Truth be told, there aren’t tons of super clear-cut and straightforward trends. But nowadays, aligning with them has kinda become the golden standard in marketing and business. They didn’t just pop up overnight, but they’ll stick around for a while.
Here’s a quick list: automation – direct contact – content – multi-format + multi-channel – accessibility.
Automation
This goes for services, marketing, and yeah, content too. Think apps, software, chatbots, neural networks, task management, and client relations.
▪️ Big business? Automate as much as you can (you’ll probably need an IT department).
▪️ Small business? Don’t just replace everyone with machines. Engage your top players in customer conversations. It’s captivating. As you grow, start automating those secondary tasks.
Neural networks? Just the next step in automation. Nothing fancy.
Direct Contact
Personal branding, expertise, feedback, social media, reviews.
In a robot-filled age, buying from real folks will just feel better (and probably cost more).
Real businesses are made up of real people facing real challenges, issues, and ideas. The closer you get, the better you know your customers and their needs, and the better product you can craft.
Living in an ivory tower is chill, but not that profitable.
Content
The real battle? For attention. Need I say more about content? It looks like we’re heading towards a routine of 8 hours of sleep and 16 hours of content, both for work and fun.
Yeah, customers only have one wallet. They’ll spend where they spend their time. And content is all about fun, value, and creativity. Ideally, from someone specific. Every bit counts, trust me.
Seamless experiences are key — content filled with ads and one-click purchasing will be the norm. Watching a movie, saw a cool shirt — ordered in a split second with one click.
Augmented and virtual reality? They’ll only enhance this focus on content.
Multi-Format and Multi-Channel
Be everywhere and in every way, both with content and communication. It’s simple: be where your customers are, in the format they prefer.
All kinds of content are essential, but you don’t need to be everywhere. Find your strength and push it.
Start with one thing, then take over the space. That’s our way, both in marketing and, well, as a civilization.
Accessibility
Information and tools have never been this accessible and cheap. Often, they’re free. But as accessibility grows, so does competition.
The overall standard for professionals, skills, and services is higher. What tops the list now is experience, intuition, creativity, and ideas. At the end of the day, boldness and persistence are always in trend.
