Part 5 – Leaving Your Marketing on Autopilot
The marketing landscape is fast-paced and always changing. From emerging trends to shifts in technology and new platform evaluation and adoption, it’s important to keep a watchful eye on what’s changing and evaluate how shifts and evolutions should impact your outreach efforts. By being open to embrace change and keeping a pulse on how and where your target audience engages with information, you can stay competitive, maintain visibility, identify new opportunities for growth and innovation, and increase your chances for success. The way you did things yesterday, may not be as relevant tomorrow, so the “that’s how we’ve always done it” mentality can be particularly perilous. But the rapid rate of change means it’s also a LOT to consider.
Top 3 Marketing Trends Worth Following
From algorithm updates and new features (or whole platforms) on social media to technological evolution that can create efficiencies in how you manage your marketing outreach, there is constant change in the space. While it’s important to keep a pulse and stay current, our team does caution against jumping on the newest fad “just because it is out there.” As always, we advocate for strategic evaluation to make sure it will add value for you and/or your customers. To help you sift through the clutter, we’ve rounded up three trends worth keeping a close eye on.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Generative AI is a form of technology that can produce various types of content, imagery, audio, and more in mere seconds based on prompts or topics selected by the user. AI software like ChatGPT has taken the marketing industry by storm and is being tested to write emails, blogs, social media posts, and other content as well facilitate custom conversations. Researchers predict that generative AI could impact at least 10% of daily tasks for approximately 80% of the U.S. workforce, according to Forbes. There is sure to be a lot to learn as businesses continue to experiment with AI and determine how it can be leveraged by their team to boost productivity and efficiency and support their marketing efforts.
A Word for Watchers: AI tools will enable efficiencies and support tasks but will not be able to replace high-level strategic planning and execution. It is important to remember that what you put into the AI tools impacts what you get out and nothing can replace the brand gatekeeper who ensures the messages, content, visuals, and other resources produced are creative, authentic, and on point.
Marketing Automation
While marketing automation is not new, how it’s being applied and the depth of capabilities have dramatically shifted. Consumers crave personalization and individualized messaging. Marketing automation offers the tools to deliver on those preferences and (when used effectively) can generate big returns in efficiency and engagement. Using marketing automation software, you can track consumers’ online actions and use this information to deliver personalized content at the right time via the right channels. Whether through email marketing or digital ad campaigns, marketing automation allows brands to better engage prospective and current customers and create efficiencies in their workflows.
A Word for Watchers: There are a wide range of tools available to execute automation. From standalone resources to those designed to integrate with other platforms, the various options differ in capabilities and costs. If you are seeking industry insights on how automation could benefit your business and want guidance getting the right tools and technology for success, our digital marketing team is here to serve as a resource and offer support. Start a conversation!
Storytelling Through Short-Form Video
If you haven’t watched a short-form video today, there is a good chance you may not have been online yet. Videos under 60-seconds are leading engagement across the social and online spaces. Whether you get your information from your favorite online news site, regularly check out TikTok, or prefer Facebook, it’s hard to scroll far without bumping into this powerful storytelling vehicle. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 96% of consumers prefer to watch short-form videos to learn about a product or service. Plus, videos under 60-seconds have the highest ROI and are the best format for lead generation and engagement.
A Word for Watchers: Mobile technology has advanced rapidly over the past few years, making it easier than ever before to capture video footage from any location on your smartphone. While expectations for video production quality have changed and there is flexibility in how you create content, getting the right video takes finesse (i.e., ensuring the right lighting, eliminating background noise, etc.). Additionally, determining how to distill the information down so it grabs viewer attention in the first three seconds and optimizing the content for each channel are just a few factors that are key to consider before you post your next production.
Turn Off Autopilot with Support from Our Marketing Team
“When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Marketing is an ever-evolving landscape, and the pace of change continues to accelerate. Leaving your efforts on autopilot and falling behind can be deadly, but making the right adoption choices can feel daunting.
As a fully-integrated marketing agency in Central Pennsylvania, we are here to help you evaluate what changes are the right fit for your business and provide the support to strategically evaluate and effectively integrate the right technology mix to create positive brand and bottom line gains. Connect with our team to learn how we can serve as an extension of your team to take your efforts to the next level.
To read previous blogs in this series, click here. Then, be sure to stay tuned for part six of The 7 Sins of Marketing blog series, which will dig deeper into the latest marketing technology.