How To Stay On Top of Current Marketing Trends

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just pick one winning marketing strategy and stick with it? Unfortunately, things just don’t work that way. The market is constantly changing, and if you don’t stay on top of current trends, you risk being overtaken by your competitors.

Your time is valuable, so you need to understand current marketing trends without researching all day. How can you effectively track what’s going on in your industry? This article covers a few of the strategies you can use for maximum efficiency. 

Build Networking Relationships

Networking is one of the best ways to stay on top of the latest marketing trends in your industry. It has many other benefits, too. The more you network, the more your name becomes recognizable in your market. Once you build a thriving professional network, you’ll have allies to consult and insiders to help promote you.

It’s helpful to place yourself in spaces that are designed to make networking happen. Attending talks, fairs, and seminars can be a great way to meet others in your industry and build relationships. If you’re too busy to go to these events in person, you can often find online alternatives. Look for online events that involve Q&A and participant interaction. Setting concrete goals is also the key to successful networking. As you approach each event or interaction, think about where you’d like to be at the end of it.

Social media is also your friend when it comes to networking. Follow the social media accounts of leaders in your industry–and your top competitors. Find out which influencers are leading the pack in your area, and follow them too. For example, if your brand is marketing home workout equipment, you’ll want to follow top fitness influencers who offer home workouts. Make sure to connect with former classmates and coworkers on social media networks, too. These connections can spark organic discussions about current networking trends.

Set Up Trend Alerts To Automate Your Research

Google alerts are every business owner’s secret weapon. This powerful tool handles content change detection and automatically notifies you of updates. You can set up various search terms, such as your name, your company name, and keywords related to your industry. Then, you’ll get an email anytime Google finds new results that match this search term.

How can trend alerts help you up your game? For one thing, you’ll be instantly notified if your brand or industry starts getting negative attention. You’ll also be aware if competitors in your field start a marketing campaign that you need to respond to. You may want to mirror their tactics, or you may have some damage control to do.

Another advantage of Google alerts is that users tend to ask Google questions directly. Trend alerts can help you stay on top of what potential customers are asking for. If you’re marketing home inspections in Atlanta, for instance, you can see how Google users are searching for services like yours. Are they searching for “best home inspections in Atlanta, GA,” or are they asking for “low-price home inspections Atlanta”? Understanding how customers are searching for companies like yours is vital. This can help you build links that are relevant and boost your website’s Google rankings. It can also give you some insight into your customers’ priorities.

Use Survey Data Strategically

One of the best ways to understand what’s going on in your industry is by studying data from surveys. What can a survey tell you about marketing trends? For one thing, it can help you understand what your competitors are up to. For instance, if your company sells in-home dog grooming services, you need to know if your competitors suddenly begin offering training services, too. Wondering whether your customers would leave you for a competitor who offered this new add-on? You can use surveys to ask them directly!

Survey data can also keep you updated on customers’ thoughts and feelings, which fluctuate over time. For example, during the height of the pandemic, customers felt very positive toward self-improvement opportunities in marketing campaigns. They were eager to learn new skills and languages, find new hobbies, and make the most of their time in lockdown. Now, the market is less eager for self-help and self-improvement messaging. Tracking this trend in real time helped smart business owners to adjust their marketing tone and angle effectively.

Read, Read, Read!

To truly understand changing marketing trends, you’ll need to read the right publications. To get the most from your time spent reading, it’s helpful to target the most relevant sources of information. Industry reports, newsletters, and magazines are valuable places to start. Getting a public library card is worthwhile. You can access countless industry reports for free using your library credentials. 

Train yourself to read smarter, not harder. Skim article summaries, headings, and subheadings before committing to reading the whole article. Look for charts and graphs within your chosen industry report. These can help you visualize and process large chunks of information.

Brainstorm With Your Team

Your employees are a valuable source of knowledge about current marketing trends. Taking time to find out what they know has many benefits. For one thing, discussions about marketing trends can help your team feel more valued and connected. They can help you get to know your employees better, and they demonstrate that you genuinely value your team’s expertise and opinions.

How can you tap into this valuable resource? Hosting an ongoing virtual discussion is one option. Asking each employee to contribute weekly or monthly to a designated message board can provide a fun challenge. You can also arrange special meetings, breaks, or lunches with your employees. These not only break up the workday but they give everyone a chance to share their knowledge.

The pros at Personalized Creative have a wealth of experience and insight to share with you. We’re highly skilled at identifying and tracking current marketing trends and helping your business respond quickly. Contact us today to get started!