8 Powerful marketing trends to boost your business success!

Trends…

Those fleeting fads that come and go faster than a cat chasing a laser pointer!

Fluorescent socks...
Fidget spinners…
Shell suits…
Planking…
Platform sneakers…
The Harlem Shake…
- to name but a few!!

We’ve all been guilty at some point – yes?

They're like the popular kids in school who everyone wants to hang out with, but eventually fade into obscurity when the next big thing comes along.

And marketing your business is no different!

Marketing is constantly evolving - especially with the rapid rise in digital technology, and small businesses need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends to effectively promote their products or services.

So, here are my current top marketing trends you should be considering to utilise in your business:

Micro-influencer Marketing:

The concept of Influencer Marketing, which involves partnering with social media influencers who have a loyal following in your niche market to promote your products or services, has been around for a while.

However, as consumers, we have become more aware (and sceptical) of the countless number of ‘celebrities’ who are being paid huge sums of money to promote products and services they’ve never used – nor intend to!

Hence the rise of the Micro-influencer!

Micro-influencers provide a more authentic presence online, with smaller but highly engaged communities of followers and fans, making them a cost-effective option for small businesses.

Seek to partner with micro-influencers to help you reach your target audience more effectively, and generate a buzz around your products and services.

Localised Search Engine Optimisation (SEO):

With the rise of "near me" searches, there’s now a huge opportunity for small businesses to focus on optimising their website and Google My Business listing for local search.

Consider using local keywords, creating location-specific content, and getting listed in local directories.

Voice Search Optimisation (VSO):

I’m sure most of us will own or use a voice assistant device (such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant), to search for products or services, find information, perform tasks and make purchases.

In fact, recent statistics show:

• There are 4.2 billion voice assistants in use as of 2023;
• It is estimated that this number will reach 8.4 billion by 2024;
• More than 1 billion voice searches take place every month.

As more people use voice assistants, small businesses need to optimise their online content for voice search.

Make sure you have the necessary information on your website. This can include creating content that answers frequently asked questions and using long-tail keywords.

Video marketing:

Ok, so this is nothing new…

In fact, recent statistics show:

• 71% of B2B marketers are using video marketing;
• 66% of B2C marketers are creating videos.

However, with the sharp rise of platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, video marketing has become increasingly popular.

Consider using video to showcase your products or services – it doesn’t need to be a Hollywood-style production – modern smartphones have all the capabilities and features to create high quality videos.

Provide behind-the-scenes glimpses into your business, or even create educational content for your target audience.

User-generated content:

User-generated content (or ‘UGC’ as us marketers like to call it) is content created by customers that promotes a business or its products or services.

Consumers yearn for personalised experiences from the businesses and brands they follow and interact with – UGC is a great way to encourage this!

Consider implementing more UGC opportunities in your marketing such as running contests, hosting events, or featuring customer stories on your website or social media channels.

Interactive content:

Interactive content like quizzes, polls, and surveys can help small businesses engage with their audience and gather valuable feedback.

This type of content is also highly shareable and can help increase brand awareness.

Personal branding:

We all have one…

Some people are more aware of it than others…

It is largely responsible for the working relationships you forge and your networking reputation…

And it defines not only who you are, but how your business is run.

Your personal brand is the intrinsic mix of your passion, values, experience, professional network and of course, skills and expertise.

More than that, it relies on your ability to showcase yourself and your brand as authentic - buying into the concept that people buy from (authentic) people!

Small business owners can use personal branding to establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry and build trust with their audience.

Consistently share your expertise through content and networking, this will help you increase brand awareness, engagement and generate leads.

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

And now the big one… Artificial Intelligence!

Whether we like it or not (or just not sure yet), Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work and reshaping our workplaces.

Through the power of AI, small businesses can automate routine and repetitive tasks, streamline their operations, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.

From a marketing point of view, AI is enabling businesses to create personalised, targeted content at scale, optimising ad spend, and improving customer experiences.

With AI-powered tools and analytics, small businesses can better understand their audience and improve their marketing strategies, leading to increased engagement, conversions, and revenue.

But don’t you need to be a tech geek to integrate Ai into your business?

Fortunately, there are many free AI-powered marketing tools that are relatively easy to implement and can provide significant benefits to your marketing efforts:

ChatGPT is a highly advanced computer program designed to understand and generate human-like text.

It can help with tasks like writing emails, creating content – such as blogs and articles, and answering questions, making it a valuable tool for businesses and marketers.

It can also understand context and provide relevant responses or suggestions based on the information given.

HubSpot's Marketing Free plan, which offers features such as email marketing, lead capture forms, and social media scheduling.

HubSpot's user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop design make it easy to create professional-quality marketing content, even for those with little technical experience.

Canva offers a wide range of customisable templates and design elements for creating visually appealing social media posts, flyers, and other marketing materials.

Canva's user-friendly interface and AI-powered design suggestions make it easy to create high-quality content quickly.

For businesses looking to improve their SEO, Google's Keyword Planner is a free tool that can help identify relevant keywords and provide insights into search volume and competition.

Chatbots can help small businesses provide 24/7 customer support, answer frequently asked questions, and even make sales.

By using chatbots, you can improve your customer experience and free up time for other tasks.

Trends may come and go, but keeping a close eye on the latest marketing tools and channels, will help you to adapt your marketing strategy to meet the needs of you target audience - and stay ahead of the competition!