Introduction
Marketing has evolved from billboards and television ads to more modern platforms on the internet. Companies have hard-learned their lessons in marketing through trial and error. The modern world is home to newer companies that specialise in marketing campaigns that are result-oriented and profit-driven. Marketing has become heavily dependent on strategy for the availability of performance indicators that are measured with the utmost precision in real-time. Indeed, marketing and strategy have become so intertwined that strategic marketing has become the major focus of research and development of marketing campaigns. Unlike the previous generations, modern businesses are heavily experimenting with their products and services through methodologies like a lean startup. In such a business world, strategic marketing has all the room it needs to grow and nourish the growth of businesses together. In this article, we will discuss the current and future trends in marketing.
12 Strategic Marketing Trends
The future of marketing is more of a digital one.
Digital marketing has become the frontier of marketing since the popularity of the internet and social media. No list of marketing platforms is complete without a marketing strategy for the digital world, especially social media platforms. The multitude of social media platforms is increasing in the start-up age and is driving traffic to the benefits of marketing through advertisements, endorsements, and information. The widespread use of smartphones and mobile internet has also resulted in a generational shift toward the virtual world. Digital marketing is and will be a major marketing medium for advertising firms and businesses. Even in digital marketing, several of the old-school marketing tactics have become irrelevant. Due to the diminished attention span, advertisements on the internet are largely given a blind eye unless they are created with intent and strategy. Even now, psychology and behavioural patterns are being used to drive conversions through social media. Here are some of the trends that might hold strong with time.
Podcasts have huge marketing potential
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Podcasts are popularised by many startups, like Google, Amazon's Audible, and Anchor. Unhealthy screen time might have driven the exodus of content demand from static photos and visual content. However, internet users who are more receptive to auditory content or who prefer to use their eyes for other purposes, such as driving and meditating, are drawn to the new form of content known as podcasts. Unlike videos, they are light on data and rich in content, which can be a boon for users from areas where the data costs are considerably higher. As said earlier, because podcasts give a break to the eyes, they are becoming popular among the internet user base for their ease and accessibility. They are even a better alternative to long-form content if the user is an auditory learner. Though not for all, podcasts, especially high-quality podcasts made by brands, are expected to become a major contributor to internet traffic. As a result, audio content has become a hit for many marketers. 80% of marketers who used podcasts in 2021 were planning to invest same or more amount in audio content in the coming years (Source: Hubspot). Brands can start early and succeed in conversions with educational and entertaining content to maximise their reach and market their brands. Strategic marketing through auditory content will be a major trend soon.
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Video content will stay relevant in the marketing world
A study has found that 80% of customers prefer watching video content over reading while purchasing a product or service (Source: Finance Online). Visual content, especially short-form videos, is the talk of the town in the marketing industry. Since the launch and major success of TikTok, many startups have followed suit and created their own short video platforms. This list includes content platform giants like Google-owned YouTube's short video launch in 2020 and Meta, which launched Instagram's Reels feature that is considered a rival to TikTok. The success of these short video platforms can be traced to the diminishing attention spans of internet users due to content overload on the internet and the busy lives they lead. Short videos can bring followers and prospective customers right to the laps of business if marketers approach it with purpose, strategy, and perseverance.
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Original long-form content will be the best marketing solution for small businesses
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It is a popular notion that short video content is due to the decreasing attention spans of internet users. It is also true that authentic long-form content like long blogs and in-depth articles is high in demand but short in supply. The major reason for this is the commercialization of the internet. Due to the hurdles in researching and the lack of quality time needed in creating authentic content that resonates with the consumer, many businesses and individuals have resorted to low-quality content like click bait, virals, and plagiarised content. The size of the internet has made copy-pasting easy yet hardly detectable. Even then, users who need in-depth content that educates them find it hard to search for a brand that provides them with that. As most large businesses are settling for quantity over quality, small businesses can leverage this. They can create authentic long-form content and attract heavily invested customers on the internet. As long-form content takes time to read, comprehend, and understand, only the most serious visitors reach and linger on the content. This can dramatically increase conversions.
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Strategic Marketing through SEO can yield high ROI
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SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, has been a buzzword since the inception of the public use of the internet. It has gone through many advances and evolutions on the part of major search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo. If done right, SEO-optimised content and websites can attract search engine traffic like bees. As most internet users use search engines to find the content of their liking, appeasing the algorithms can bring a great many benefits. If done right, SEO-optimised content can outperform even paid ads. Such content marketing will always be relevant in the marketing world for a long time. Strategically understanding user needs, researching keywords, and writing for humans while also giving heed to the algorithm requirements will boost marketing ROI.
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Marketing companies will have the mastery in strategic marketing
If the startup age taught one thing to aspiring entrepreneurs, then it is that they can never do everything themselves. Business owners may have the best knowledge, skills, and insights into their industry, but some things can only be done right with others. Certainly, marketing is one of the major contributors to businesses. Many, if not most, business owners do not understand marketing as well as they should. This is where marketing companies have come into play. There are numerous marketing and market research firms in the business world that help companies with product design, product launch dates, and post-sales. The digital era has only contributed to the increase of several such companies in the industry. Marketing companies are at the forefront of understanding market trends and customer psychology. In the coming years, strategic marketing is expected to be centralised within these companies. Outsourcing result-oriented marketing to these firms will be popular with businesses without in-house marketing teams.
