A Look Back to See the Future

The New Year will be here before you know it, and 2015 promises to bring exciting trends.

Before you make the leap into 2015, it is important to look back and see which parts of your company flourished and which areas could use improvement. Which tactics did you use and were they successful? You need to know if you were able to exceed your company’s forecasted financial goals and how the marketing tactics you used attributed to that success.

Marketing professionals are already making their own estimations about what kinds of trends to expect in the very near future. Here is a list of a few trends you may want to keep in mind as you develop your 2015 marketing strategy:

• Visual Storytelling. Short videos have gotten very popular, especially with the younger demographics. They are short and engaging and, when done correctly, instill a strong message. Get your staff and customers involved by shooting a quick video of how your business operates  and post it to your social media accounts. It’s a great way to personalize your business and provide different scenarios where customers may not commonly think to refer you.
• Mobile Applications. Almost three billion people in the world have smart phones now, which allow them to search the web when they hear an ad on the radio or when they are sent a text from a retailer. Leverage Apps with your customers and business partners by encouraging them to download the app and showing them how to use it to refer you and other businesses they love.
• Use of Humor. Relating to customers through humor is proving to be successful for companies, no matter their marketing budget. People enjoy a good joke, and the best ones always get repeated to potential consumers. Think of a humorous, catchy slogan to encourage others to refer your business. I bet you can come up with several good ones if you get the whole office involved.
• Retention and Loyalty. This concept is simple – keep the customers you have and grow their loyalty to encourage word-of-mouth referrals. Beyond providing the great service you do to ensure satisfied customers, personalising advertisements to consumers and providing loyalty rewards can help encourage their word-of-mouth advertising.
• Paid marketing. What used to be free is no more, and companies willing to pay for prime marketing spots will stick out in the minds of their consumers. While you may determine a few of these opportunities, don’t underestimate the power of great customer service and word-of-mouth referrals on your business.
• Agility marketing. Everything will be uploaded faster than before, and people will be monitoring the social media world closer than before. Get the word out on social media often but vary the message. Get customers who use your app for your business to tell their story. Don’t let the message get buried. Be unique!