Facebook, Twitter, Blog posts, emails, videos, YouTube, and Snapchat. The world of marketing is endless and the most effective trends are ever changing. They go by so fast, that as soon as someone learns how to maximize the potential of one marketing trend, the populous has moved on to another.
The endless goose-chase of keeping up with marketing trends has drained an exorbitant amount of time and energy from business owners. How do you keep up while staying focused on what’s important for your business? Here are 4 tips on keeping up with market trends.
Be on Social Media…Everyday
If you aren’t on social media, then you are giving your competitors an edge over you. Why? Because social media is the best way to get important news and updates right away. The less you are on social media, the less you are connected to the rest of the world, and the less information on new market trends and businesses you have access to.
Social media doesn’t have to be a major chore, even spending 5 minutes quickly scrolling through your media and checking in on your followers can give your business major boost and you will get access to new information and marketing trends as soon as they happen.
Subscribe to Your Competitors
The best way to know how potential clients behave is by watching what others do. Your competitors are not enemies, but learning opportunities. It is worth the time to see what they are doing to attract clients, what methods are working for them, and what is not. If they make a change, take note. Observe carefully, if it works for them, it will likely work for you!
Ask Your Customers
Your clients are the best source of information, and they want to see you succeed. Don’t be afraid to ask them what lured them into your business, what lures them towards competitors, and what marketing techniques did not work.
You need to constantly be asking these questions and expecting them to change over time. A mailing list does not work as well as it did a few years ago, Facebook algorithms are different today when they were even last month. Constant check-ins are crucial for determining what works and what doesn’t.
Read Trade Journals, Forums, and Podcasts
When you’re looking at your social media, your colleagues are likely to share articles, journals, forums, questions, groups, and other online social media dedicated specifically to your niche. Take full advantage of them! Scout out the top influencers in your field and hear what they have to say.
One of the biggest marketing trends currently is offering free education. In the age of the internet, information is more valuable and accessible than ever, so take advantage of that education and see what your competitors and influences have to offer!