We live in a world that is fixated on the newer, the bigger, and the better. Few things represent this perpetual pace of change more than marketing. Marketers are well-known for their willingness to always be chasing the latest trend as they promote their products and services. 

The question is, why do trends matter so much in the marketing world?

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Why Trend?

Keeping up with market trends can be an intimidating task. The breakneck speed of change can make a thorough and cutting-edge marketing strategy feel outdated in a matter of years or even months. 

With so much pressure and work required to keep up with trends, it’s easy to ask if it’s even worth the effort in the first place. After all, if you pander to a trend at any one given moment, it’s bound to change before long, right?

However, before marketers give up on following and implementing the latest trends, it’s important to realize why chasing those trends can actually make a big difference. When it comes to learning to appreciate marketing trends, the primary factor to address lies in your perspective. 

After all, it’s tempting to see marketing trends as little more than an eclectic collection of fleeting consumer interests. Each trend will quickly blow over and be forgotten before long.

This negative perspective of marketing trends can make chasing the latest trend a bit of a hard sell. If you want to start getting the most out of marketing trends, you need to stop looking at them as a bother or a temporary distraction.

If you want to start getting the most out of marketing trends, you need to stop looking at them as a bother or a temporary distraction. Click To Tweet

Instead, it’s helpful to look at them as spotlights. In other words, a marketing trend highlights where most consumers are looking at the moment. 

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You may have a killer marketing strategy in place. But if the light is illuminating the other side of the stage, your well-thought-out marketing approach that was once a proven limelight winner may be swallowed up in the shadows.

In other words, at their core, marketing trends represent consumer interest. Are they short-lived? Typically yes. But that’s because consumer interests are transitory as well. 

When looked at through the lens of consumer interest, marketing trends stop being a bother. Instead, they become a shortcut to discovering what customers are interested in and how you can reach them with your message.

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Appreciating the power of market trends is a good first step if you’re going to take advantage of them. However, if you actually want to keep up with the trends, you also have to make a focused and consistent effort to stay on top of the latest information. There are many ways to do this, including the following:

  • Keeping up with your customers: It’s always smart to start by placing a finger on the pulse of your customer’s wants and needs as well as what content resonates with them. These factors can vary over time, which makes garnering feedback from your customers a wise move.
  • Tracking your competitors: Your competition is after the same target demographic that you are. This puts them in a prime position to also be chasing the latest market trends. Take time to study what strategies your competitors are using on a regular basis.
  • Identify industry leaders: Keep up with influencers, publications, podcasts, and business blogs in your industry. This is an excellent way to stay abreast of the latest marketing news.
  • Set up alerts: Create Google alerts for keywords in your industry. This can help you remain aware of important updates and changes as soon as they take place.

As you conduct your market trend research, make sure to revisit your marketing strategy as well. Comb over the details and weed out any dated activities or tactics. Then, redirect freed-up resources into weaving the latest trends into your strategy.

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Of course, it isn’t very helpful to highlight the need to keep up with the trends without actually highlighting a few of them. Here are a few of the most prominent market trends as the second decade of the 21st century kicks off.

SEM

Search engines drive a massive amount of traffic. In fact, Google processes over 3.5 billion searches each and every day. This has led to a rise in search engine marketing (SEM). SEM takes place when companies pay to promote their ads alongside search engine results. This allows marketers to display ads to consumers in realtime as they’re searching for solutions.

SEO

In addition to SEM, search engine optimization (SEO) is another trending form of marketing that utilizes search engines. In this case, brands strategically create content using hyperlinks, keywords, and other strategies. The goal is to generate organic traffic from search engines rather than having to pay for each click, as is the case with SEM.

Content Marketing

While SEO is a primary goal of most online material, content marketing as a whole has taken on an even greater marketing meaning in recent years. Consumers have become more informed over time. They desire information and knowledge rather than advertisements or promotions. 

Content marketing aims to provide quality information that resonates with potential customers. Good marketing content establishes your brand’s authority and knowledge. It also touches on pain points and explains why your company is the best solution to the problem.

Inbound Marketing

All marketing is customer-centric. However, inbound marketing takes that “customer first” mentality to all-new levels.

All marketing is customer-centric. However, inbound marketing takes that “customer first” mentality to all-new levels. Click To Tweet

Inbound methodology focuses on attracting, engaging with, and empowering customers. It is a high-quality approach to marketing that allows you to attract potential customers’ attention no matter where they currently are in the customer journey.

Social Media

Social media didn’t exist at the turn of the century. Now it’s one of the most dominant forms of marketing available. 

Social media platforms bring customers together in unique, community-oriented ways. This creates a plethora of ideal marketing scenarios. 

Companies can create online communities of like-minded individuals on Facebook. They can share time-sensitive news on Twitter. Instagram and Pinterest help brands showcase visual marketing material. B2B businesses are able to market on LinkedIn. 

Email Marketing

It’s one of the oldest forms of online marketing. Nevertheless, email continues to be a heavy hitter in the online marketing world. Cultivating a quality list of opt-in subscribers is a great way to promote discounts and share content with your customers.

Influencer Marketing

Another common use of social media comes in the form of influencer marketing. Influencers are typically social media personalities. This includes celebrities with millions of fans.

However, influencer marketing doesn’t always follow traditional advertising principles, as influencers with a few thousand followers (known as micro-influencers) can also be highly effective. Influencers partner with brands and help to promote their products to their audience. They are a great way to organically engage with your customers.

User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) consists of feedback, comments, and any other content that is generated by the users of a brand. The authenticity that comes with UGC makes it a powerful modern marketing tool.

Technology

Finally, there’s technology. The ever-evolving tech world is constantly creating new marketing tools. These are implemented nearly as quickly as they are developed. This cycle has made the use of technology a marketing trend in and of itself. 

From virtual and augmented reality to artificial intelligence in the form of chatbots, there are many ways that cutting-edge tech is being used in marketing. While utilizing technology in your marketing is a good first step, it’s important to note that everyone is doing it. 

To truly wield technology as a marketing trend, you can’t simply keep pace with new marketing tech. You must also proactively reinvent yourself and embrace new tech changes as they unfold.

There are always new trends forming and older ones on the way out. Nevertheless, this provides a basic snapshot of the hottest online marketing trends setting the tone in the early 2020s.

Marketing trends are part of what makes the business world go round. They reflect consumer sentiment. This enables marketers to pinpoint where potential customer interest currently lies. 

There are many hot marketing trends already in place heading into the 2020s. These include using social media, creating user-generated content, and generating traffic from search engines. 

The critical part, though, is to realize that the work doesn’t stop with understanding the current marketing trends. It goes further by focusing on creating a marketing infrastructure that is always on the lookout for the latest trends. 

So take the time to study customers, competitors, and your industry. This will enable you to jump on the latest trends and utilize them in your own strategy both now and far into the future.