With every passing year, businesses are becoming more aware of the fact that their focus must be more consumer-centric. And in 2016, it has to be even more so. The crux is that your marketing needs to fully engage your target market, and you need to increase that focus more every time you reassess your strategy. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what you can do this year to ensure that your marketing is in line with current trends.
The Marketing Trends That Rule the Business World
1. Mobile Marketing is Set to Get Bigger
Yes, mobile marketing has been around for a while. It’s nothing new, but it will only get bigger in the coming year. eMarketer predicts that 50% of all global digital spend for 2016 – that is more than $100 billion – will be in mobile advertising.
2. Customer Experience Will Still Dominate
The modern consumer has more options today than ever before, which means that you need to put on a great experience when they visit your site. Comparison sites, online reviews, and a deluge of shopping channels means that consumers can choose exactly where they spend their money.
A survey by Gartner suggests that in the near future:
85% of the brand relationship will be managed without any human interaction.
89% of the competition will be based on customer experience.
According to the Aberdeen Group “State of Marketing Automation 2014: Processes that Produce”, best-in-class businesses are up to 67% more likely to use marketing automation platforms.
And on the note of automation…
3. Apps for Every Purpose
When apps first emerged, they were made for mobile devices only. These days, every type of device has an app. From desktop apps to web apps and television apps – there are countless ways in which to manage our tasks.
As a marketer, you can use apps to increase productivity and to leverage your marketing resources. Make use of low-cost and even free apps to:
- Manage your content.
- Enhance customer experience.
- Drive advertising and promotions.
- Schedule and track your social media marketing.
- Send out email marketing campaigns.
- Access your website analytics.
4. A Shift Towards Advocate Marketing
Awesome customer experiences result in referrals. Every time you provide a great user experience, you are building a relationship. Happy customers are positive influencers who benefit your company greatly. By creating positive experiences for your clients, you can leverage your marketing through the relationship you have with them as an effective method for promoting referrals.
5. Content Will Remain King
Since the dawn of days, content has been the key to online marketing success. With close to 90% of consumers heading to the search engines to do research before buying anything – both online and offline – it only makes sense that around 93% of all marketers use content marketing.
Do bear in mind, though that consumers want everything to be better, faster and more, which is why social marketing platforms already identify and promote high-quality content, which means that marketers will need to ensure that they are constantly adding fresh, high-quality content to make an impact on their audiences. That means that consumers will have to find better ways to share their content.
A study by Animoto found that:
96% of consumers found online video helpful in making buying decisions;
73% of consumers surveyed said that they were more likely to buy after watching a video;
and 71% were left with a positive impression of the company, service or brand.
As online marketing continues to evolve, it’s up to us as marketers to stay on the cutting edge of industry trends to ensure that we continue to deliver the types or experiences our target audiences demand.