In the last few years, we’ve seen an explosion of mobile devices, meaning that entrepreneurs and small businesses have whole new fields in which to ply their craft and attract new customers. Innovations are happening on a daily basis with each year allowing for more improvements and new ideas. This year has been no exception, so let’s take a look at some of the latest marketing trends happening right now.
1. Quick & Easy Content
It’s no secret that we live in a fast-paced world. People are texting, emailing, surfing the web, posting pictures on social media, and tweeting about life all at faster and faster speeds. Consumers expect things to be done quickly, so marketers are tailoring their messages accordingly. Easily digestible content is the name of the game. Marketers are making content that people will get the gist of in only a few seconds. Complex messages are often overlooked, but consumers will usually gravitate toward infographics, social sites that use images, and short-form video tools. Marketers who take advantage of the brief message strategy will be ahead of the game.
2. Diverse Social Media
Companies have used social media sites to promote their brands for years now, but most of that time has been spent on only a few networks. Sites like Twitter and Facebook are the heavy hitters and host huge amounts of users, but in recent years, social media has expanded to different platforms. Pages like Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and others have become increasingly popular. That’s why marketers in social media are working to diversify their outreach, sending their work out to more people or to a niche market that might have a better response rate than general audiences.
3. Combined Marketing Philosophies
For many years, digital marketing has been treated in a different light than traditional marketing. Some businesses even went so far as to keep digital marketing teams separate from everyone else, but that mindset is slowly, but surely, changing. The digital realm is not only expanding at a lightning-quick pace, it’s becoming more integrated with more traditional outlets. For example, many people now watch television with a tablet or smartphone at hand to use as a second screen. Companies are starting to combine digital marketing disciplines with traditional marketing ones, maximizing the number of consumers they’re able to reach.
4. Small Businesses Keeping Up
In years past, reaching a lot of people through a massive marketing campaign required a large commitment of time, money, and resources. Digital technology has changed all that. Now small businesses have access to technologies that put them on more competitive ground with the larger corporations. Advances in virtualization, cloud computing, big data analytics, and other valuable resources, along with the availability of the Internet and social media, allow small businesses to reach out to more people than ever before at only a fraction of the cost it would take through more traditional avenues.
5. Customer Insights
Companies are utilizing all the latest technology and collecting mountains of data to find out more about their customers and what behaviors they exhibit. However, all that data can only get businesses so far. Many companies are returning to a tried and tested form of market research–going directly to the customers themselves and getting their insights. Simply asking people what they think about the products and services they use can help bring context to big data. Engaging with customers can help marketers understand what makes them tick in ways cold numbers and graphs cannot. As more businesses take part in social listening, they’ll have another tool to help predict where markets are heading in the future.
6. Expanding Good Content
Though there are always changes in marketing strategies, content is still crucial. Businesses are continuing to put a lot of effort into creating valuable content for their target audiences. If anything, content marketing is only growing as businesses use social media, newsletters, videos, and articles to build their reputations positively. The more engaging the content, the more likely it will attract the intended audience.
Each year marketers are gaining a better understanding of what the digital marketing landscape has to offer. As more advanced technologies become available, effective marketers will be able to use them with traditional strategies to connect with consumers in new and innovative ways, essentially bringing a personal touch to the latest technology. The way the trends are heading, the future looks bright as long as marketers can continue to adapt quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment