Marketing can be a tricky beast because it’s difficult to know which consumers to target and how to get their attention. There are so many different ways to set up a marketing strategy that sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. But it’s a brand new year and things are evolving in the world of marketing every day.
Setting your company up for success is all about understanding how to reach your consumers effectively, without overwhelming them with content. Consumers don’t mind being marketed to, but they also shy away from marketing that doesn’t benefit them in some way. They want quality and integrity, and in fact, they expect it.
If you run a business and you’re looking for the best ways to market your products or services, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’re discussing 2018 marketing trends that are sure to help your company succeed. Keep reading to learn more.
2018 Marketing Trends
2017 saw a lot of changes in the marketing world. There were a few surprises, such as Twitter’s struggle to grow users. But there were a few really great strategies that have emerged as best practices going into 2018. Here are ten of them.
LinkedIn Marketing
LinkedIn is responsible for almost 65% of all visits to corporate websites from social media channels. Beyond that, over 50% of companies acquired a B2C customer through LinkedIn last year. And, over 90% of business to business marketers think that this social media platform is the most effective for lead generation.
These numbers are hard to dismiss and this trend is going to continue into 2018. LinkedIn should be one of the first places that you look for new customers this year.
Interactive Emails
Interactive emails were a popular trend in 2017 and 2018 marketing trends predict this to be a volatile investment.
If you think email marketing is dead, you’re just not doing it right. You need to make sure your content is interactive and your subject headers are more personalized in order to reach a broad audience. Think about different ways that you can improve your email marketing strategies and try to make them more exciting for your customers.
Artificial Intelligence
2018 marketing trends are predicting that Artificial Intelligence, sometimes referred to simply as ‘AI’, will continue to rise after incredible success in 2017. These tools will analyze customer behavior with robots that can make decisions. AI robots can even replace some human roles allowing your teams to take on other assignments that may require human insight.
Chatbots
Speaking of Artificial Intelligence, that brings us to chatbots. These are computer programs that can have actual conversations with customers right from your webpage. It’s the virtual customer service representative that will interact with your customers that have questions about your products and services.
These chatbots can answer questions and more importantly, relay information to your teams with more pressing matters.
Influencer Marketing
Social influencers make their money by marketing your product on their social media channels. There are a variety of influencers available including celebrities and average citizens that just happen to have a lot of followers.
Micro-influencers are those with 1000 to 100,000 followers. These are the influencers you should be looking for in 2018 because people relate to them easier. You’ll also spend less on marketing than you would be using a macro-influencer that has more followers.
Live Video
Live video marketing is quickly becoming one of the 2018 marketing trends of the year. Instead of posting pictures and video or other content on social media, you can interact live with your customers this way. In fact, live video accounted for over 2/3 of all internet traffic in 2017 and it’s expected to rise to 82% by the year 2020.
Remember the following channels when you go to set up live video:
- Periscope
- Facebook Live
- Instagram Live
- YouTube Live
Using live video gives you an opportunity to interact directly with your consumer base and obtain feedback in real time. And, you can utilize the videos later to repurpose content.
Content Marketing
2018 marketing trends are no different than past years in some ways. That being said, still trending upward is content marketing.
Instead of thinking up new content marketing strategies this year, consider reviving the ones you have on hand. Just be sure it’s relevant and clearly defined for your audience. Properly executing these strategies will increase customer loyalty and therefore sales.
Focusing on Generation Z
In past years, millennials have the been the focus of many marketing efforts. This is because businesses have been trying to market to the younger generation in order to retain lifelong customers. But 2018 marketing trends suggest that you should try focusing efforts on Generation Z this year.
Generation Z was born between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. They are currently in their early twenties and preparing to enter the job force which will give them more power to make purchases in the years to come.
You don’t have to leave out other generations, but make sure not to forget this young, influenceable crowd.
Personalization
Personalization is key to obtaining customers and keeping them. Over 75% of consumers say that they prefer retailers to use personal information. They believe the shopping experience is improved with this one key factor.
You can encourage people to create customer profiles on your webpage or mobile app. This will also help you monitor consumer habits. And, in knowing those habits, you can offer special rewards or discounts based on their browsing history and previous purchases to make the experience even more personal.
Privacy Protection
2017 was a scary year for many consumers with the Equifax breach that left over 140 million Americans victim to identity and credit card fraud. This makes consumers wary and less likely to put their credit card information on the internet.
Make sure your webpage and mobile applications are set up with privacy protection to maintain credibility and keep customers coming back.
Keep the following guidelines in mind when setting up your private connection:
- Display security badges
- Keep contact information up to date
- Use customer reviews and testimonials
- Easy Navigation
- Fast-loading pages
- Secure the checkout process
Final Thoughts
Keeping up with marketing trends each year doesn’t have to be stressful and overwhelming. Just keep this list in mind while you strategize your marketing for this year. Simply knowing what people are interested in is half the battle and will result in success.
Always remember to think about how you can predict your consumer behavior. Try to identify these trends and apply the changes to your marketing strategy. You’ll have an edge over your competition in the long run.
The 2018 marketing trends listed here will have a significant impact on the success of your company brand. Just keep yourself informed and educated on changes as they occur and you’ll be on your way to obtaining more and more customers.
If you’re interested in a marketing package, or if you have questions, contact us.