social algorithms, email marketing them succeed in 2024 and beyond.
is a powerful equalizer. Unlike other
We know that email is, and will
marketing channels, email promises
continue to be, essential to building
to place your content in front of your
a successful business, and we’re
audience consistently. Whether you’re
committed to empowering the small
a scrappy solopreneur or a multibillion-
business community to grow, nurture,
dollar company, you’ll get the exact
and monetize their email lists, one send
same spot in the inbox.
at a time.
As fierce supporters of small
businesses, this equal access is a big
reason why our team is so passionate

20 THE FUTURE IS EMAIL

About
Flodesk
Flodesk is the world’s most intuitive
email marketing platform designed to
help small businesses grow, nurture,
and monetize their list while staying
beautifully on-brand.

Link in bio
Start growing your list with a stunning
Link in bio that captures subscribers
right from your social profiles.
Completely free with Flodesk.
Email marketing
Flodesk makes it easy to design emails
people love to get with stunning
templates and the world’s most
intuitive builder. You can grow your
list with landing pages, pop ups, and
embedded forms, make money while
you sleep with workflow automations,
and run email marketing like a pro
with advanced segmentation and
robust analytics.
E-commerce
Ready to make sales? Flodesk helps you
monetize with e-commerce blocks,
sales pages, upsells, instant deliveries,
and unlimited transactions—all
seamlessly connected from the start.
Flat pricing
The best part? You can have unlimited
emails and subscribers for one flat
rate. We don’t believe in penalizing you
for successfully growing your business.

21 ABOUT FLODESK
Methodology
and sources
This report is a culmination of aggregated data from an
analysis of over 6.8 billion emails from 2023, plus qualitative
insights from industry experts. By sharing these findings,
we aim to provide readers with key email marketing data
and insights they can leverage for their email marketing
strategies this year and beyond.

Qualitative insights provided by:

1. Lashonda Brown, Tech and Youtube Educator
2. Rosanna Clark, Web Designer and Educator
3. Cody Hays, Nonprofit Marketing Strategist
4. Taylor Loren, Brand Marketer and Creator
5. Natalie Franke, Head of Community
6. Fer Villenueva, Lifecycle Marketing Manager
7. Madeline Eddi, Social Media Manager
8. Jordyn Kerr, Content Marketing Manager

External sources.
“Marketer Email Tracker 2019 - DMA - Data & Marketing
Association.” Data & Marketing Association, Dot Digital,
2019, dma.org.uk/uploads/misc/marketers-email-
tracker-2019.pdf.

Published by Laura Ceci, and Aug 22. “Emails Sent per Day
2025.” Statista, Statista, 22 Aug. 2023, www.statista.com/
statistics/456500/daily-number-of-e-mails-worldwide/.

Published by Laura Ceci, and Aug 22. “Number of E-Mail

Users Worldwide 2026.” Statista, Statista, 22 Aug. 2023,
www.statista.com/statistics/255080/number-of-e-mail-
users-worldwide/.

22 METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES