Top Marketing Trends to Get on Board With This Year

The world of marketing is constantly changing and it can be difficult to know the best marketing trends to follow that will benefit your business. Marketing your brand is a big investment so it’s wise to get up to date on all of the latest marketing developments and strategies that are worth prioritising.

While you can never really predict the future of the marketing landscape there are certain trends that are telling of the direction marketing and advertising are heading in. One thing that is for sure is that marketing is set to become more transparent, genuine, and engaging.

To help you put together the best marketing strategy for your business, here’s a guide to the top marketing trends that you should be following this year.

New GDPR Privacy Legislation

Not so much a trend as a dramatic change in the way that marketers work, the introduction of the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) just last month has all but destroyed the collection of user data without authorisation.

Data collection is a fundamental part of getting to know your customers, their interests, and demographics. Access to this data allows businesses to predict consumer behaviour and plan their marketing, however, the EU is giving customers more control over how their data is used and protecting them from exploitation for advertising purposes.

Everyone has now been bombarded with emails asking them to opt-in and consent to their personal data being held on to and used, the first demonstration of the new transparency standards that companies and organisations have to comply with.

But what does this mean for marketing? Well, with this lack of access to personal data it will make it more difficult to target and tailor adverts towards consumers.

GDPR is certainly changing the marketing landscape and has already had a big impact on all businesses, so it’s important you get on board with these new changes and adapt your marketing strategy.

This is a trend that certainly can’t be ignored as you could be fined up to 4% of your annual income!

Storytelling

Engaging your audience is key to marketing your brand, but visuals simply aren’t enough – it’s about telling the whole story and getting the reader to want to know more.

Particularly on social media you should strive to make the reader stop at your post instead of scrolling past. An eye-grabbing image can help with this, and you can further lure the reader in by crafting an engaging caption. A strong caption can grip the reader from the beginning, meaning it’s much easier to entice them to click that link to your website to find out more!

Storytelling has become hugely popular on many social media platforms. It all began with Snapchat’s 24 hour only posts and now Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and more are jumping on the ‘story’ bandwagon. ‘Stories’ can be snippets of your products, services, or premises; giving your audience a candid look into the inner working of your business and building a connection with them.

The temporary nature of stories offers the opportunity for immediate engagement with your audience as it provides a sense of exclusivity – if your followers don’t view it within the 24 hour time frame they’ll miss out, and nobody likes missing out!

Stories are an extension of your social media content but they provide a freedom that didn’t used to exist in social media. You can be more fun and relaxed with stories and showcase your brand in a realistic light which people appreciate. It’s a great way of making your brand seem authentic.

Mobile Marketing

Look around next time you’re on a train or at a restaurant, or anywhere for that matter, and you’re sure to see at least a couple of people absorbed in their mobile phone. Mobiles are convenient and many people choose to use them over any other digital device, with mobile traffic taking over desktop for many sites in 2018.

Mobile marketing is all about making your brand more accessible to mobile users. With mobiles, your marketing campaign can be accessed on the go at any time and in any place. The first basic step you can take to capitalise on this is making sure that your website is mobile friendly so that your mobile users don’t have to suffer through a sub-par experience.

There are many other mobile specific marketing strategies you can employ, from utilising Snapchat geo-filters for events to releasing apps to sell your product or service.

Establishing Your Brand’s Personality

As I mentioned earlier, marketing is becoming a lot more transparent, authentic, and less robotic. Your marketing strategy doesn’t have to be so polished and perfected, at least not on the surface, as people now prefer to follow brands which have a personality and a unique voice.

Marketing should be fun and engaging and not just obviously about sales, it’s also about building a connection with your audience/followers/customers and keeping them wanting to know more about your brand.  

Laura’s Last Words On The Latest Marketing Trends

There are so many marketing trends out there that it can be impossible to follow them all, but it’s also important not to be left behind so ensure that you’re on top of the major marketing trends.

Having a few key marketing strategies that are proving very popular will help to make your business a success. If you need help with marketing your brand reach out to me via Twitter @foundd_laura or call 0151 329 2988.