
Connecting with the marketing mind
Marketing as a business, or an industry, is constantly changing and evolving in order to keep up with the rapidly developing demands of clients who are looking for new ways of attracting or keeping customers. Customer attention spans have become ever shorter and loyalty is measured by what they receive, not so much in physical terms but in the experience of dealing with a company or a brand.
Throughout the process of doing business and being ‘evaluated’ by clients a series of trends starts to come to the fore. Trends are established when the same, or similar, actions occur repeatedly across a certain demographic. The important thing is to be aware of the trends and to see how you can make use of them as a guide to your business in the future. They will be your connection to your industry, your clients and your market.
The trends in marketing are many and varied and determining what they all are is supremely difficult. Not every trend which comes to the fore will be relevant to your business or brand. This article presents some of the trends which have become apparent in recent months and which will continue to have an impact as we move through 2019. Just remember that it may not be applicable and you should rather carefully assess everything to make sure that you are on the right path.
One of the trends which has already become fairly commonplace is the role content plays in marketing. Content has become core to the activities of marketing departments and as a result it has to be built into budgets and plans. Given the importance of content on marketing it is also clear that this will impact on the sales team as well, so closer co-operation between sales and marketing is required.
While on the subject of co-operation it is important to consider the synergy between marketing and PR. This is due, in part, to the growing importance of content. While both disciplines are clearly separate and different, they can play better together than if they are kept divorced from each other. Marketing and PR can work together for the common goal but also to enhance each other for the benefit of the client.
Data continues to be a big factor in marketing, however, concerns over security and privacy are at an all-time high, making consumers more wary about giving out their personal information. Online security and protection of information are driving the need for increased levels of security. Not only will marketers need to protect their clients’ information, but they will also have to show that, and how, they are protecting it if they are to continue receiving the all-important data.
While obtaining the data is becoming increasingly difficult, there are tools which you can use to simplify the process. One such piece of technology is chatbots. Chatbots can give you insight into what your audience is looking for and help you to deliver the information to them, all while collecting the necessary data to help you refine your marketing processes in future.
In the age of instant gratification – and dissatisfaction – generic messages are no longer good enough. With the fact that so much specific data is available about customers and their preferences, it is no longer acceptable to send out generic messages. Only personalised and customised messages will suffice. With the adundance of information being pushed on consumers, the focus must be on making your way through the clutter and attracting the consumer’s attention and making you a more effective communicator.
While the trends are just the tip of the iceberg, by being cognisant of them it will help you to consider new and different ways of improving your marketing strategy and outlook to customer requirements. You are your own best ally in the fight to remain at the forefront of marketing strategies. Keep up-to-date with what is happening and take lessons from as many sources as possible. By doing so, you may just be the one setting the trends rather than trying to keep up with what is happening around you.