Marketing to your potential customers has increasingly become a two-way street. Learning about them is as important as informing them about you. With this new relationship, new tactics and strategies have emerged one after the other, faster and faster.
Getting in synch with your market is about understanding their personas, their needs and wants and also their habits and preferences. Getting in synch with the customers that will drive your sales this year is about virtually meeting them and meeting their expectations with informed content where they need it on the devices they choose.
Here are four marketing trends which started in years past, but are certain to accelerate through 2015. Absolutely the best way to engage with your prospects this year, no matter the channel, will be to follow this advice.
1. When They Find You on A Computer, Be Human
People searching out products and services often go first with people and companies that they know, like and trust. The benefit of social media is that never has it been easier to establish these connection points. Those companies that understand how to be human and authentic will make connections that will drive potential customers to reach out and engage. Making a connection that is human, honest and genuine will precede and supersede the sale. The connection will be the key; the sale will be the result.
2. Mobile Now
It’s not enough to be mobile-friendly. The new norm will be mobile first, mobile now and maybe even mobile always. The trend of including mobile devices into every online session means that you need to adapt every piece of your content to match the needs of mobile devices like phones and tablets. Marketing pieces like your email blasts, your blog updates and your general content all need to be available and mobile friendly (just ask Google, they’ve started indicating mobile friendly content, and will start penalizing content that isn’t.)
The move to mobile is already in full swing, and the majority of your potential customers will be finding you via mobile if they aren’t already. Is your online marketing designed to draw the attention of readers on-the-go?
3. Content Content Content
People searching for you and your company are finding not only websites, but also content. Useful and timely content is pushing higher and higher in search results. Content that matches their search queries is more and more what they are first noticing.
Are you generating content that is useful to your clients? If you are working in home improvement, are you posting tips for the best seasonal projects, for example? If you are, then potential clients searching for ideas on what projects to undertake will find that content and increase the likelihood that they will reach out to you when they need help. Content builds a connection with your potential clients and helps build a loyal following. Social media, blogs, newsletters, case studies and videos all combine to deliver a cohesive and compelling message based on content. By creating valuable, engaging content you are speaking the language of your customers.
4. Think About Being a Thought Leader
Thought leaders are go-to people. They’re trusted sources who move and inspire people with their content and ideas. They are successful at communicating their own success and lessons learned. The goal of being identified as a thought leader is to provide insight and value. The result of being a thought leader is a core of dedicated followers.
Thought leaders come from every industry and every background, but not everyone can be identified as a thought leader. It takes time, knowledge and dedication to the goal. You need to dedicate to writing content, improving and expanding your LinkedIn connections, reading, connecting and engaging with current thought leaders, and most of all, following through.
These trends should make themselves felt in 2015, and getting a handle on how they work for you is the first step to implementing them in your strategies.
What trends do you see affecting your 2015?