Using chatbots will be an effective marketing strategy
Conversational marketing is a buzzword that seems promising in the marketing sector. According to a Drift report, 42% of the customers use AI chatbots for purchases. Widely, it is known that modern customers are loath to be counted among numbers but prefer to be dealt with personal identity, recognition, and dignity. Sales and aftersales teams struggle hard to make ends meet when there is a high influx of customer enquiries or pleas for support. Providing quality personal support to every enquiry, no matter how hard customer service tries, is sometimes difficult. As the marketing funnel is never complete without interaction between the brand and the prospective customers, conversions are hard for brands that do not invest in support. Brands, especially startups that have no customer support system, find it even harder to cope with the mounting demand and subsequent stress. However, the modern advances in Artificial Intelligence have a promising solution, and that is AI chatbots. These computer programs are helping firms to avoid the common questions that customers constantly bombard businesses with surprising intelligence levels. They are ever advancing in technology and popularity. In time, AI chatbots might become a necessary integration for all businesses and marketing firms.
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Voice search and searching in native languages will provide new marketing opportunities
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As more and more people become familiar with smartphones, search engines are evolving in several dimensions. The world and its vast number of languages attest to the complexity of search engines. Even though English is the major language on the internet and in search engines, regional languages are not far behind. The love of the mother tongue and the lack of English familiarity will diversify search engines and marketing. The ease of voice search and the complexity of typing for new mobile internet users have the capability of transforming this searching tool on the internet. Marketing in the native languages or adjusting to the voice search user base can create new branches in the marketing sector.
Marketing against misinformation will give authority
The internet has become huge! With that, internet misinformation is on the rise amd has become a serious concern (Source: Reuters). With the educational, informational, and entertainment spectra of the internet, comes fake news, misinformation, and illegal activities. For example, during the peak of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, many major brands like Nike were spreading misinformation about public safety protocols (Source: The Bereau Investigates). Such advertising campaigns can severely disrupt customer loyalty in the long run. Fact-based marketing that fights against internet misinformation threats might become a trend in the future of marketing.
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Value-based marketing
Customers love and cling to certain brands because of some shared values that are stronger bonds than just demand and supply chains (Source: Weforum). Brands that look out for the good of humanity, culture, and the planet will have more of a loyal consumer base than brands that live on trends and fads. The looming threat of climate change and extinction; the threat of racism and religious persecution; the challenge of poverty and illiteracy; and the aftermath of natural and manmade disasters are some of the examples where brands with a loyal fanbase are working tirelessly. Standing up to such threats not only benefits with initiative but also brings societal harmony and thus a caring consumer base.
Hyper personalization will become mainstream
According to Hubspot, 74% of online customers are frustrated by irrelevant content that does not resonate with their interests. Artificial intelligence-backed recommendation systems are slowly becoming mainstream both in social media and in the marketing sector. Algorithmic programs that learn internet users' personal details to decide which ads will be more relevant to show are becoming the norm. Advertising one-on-one will become the future of digital marketing. Even now, personalized CTA buttons have received 43% more ckick through rates than generic CTAs (Source: Hubspot).
Metaverse have the potential to become a better marketing platform
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Virtual Reality can not be left out of the marketing strategy because it is being explored by brands like Meta. Because of the technology's immersive nature, interactive audiovisual marketing content can deeply imprint its benefits and provide a hands-on experience as close to reality as possible. The footie of marketing is getting ready for the Metaverse.
Brand building on a variety of mediums and platforms
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Due to the number of platforms available on the internet, echoing the brand's voice effectively across the platforms requires thought and planning. As different platforms serve different audiences with different content types, creating content for several platforms becomes tiresome. However, with proper planning, identifying the customer base and their social media routines can help in choosing which platforms to invest in. For example, SaaS companies gain little from photo-sharing sites like Instagram. Instead, LinkedIn and Quora will be better social media platforms because most business owners are active on these professional sites. Moreover, due to their professionalism, marketing on these platforms gives a better ROI. Even then, being active only on a couple of social platforms can deprive businesses of potential customers from other platforms. As a result, choosing multiple platforms across different content types and actively marketing on all of them can give a huge exposure to businesses.
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Conclusion
The trends in strategic marketing are mostly diverted towards the virtual world rather than to traditional marketing methods like TV ads, sports sponsorships, or billboards. The reason is the huge reach and prospects of the internet, social media, and related technology. In the future of marketing, strategy plays a major role in the success of a company. Even with the nature of the internet, big brands can leverage the platforms with spending prowess and a large margin for error. However, smaller businesses must be cautious yet experiment to venture further in the search for profits. If used with a foresighted marketing strategy, SEO, long-form content, podcasts, and short video content can easily assist them. Marketing companies or staff marketing teams will lead the future of marketing as it is happening. Technological advances like AI chatbots and virtual reality can transform marketing. If all goes well, digital marketing will rule the marketing sector for many years to come.
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