The marketing industry is constantly adjusting
to changes in trends, and technology. Every year, digital marketing undergoes
changes and transformation and brands have to keep up with the dynamic environment
to be able to survive in the overtly competitive marketing world. This usually
involves strategizing, thinking up innovative ways and seizing opportunities to
stay ahead of the usual marketing channels everybody knows.
Let's talk about those marketing opportunities
that marketers have seized upon that is working out well this 2016.
1.
Target-able Video Marketing
As the age of smartphone and social media
continues to blossom, marketers are now looking to build up long term
relationships and more customer interaction. Getting and keeping the attention
of consumers and potential consumers is an important factor in marketing.
Obstructive pop up mobile ads are not achieving marketing goals as much as they
annoy mobile phone users. Social media giants like Youtube, Facebook and Instagram have enabled an environment for customer
reach and long term relationship establishment by using targeted video ads, which
is an interesting way for brands to reach interested consumers on their feeds and build a customer base. This year a lot of brands have seized the opportunity
to reach out and stay connected to their customers with interesting and
attention drawing targetable marketing videos, investing massively in Facebook
video ads and reaping the results with products sales and direct response.
Also, Millenials connect more with Instagram
video ads and Snapchat — the new social media rave, with its "less is
more" exclusive content-with-an-expiry-date video marketing. Brands such
as ESPN are thriving with this method of marketing, reaching more consumers and
potential consumers than they did last year.
3. Content and Interactive
Marketing
As long as the brand product is of good quality marketers are
thriving on good content marketing which in turn generates sales. This year has
brought about an increase in sales and services due to savvy content marketing
which involves marketing using websites and blogs and giving useful advice
about products and services.
Marketers are focusing more on building the websites and blogs of
brands as a channel to pass on marketing ideas and valuable marketing advice to
consumers. People read this information on the brand website, use and share the
ideas and products they find appealing or useful with their friends. Some of
these people see the quality of the product and information and decide to use
the products and services.
Blog posts can be good content for search engines and all but this
year, attention is also shifting from static content toward more engaging types
of content. This is the reason, video ad marketing on social media is a big hit
this year and content plans are changing as marketers are including and using
interactive contents like games to keep people clicking, swiping and sharing
information with friends and boosting sales and services. This new marketing tool
is working out as marketers are finding addictive ways to keep consumers
engaged for long periods of time.
3.
Email Marketing
Marketers are still thriving on email marketing. Email
marketing is an important marketing tool and it is also cost effective. Email
marketing allows you to build your consumer list and also puts you in control.
4.
Marketing Automation
Marketing automation trend is making everything easier for
marketers and enabling a wide and focused marketing reach at the required time.
Marketers now have more time to build up on content and with automation
marketing, the consumers are identified and reached.
Using a marketing automation agency or platform allows for email scheduling,
automated social media posting, segmenting contacts, and content management and
even allows your scheduled campaign, marketers, or your marketing agency to update and keep track of your consumers while you are busy or asleep. This automation trend is the
rave this year and it's with good reason that brands are all on board, agreeing that automation marketing
brings more focus, result delivery and profit without compromising
quality.
5.
Clear Differentiation
Most Marketers are setting themselves apart from the rest this
year. Instead of joining the bandwagon, marketing is now streamlined and
defined to help consumers quickly understand the services being offered by the
particular brand and the advantages and benefits of the brand’s products and
services from other similar products and services. This clear definition and differentiation
informs consumers of the benefits of a brand and has resulted in increased
sales of products.
6.
Customer Feedback and
Engagement
Marketers are now building around feedbacks, and testimonials
through customer engagement. Surveys have made a comeback this year as
marketers are surveying consumers to get feedbacks about the quality of the
products and services of brands. Marketing goals are now reached through
product improvement ideas which come from consumers’ suggestions on ways for
brands to improve their products and services.
7.
Give the Lead To
Consumers
When people post their testimonials and cool surfing videos on
Instagram and tag a surfboard company, they are not necessarily doing it to
help the brand but want their super cool moments to be seen by others. This
year we are seeing a growing trend in marketers and brands seizing on these moments and
content endorsement by the consumer, by creating a story in which customers are
the lead, making them feel it’s all about them and encouraging more
participation than when it is all about the brand.
By marketing content this way,
they encourage massive consumer patronage and participation that builds up
brands because real customers using the product bring to the fore, the authenticity
of the brand and its products.
8.
Bluetooth Beacons and
Location-Based Marketing
The new and productive marketing strategy which is working out
exceptionally well for marketers and brands this year is content information delivery to
targeted users near the location of product sales or services.
Here is an illustration of how it works
This year has
seen an increase in marketers using Bluetooth technology and push notifications
to target nearby devices, audience and customers especially near retail
locations and tradeshows.
Bluetooth enabled beacons used by marketers in promotions through
sending and delivering marketing information and ideas are a cost effective
solution to location based marketing and marketers are reaping the results of
the advantage of alerting consumers of products when they are close to
engagement centers, as this has increased product interest and sales.
9.
Relationship Marketing
In order to foster better customer loyalty, and long-term
engagement, relationship marketing is the new trend which is doing well for
brands and businesses.
Through applications and mobile technology, marketers are building
a strong and loyal program that fosters long-term engagement. Brand
applications with enabled notifications that keep consumers and app users
informed of new products and improvement in old products has increased the
sales of these products while achieving the aim of these marketing strategies.
Conclusion
This year, the new, old and divergent marketing options are giving
marketers a wide range of marketing strategies to choose from. Diversifying to
build up the brands and improve the product sales and services is the goal and
these options are working well for marketers this year.
With easy and smart marketing strategies that actually work,
brands are no longer chasing the latest big story but focusing on what makes
them unique and building a community and following around it.
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