3 Hot Marketing Trends You Need to Try Now
Keep innovating with your marketing strategies.
By Jonathan Long •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Marketing is constantly evolving, and while things like email marketing and content marketing will continue to be viable strategies, there are some other, growing trends worth exploring right now.
You will never know if something is going to work for your business unless you test, optimize and adjust. If you are looking to make adjustments to your current marketing strategy, consider looking into these three red-hot strategies that are currently on the rise.
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1. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is exploding, and there is no sign of it slowing down any time soon. My influencer agency receives inquiries from brands located all over the world on a daily basis, eager to learn how they can benefit from the hottest marketing trend.
Of more than 200 marketing professionals surveyed by Chute, 66 percent used social influencers as part of their marketing strategies in 2016. That number is going to continue to climb as more brands launch campaigns to determine whether or not influencer marketing is a right fit for them.
It's only going to get bigger, and with mega-influencer costs going through the roof, you need to seriously consider launching a micro-influencer campaign. They often have hyper-engaged followers and with the increase of ad-blocking software use, you need to find creative ways to get your message heard and your brand seen.
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2. Video blogs
A video blog (vlog), and more specifically a daily vlog, allows you to build a large following of loyal brand supporters. Consumers love video content, and YouTube's 1.5 billion logged-in monthly users watch more than one hour per day on mobile devices. The audience potential is obvious there, especially on mobile devices.
Videos also make you appear more human, allowing consumers to associate a friendly face with a brand's name. This helps build immediate trust, and the more you put your vlog and out yourself out there, the more trust you will create.
Vlogging allows you to pump out content that isn't staged or reeking of an advertisement. It gives you the opportunity to let your potential customers get to know you, your team and everything about your business. Create an interesting daily vlog that attracts a large number of subscribers, and business exposure and growth will follow.
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3. Podcasts
Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular, and they offer a great opportunity for you to connect with your target customer while they are commuting to work or exercising.
"From an entrepreneur's standpoint, podcasts are appealing because they're a form of content that can be consumed while doing something else, allowing you to multi-task and learn. Listening to a podcast while you do morning cardio allows you to indulge in self-education," says Jim Parrish, founder of Parrish Law Firm.
You don't want to create a glorified sales pitch or a long-winded commercial, though. They are most effective when you tell a story and let the listener into your world. Consumers want to engage with content that is compelling, and deemed to be interesting. A great example is The GaryVee Audi Experience, which is a collection of Gary Vaynerchuk's keynote speeches, interviews, #AskGaryVee and DAILYVEE show highlights, as well as current thoughts, all made available on every podcasting platform imaginable.
Vaynerchuk isn't directly pitching the listener on his agency's services, nor is he pushing his listeners to a call-to-action to buy his books. He just provides value across all of his podcasting channels, listeners automatically Google his name, his books and his companies. Ultimately, he's rewarded monetarily for that value without having to directly ask for it.
