Whether your business has had a good 2017 or not, it’s time to look towards the future. A big part of that is making sure your marketing strategy for 2018 is on point.
Of course, that’s easier said than done. The marketing landscape is ever-changing. It takes more than following marketing tips to get ahead of the competition. You need to have a thorough understanding of marketing trends to stand out.
Lucky for you, we’ve compiled five of them here to help you better market your products and services for 2018.
1. Social Media Marketing Will Be Even Bigger
We talked about social media trends you can’t ignore in 2018 before. And if you’ve already incorporated these points into your social media strategy, great!
To take things a step further, you can experiment with stuff your competitors are not likely doing…yet. That includes using Watch, Facebook’s Netflix-like video platform, promoting your best content through Instagram’s Stories Highlights, and creating branded Snapchat lenses.
2. Big Data to Learn More About Your Customers
One of the marketing trends you really have to take advantage of this year is big data. It’s not just a marketing buzzword. Data collection is something all businesses should be doing no matter how small or large they are.
At the very least, all your online assets should have a way to capture people’s information – their names, location, and what they need or want. And you have to make it fun for them.
You can’t just ask visitors to your site to fill out a survey or subscribe to your mailing list. You have to give them an incentive. A contest, for example, is a good way to get a user to give out his or her contact details.
3. CX Enhancement
UX or user experience is an important component of web design and development. The basic concept is that all the features in your website or mobile app should be developed with your target users in mind.
Customer experience or CX is more encompassing than UX. It goes beyond design since it includes every point of contact with a customer.
That said, here are some ways you can enhance CX. First, make sure your staff knows how to put the customer first. Second, always ask for feedback whether online or offline.
And lastly, don’t forget to actively engage on your social media channels. Don’t make your followers feel ignored and make sure to monitor your interactions with them.
4. Optimize for Voice Searches
Voice searches are here to stay. So if you’ve ignored this trend before, you’ll have to make way for it this year.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to optimize your content with a special focus on long-tail keywords. Keep in mind that voice-enabled technology will only get bigger as smartphones and other devices evolve to become even smarter.
5. Up Close and Personal
As far as marketing trends go, this is something you need to slip seamlessly into your branding plan.
Hard selling has been out for several years now. If messaging isn’t your strongest suit, keep working at it to make your brand story more personal.
Invite users to see the real you behind the scenes and make sure you strive for a more authentic connection with customers.
2018 Marketing Trends: Ready to Make Waves?
Marketing in the digital age is hard work indeed. But if you keep yourself updated on the trends, you’re already a step ahead of your competitors.
For more marketing advice and tips, don’t forget to browse our blog.
