The role of marketers and marketing agencies in the business world has already evolved over the years.
A century ago, marketing was limited to salespeople going door-to-door, handing out flyers and spreading word of mouth.
In the early 2000s, advertising products and services revolved around creating one-way forms of communication. This included TV commercials, internet ads and marketing materials, all of which were very one-sided and informative.
In today’s environment of accelerating digital transformation, keeping customers informed using outdated marketing tactics is no longer enough to stay ahead of the competition and changing consumer needs. Today’s marketing demands require individuals or teams to implement a more dynamic approach focused on meeting the challenges of the future. This is made possible by forward thinking and exponential use of advanced digital technologies that are available to everyone.
Let’s take a closer look at today’s marketing trends, analyze them, and figure out how you can keep your business in the minds of consumers. The top 3 trends in the marketing industry today are:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Overtaking Every Industry
Everywhere people are talking about conversational AI chatbots and how they will change the way we create content and interact with customers online. With the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, AI applications have taken us a giant leap into the future, with many other organizations following in OpenAI’s footsteps by building their own versions of the application.
As these algorithms become more sophisticated, there is a stark trend that will continue to accelerate. Today’s consumers tend to demand instant gratification and look for answers and solutions almost instantly. As a result, conversational AI has far-reaching implications for marketers. It makes it easier to create fast and effective content, gives customers a source to ask questions about products and get reliable answers, and quickly directs them to helpful website information.
While this technology isn’t going away and isn’t going away anytime soon, many marketers refuse to take advantage of the competitive advantage it can give them. This is often due to fear of change or concerns that AI will suddenly make their capabilities irrelevant. But putting off your AI efforts means you’ll fall behind other companies that do embrace the technology. Replace this fear with opportunities that offer you and your customers.
2. Virtual and Augmented Reality are Growing
Gone are the days of using flyers, simple ads, and landing pages to attract customers. As we said earlier, these forms of marketing are one-way and informative, but not interactive. We don’t just want to inform our customers about our products and services, we want to involve them in experiential marketing.
It is important to get customers excited about your product in order to remain in their memory. Both Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are very common applications in many people’s lives. Apart from recreational use, marketers and agencies can and should use them to spread their message.
For example, if your client is a company that does kitchen and bathroom renovations, you can create a VR tour of your product showroom to allow your customers to experience your work. Some retail brands, such as Warby Parker, are using AR to show how glasses or clothing will look on each individual. This simplifies customers’ lives and allows for experiences that take the guesswork out of choosing frames, shirts, and even makeup.
3. Big Data Creates Opportunities for Personalization
The trends we’re seeing today are more important than ever. Consumers want more personalization. Customized marketing campaigns that speak directly to their wants and needs when they want or need something are crucial. This trend has been steadily increasing in recent years and will certainly continue in the future.
How do you predict your customers’ wants and needs?Today, marketers have access to vast amounts of data, which allows them to effectively connect that data to the products and services we sell to our customers. However, this requires a combination of advanced digital technologies and big data. The development of AI applications allows marketers to quickly process large amounts of consumer data and preferences, allowing them to make more accurate product and service suggestions based on purchasing patterns.
Using this data to effectively tailor your marketing campaigns is a key strategy in today’s marketing environment. I’m not talking about simple targeted advertising, but rather actual, personal product recommendations on an individual level. By making digital marketing and sales more human and less spammy, you can build unique, trusting relationships with your clients’ customers and forge personal connections through digital technology.
All three trends give marketers an opportunity to see the future of their industry and their customers’ industries. Think how powerful that is. You are responsible for connecting your customers to a product, service, or process with the goal of improving their lives. Just think of how many more people you could reach and engage with by leveraging these three trends in marketing.
Successful marketing lies in how well you understand your customers and how you can leverage current technological advances to demonstrate how your business can meet their needs. Take advantage of the endless benefits these trends offer and free yourself from outdated thinking and technology. Remember: just because your marketing campaign works today doesn’t mean it will continue to do so in the future. Nothing lasts forever, but don’t fear that.
Turn these trends into opportunities for you, your customers, their customers, and the world at large.