Five Marketing Trends You Should Be Watching

Posted: September 23, 2013 by Devon Diehle

Marketing trends keep advancing and changing with the new technology. Consumers have so many mediums of communication to give and get information and it’s a marketer’s job to keep up with all of these. It’s simple to keep up with what the consumer wants and where they are going to find it if these five simple trends are paid close attention to. Let’s break it down into five categories.

1. Media Fragmentation: According to the Edison Report, there are 256 million U.S. users watching TV, 243 million listening to radio, 232 million on the Internet, 182 million connected at home via broadband, 177 million connected at home via Wi-fi, and 139 million smartphone users. Consumers are using more devices now than ever to do so many different things. Marketers constantly have to catch up to where the consumer is. Digital content that is sent out to the public needs to be catchy, creative and visual. In a world where the media has become more and more fragmented, more aggressive and outstanding content is important. You must catch the eye of a viewer amongst the millions of other technological ideas and persuasive techniques thrown at them daily.
2. Smartphone Devices Are Taking Have Taken Over: 53% of Americans now own smartphones, making the mobile outlet a critical way to get in touch with consumers. Information is constantly being received from smartphones. Mobile is now becoming a more prominent channel for commercial transactions. “Mobile first strategy” is a priority for marketers. Utilizing apps and location-based marketing will continue to grow. Posts to social media should be short and simple. Images are best for a visually inviting approach. Create content that is easy to read and understand on the go.
3. Facebook Still Reigns Supreme: Facebook has undergone many changes since its debut but still continues to rise in the amount of users. Among some of these changes are #hashtags, typically known to be used on Twitter. Although this recent addition is not yet very popular, hashtags can open up many new opportunities to advertisers. Consumers who have clicked on a particular hashtag can see what others have said about this word, giving advertisers the ability to market directly to the consumer. Creating content that is specific to what the consumer wants has been made simpler through Facebook. A user’s demographics, interests and community group are made public for an advertiser to use and market. Creating content that follows the consumer is made simple and achievable.
4. Branded Content on News Feed: 62% of Facebook users have noticed more brand content on their news feed recently. Users that want to see these advertisements pop up in their news feed will have an easier time accessing them directly. The users who get annoyed with seeing an advertisement they don’t want in their social community can easily hide it. One of the best things an advertiser can do to market their brand is to invest in high quality photos. The more visually pleasing, the more likely a viewer is to stop scrolling, click on your link and interact with your page.
5. Twitter is Increasing in Popularity: The Edison report shows that Twitter is becoming more popular and engaging more users, following closely behind Facebook. 89% of Americans have at least heard of Twitter. Although only 15% of Americans use Twitter, 84% hear about Tweets through other forms of media. Twitter’s reach to consumers and viewers is much higher than one may think so taking advantage of this is key. Promote your brand through Twitter so that viewers can reach it through multi forms of media. Encourage talk about your brand and use hashtags.

Following these five simple trends will help a marketer or advertiser know how to reach the public. Keeping up with changing technology, knowing where your demographics focus their attention on and being creative will keep your brand forefront.