With a New Year approaching it is always interesting to keep an eye on what the expected marketing trends are and how they may affect the way you do business. Trends tend to follow new technologies, social media platforms and of course how the consumers’ perception of the marketplace has changed.
Throughout 2015, although technology will have some effect on advertising trends, lead marketers predict the bigger change of direction will be focusing more on the customer and being transparent, have substance and most importantly have a great product.
With consumers having access to a wealth of knowledge through many media platforms, people have become not only more connected but also more fragmented. A brand needs to connect directly to that person for it to be taken notice of. The customer is the main focal point and as they are becoming savvier the best thing that you can do is be surprisingly honest.
This is one trend that seems to be at the forefront for 2015, with the other being the increasing power of mobile technology. This does not necessarily mean phones either. Mobile technology includes tablets and, of course, throughout 2015 there will be the emergence of wearables such as Google glass and smart watches. These products are a constant source of interaction with your customer.
Mobile video alone has overtaken television as the most watched source of video, with YouTube still leading the way but a plethora of other platforms are also eimmerging. Technologies like Blippar are also increasing and adding another level of mobile interaction with brands for the consumer.
Here are 8 key points to be aware of during 2015 as pointed out by B&T:
•Accept consumers are now empowered and increasingly savvy
•Appreciate that honesty and purity of communication is vital
•Understand that action, not rhetoric, will attract and help retain customers
•Develop automated marketing tools as a crucial means of measuring performance and setting benchmarks…in real-time
•don’t over-commercialise your offering or content
•don’t treat your market as a whole, but use different influencers and channels to engage customers on an individual basis
•embrace evolving technologies, particularly wearables, to connect with consumers on the go
•don’t copy…innovate
New trends and technologies can seem a little daunting to some, but the most important thing to do is embrace them and use them to your brands advantage. Without keeping your finger on the pulse it is easy to get left behind by not only your competition, but more importantly your customer.