There is no doubt that traditional advertising is slowly fading out and that social media marketing is stronger than ever.
I still feel that direct marketing has its place in any marketing plan but social media marketing is like the visible tip of the iceberg and one of the marketing trends that any entrepreneur should hone!
As time goes, the tip of the iceberg is showing more and more of its surface with Video Marketing taking a unprecedented place on the online landscape.
Of all these online marketing strategies, here my top 4 marketing trends to watch out for:
Word of Mouth Marketing
WoM marketing is an unpaid form of advertising and the ultimate sales tool. It is accessible to all businesses and online entrepreneurs and is more likely to get you new customers or clients than traditional advertising methods. Best of all, Word of mouth marketing is free since it consists of referrals and testimonials of current customers or clients.
If you are just starting out, why not provide your services for free or offer some of your products for free. If you are not sure how to get referrals, check out this quick video below by Jeffrey Gitomer.
Content Marketing
Blogging and content creation should be the core of your activities by now. Small businesses owners and entrepreneurs need to create more content on their blogs, write new ebooks, publish white papers, create infographics and shoot content-rich videos.
Social media platforms are merely distribution platforms and shouldn’t be the base of your original content, whereas your blog is! We already can see this trend being confirmed since Facebook page updates are reaching less and less people unless you pay for advertising (ie. sponsored posts).
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Video Marketing
“…90% of internet traffic is expected to be video”. This is HUGE!
Video marketing is much more than YouTube, it is a way of engaging with your readers/viewers in a very interactive way. You can upload (or embed) your videos on your blog, include them in a course that you sell and of course you should share your videos on all social media platforms to promote the great content you have on your blog.
You´ve probably noticed it yourself, you may be more inclined to watch a short video than reading a blog post. Nowadays, we want things to be simple, fast and that catches our attention from the first few seconds, otherwise, we just go somewhere else. So we need to learn to grab our readers’ attention fast, very fast!
Community Building Marketing
If you are a brand new entrepreneur, my advice would be to join as many groups and forums (relevant to your own audience) and see how people interact, how they share information, recommend products or services and then learn from the more experienced members.
If you are a more experienced entrepreneur, then you should start your own online tribe/community. The level of interaction will be greater if you are able to dedicate enough time every day to your community. And as always, you get what you give!
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Please note that none of these marketing trends are new but these are the 4 trends that I’ll be watching and focusing on this year.
Can you see something else coming up? Please share in the comment box below any other marketing trends that you think will be prominent in the coming months and share this article to your friends around the world!
Sabine, should the Video content be more entertaining and fun, or focused more on the unique sales message, specifically as it applies to my product and demographic ? (target audience is North Americans looking to retire or have second Ocean View Home in Costa Rica)
Hi, ideally you should have a mix of videos, some informative videos (not necessarily focusing on the product you are selling), it could be videos on living or retiring in Costa Rica for example and some more targeted video in which you can pass on a more specific sales message…
Best of luck with your project!
Sabine
This is a great heads up for everyone who markets their goods and services – video marketing needs to be on your must-do list. My only caution, as a consumer, is: don’t make the videos over 2 minutes. If I see a long time stamp on a video I will usually pass.
Sabine, it would be interesting to me to see the demographic breakdown, by age in particular, for those who favor each of your four marketing methods.
I don’t disagree with the choice of the four, but in my opinion, content comes first,community second, video third and word of mouth last.
Could this be reflective of my ‘boomer’ age group….or some other demographic trait?
Thanks Rachel for your comment. I have to say that the 4 trends I highlighted were not in any specific order and I partially agree with you. I would only add that so many people (whatever their demographic) under-estimate the power of referrals but in this internet age, referrals from friends and online contacts are playing a huge part at the moment of making a buying decision…
I am happy to see video as the 90% traffic funnel. I love video because I can just be me, without hiding behind fancy words and pretenses.
Thanks Suzanne! I had a look at your videos and you rock! I really like your natural style!
I’ve dedicded that in 2013 I’m going to focus a little less on Facebook and a little more on LinkedIn and G+. All while continuing with my current content and video plans. You’ve definitely provided some good food for thought.
I agree with you Katy! I didn’t touch on social media platforms but I agree with you LinkedIn and Google+ have not been explored as much as they should.