Marketing has always come in different shapes and forms. Businesses all over the world have been very good at innovating ways to promote their products and services. And with the continuous growth in the world’s technology, they have also adjusted their marketing strategies accordingly. What used to be just the distribution of posters and the establishment of good physical stores are now extended to online advertising and online stores. Marketing trends have been evolving more and more throughout the years. And in this article, we will give you some insights on what kind of marketing strategies you should know about and adopt.
What Marketing Trends Can Do For Your Business
While we are certain that you already have marketing strategies in place, keeping up with the times will always be vital. These strategies of yours might be working well now, but you have to keep in mind that the market is an ever-changing industry. The biggest marketing trends often last longer than anyone expected, and so, those that failed to keep up with it can be left in the dust. See, marketing trends are born out of the needs and wants of the consumers. And by following these trends, you keep up with your consumers and your competitors. You can even get ahead of your competitors by looking ahead and anticipating what might happen with a specific trend or how it might transform into another. By updating your marketing strategies accordingly, you stay relevant in the market and to your customers.
Top 5 Current Marketing Trends You Should Adopt
1. Work with Influencers
In the years before, the biggest companies did well to hire the biggest celebrities to promote their business. And while that is still an ongoing business now, the rise of social media has allowed for normal people, so to say, the chance to gain almost as much popularity as these celebrities. One of the current marketing trends that have been gaining leeway in the industry is partnering with these normal people that have become “influencers” in their own accords. And even if you are a small business that is just starting, you can capitalize on that. Business owners have seen how well an influencer can help their business. With a following of million/s, these influencers can easily promote your products and send customers their way. They have gained the trust of their audience. The people watching and following them take their word for it when they say that a product or service is excellent. And by the looks of it, these influencers are just starting to dominate the market. It may be a smart and wise decision to partner with one or a couple of influencers to help you market your products.
2. Create Vlogs and Share them
In connection with the first item in our list of marketing trends, vlogs have been one of the main avenues that get the influencers the influence they have. These influencers create videos and post them online, and with each video launch, they can gain more likes, followers, and subscribers. While it is smart to have them as partners and ambassadors for your business and get them to promote your products in one or a couple of their videos, your marketing strategies can also very well include making vlogs of your own. You can showcase your products and how they can be used in the daily lives of your customers. But the key with vlogging is to make it sound so “advertising and promotion”-like. It has to come naturally. You have to tell a story about how excellent, useful, or beautiful your products are. You can also make vlogs about how you came up with the ideas for your products or how you personally used it first before you thought of making it into a business. It might also be good content to tell your customers about the process of how you make your products and/or how you go about handling your business daily. People love these kinds of videos, so think about how you can use them to your advantage.
3. Privately Talk to Your Customers
Because social media and technology have allowed us to communicate more easily and connect with other people, customers nowadays are more perceptive of reaching you for any concerns about your business. One of the current marketing trends that have evolved throughout the years is how businesses handle customer service. Because customer services now transcend beyond the counters in malls, stores, supermarkets, etc. In today’s time, your business needs to have a customer service email or number or social media account that your customers can use. It is strategically important that you can accommodate your customers at any time of the day. Living in a technologically advanced world means that your customers always have access to a device that they can reach you with and you, in turn, have to keep up and always be accessible for their needs. If you are growing a business, you might want to consider hiring someone to handle these kinds of things for you. Nevertheless, even if you do not yet have the resources for another set of hands and ears, you still have to look for a way to fit into your schedules talking with your customers privately regarding any concerns they may have.
4. Utilize Instagram/Facebook Stories and Snapchat
Social media has been taking up the time of the majority of populations all over the world. Whether you are new to the current marketing trends in social media or not, you can clearly see how it has impacted the industry. More and more businesses are adopting social media as a primary factor in their marketing strategies. Even the largest businesses have hired people specifically dedicated to coming up with content for their social media accounts. Instagram/Facebook stories and Snapchat are social media features and applications that might be smart to use. This is one of the marketing trends that makes the like of a marketer a bit easy. These platforms are much less time-consuming to capitalize on because they require only short videos or even just a picture now and then. Its impermanence gives businesses the relief of not having to worry too much about what they post. You can “add to your story, and it will only be online for 24 hours. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use this to your advantage. While it is not permanent, many people can still view it in 24 hours. Take advantage of this time and get as much attention as you can. Ensure that even if people are swiping through their stories, your story gets noticed and makes them stop considering what you are offering them.
5. Be Visible and Credible Anywhere and Everywhere
All of the previously mentioned current marketing trends can be a part of this last one. See, what we mean by being visible and credible anywhere and everywhere is that you should be steady and consistent in your online presence. You have to maintain your brand and identity no matter what. In addition, we also mean to say that social media presence might often not be enough. It pays to have your very own website. Your social media accounts move multitudes of people, but they should only be part of your marketing strategies. It is wise to have somewhere to lead your customers too. A home in the online world is beneficial because you can connect all your social media accounts while also having one place to showcase your products in the best way possible. Your website can contain all the information that your customers need to know about your business and products that you can’t really share on social media. However, keep in mind that visibility isn’t enough because you also have to be credible. Your social media helps with that because other potential customers can see your current customers’ comments, reactions, and loyalty. But you can also bring that onto your business website. You can display some of the comments of your customers about your products so that you can re-establish your credibility. Gain your customers’ trust, and you will go a long way.
How to Use These Marketing Strategies on Your Website?
Strikingly is a website builder that can help you to keep up with all of these marketing trends. With hundreds of website templates, you can use, Strikingly is happy to assist you in your journey to marketing success. Here are some features that you can use:
• Strikingly Live Chat
Image taken from Strikingly Product
• Live Chat Messenger
Image taken from Strikingly Product
These first two bullets can help you talk to your customers in private, which is one of the top marketing trends discussed above. A private message via messenger or Strikingly Live Chat would allow your customers to quickly ask a question or reach out a concern to you whenever they visit your website. This would allow you to accommodate their needs and encourage them even more to purchase your products.
• Gallery
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
• Videos
Image taken from Strikingly Product
• Background Videos
Image taken from Strikingly Product
These three bullets can be used for the first two marketing trends enumerated and explained before. Strikingly allows you to display photos of your products. But in addition, it also allows you to add videos. If you have a collection of videos and images showcasing your products, you can use the gallery section of your Strikingly website to collect them all in one place. You can also add videos and pictures of influencers that you have partnered with on your website. You can put them all in another section for your customers to see and view, along with your own vlogs. Lastly, you can also use videos of your products as a background for some parts of your website, as long as you consider that they are easy to the eyes and are not distracting.
• Connect Your Accounts
Image taken from Strikingly Product
This next bullet encompasses almost all of the top current marketing trends that we talked about. Connecting your social media accounts to your website can grow your conversion rate and your social media followers and subscribers at the same time. By helping customers connect with your social media accounts, you also help your business be more visible in their eyes. They will now be able to stay updated with any new posts and stories of your business.
• Social Feed
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
Last but not least, adding a social media feed to your business website will also enhance your credibility, as we talked about in the last of the top marketing trends discussed. Displaying your social media feed on your website can help your customers see how active you are on these platforms and see how dedicated you are to keeping up with the times. They can also be led directly to your most recent posts. Them being updated is vital for your business.
Don’t feel overwhelmed! If you have yet to be part of any of these marketing trends, you need not worry because it is never too late to get started. Now that you have some background knowledge regarding them, you can brainstorm ideas for applying each of these marketing trends to your business. You can get started by first creating accounts on these social media platforms. Then you can sign up with Strikingly and get started on your website. Get on with it and start your journey to success!
