The evolution of technology and the rise of digital marketing are no surprise to anyone. Today, almost every company is actively selling and promoting its products online. But unfortunately, that is not enough to keep the business afloat. As competition skyrockets in the digital landscape, every business owner has to up their marketing game. You have to keep up with trends, from implementing new strategies to advertising on new forums.
Recently, companies have started integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence while developing marketing strategies. AI and ML can upscale customer service besides giving insights into consumers’ changing preferences. However, the question is how to learn about these emerging trends? Where do you find about them before it becomes old news?
Surprisingly, countless ways and forums can keep you up to date with up-and-coming marketing trends. Here, we will talk about some of the ways how you can stay ahead in your marketing game.
1. Attend Industry Conferences
Joining an industry conference can be a great way to network with people in your industry and outside of it. You will gain insights into what innovative measures others are taking to promote their brand. In turn, you can learn from the best practices of other industries.
Further, you can also connect with key industry players one-on-one during networking events. It will allow you to look at things from perspective, helping you stay ahead of the curve. However, all the market players are highly qualified and experienced; hence, make sure you aren’t lagging. If you only have a bachelor’s degree in hand, pursue an online MBA no GMAT specializing in marketing. It might require you to juggle, but you will get the taste of both worlds.
2. Go Through Industry News & Publications
Every day, you come across new technological developments and trends. However, not many people know where to look for the best information on marketing trends. Depending on what your company sells, you can search online for trends that specifically apply to your industry. For that, you have to keep an eye on the industry news. Perhaps, see how the increasing inflation levels or interest rates will affect your industry.
Moreover, you can subscribe to informative blogs and websites. It would ensure you get updates on all relevant articles to your business niche and industry. Marketing blogs have a wealth of knowledge that will help you stay current with minimal effort.
3. Set Up Alerts
Managers stay hooked to the internet to learn about emerging trends, but don’t you have other things to look after? After all, marketing managers have countless responsibilities, making it impossible to spend the entire day seeking out new trends. So, why not set up alerts that notify you of the latest trends and publications?
For starters, you can set up alerts on Google Trends. It will allow you to see what consumers are searching for on Google. In addition, you can even look at different keywords to identify patterns related to where and when they have been most searched. Hence, you would get notified whenever someone searches for products and services similar to yours. Besides this, you can set up Google Alerts. It will send notifications when new content appears for keywords you are targeting.
Also, keep an eye on Twitter hashtags. It is somewhat different from alerts but provides an organic way for users to categorize the content. Hence, you can look up a specific hashtag and get all information on the topic within minutes.
4. Keep an Eye on Competitors
As they say, if you can’t knock your competitors, join them! In other words, you have to stay close to your competitors to discover new marketing trends. First, identify your most successful rival. Maybe, someone with the highest market share. After that, find reasons that have propelled this success. It could be because the competitors use videos to engage with the audience. Instead of following in their footsteps, think one step ahead and launch your podcasts.
You can pair this with your existing marketing strategy and make a groundbreaking marketing campaign. Now, you might be thinking about how to keep an eye on competitors? Simply put, you can attend trade shows when they participate and follow them on social media. Most importantly, subscribe to their newsletters and blogs to see what they are up to these days.
5. Hop onto Social Media
What could be a better place to stay on top of marketing trends than a distinct online community? Social media forums are full of influencers and industry experts talking about new things. Here are a few tips to keep up with trends on social media.
- Follow top executives from brands and companies who you admire. Preferably on LinkedIn since it is a more professional medium.
- Create a list of Twitter influencers to learn about best practices and emerging marketing trends. Every day, you will see these bloggers promoting a new brand, allowing you to learn a thing or two from them.
- Join Facebook groups that are relevant to your industry or field.
- You can also follow influencers and professionals on Instagram as they share a lot of information on their stories.
6. Get Feedback from Customers
Not many marketers acknowledge, but customers’ sentiments dictate industry trends. If customers refuse to shop online, businesses will have to adapt accordingly. To keep up with the developing trends, you have to get unfiltered customers’ views and feedback. For that, consider implementing CRM software. It will allow you to see what customers think of their purchase journey and promotions.
Likewise, you can also ask customers about their experience with your brand and whether advertisements were appealing enough. The answers to these questions will help in evaluating the marketing campaigns. In addition, it will make it possible to curate trendy marketing content.
Another strategy you can implement to get customer feedback is account-based engagement analysis. It will uncover how people interact with the products and services you are marketing. Hence, you can implement systems that give insights into what customers deem trending.
Final Thoughts
It is common to get lost in the operational work in today’s hustling world. But at the same time, you have to think about business survival and profitability. For that, you must stay on top of all emerging marketing trends. Whether promoting on Facebook or using hashtags on Twitter, you have to develop an impeccable marketing strategy. Therefore, keep an eye on industry publications, social media, and Google Trends.
