Marketing can be a lot like trying to hit a golf ball with a golf club while the ball is bouncing around. At first sight it seems like an incredibly difficult task to correctly complete, but if you look hard and long at the trajectory of that ball you will likely be able to predict what comes next. With marketing, technology and consumer desires are the impetus for change. By paying attention to those two factors one can foreshadow the next trends in an ever-changing world, landing us on the leading edge of the bell-curve.
Content marketing is making a strong impression on the digital world and will likely do so for years to come. With traditional marketing growing less and less effective as the millennial base continues to develop, strategically creating and distributing valuable and relevant content can attract and retain valuable customers. This content doesn’t directly market the product you are selling in a traditional way. Instead, it offers value to the consumer, a value they are likely to associate with your product that was conveniently in the piece. In IBMs “Coping with Humans” video (“‘Coping with Humans’ A Support Group for Bot IBM”, 2016) Star Wars star Carrie Fischer leads a support group for disenfranchised robots. As the video goes on it becomes more and more evident that Watson – IBM’s new supercomputer – is a superior technology and more capable in every way. However, during the humorous video, the consumer never feels as though they are being marketed to.
Every facet of your current marketing stack can integrate content marketing. Social media, SEM, public relations, etc… they all lend themselves as a valuable asset by which to facilitate your content marketing plan. This is a technique of the present, and of the future, which will allow you to increase engagement on your existing marketing channels. Younger generations are adept at spotting and ignoring traditional advertising. It is content they want. According to PQ Media’s annual “Global Marketing Forecast 2017” (Global Marketing Forecast 2017, 2017), content marketing revenues are projected to grow at a 14.4% compound annual growth until 2021, when digital content marketing will replace hybrid print and digital content as the world’s largest advertising platform.
Similar to how content marketing drives content based on value, purpose-driven marketing provides a holistic value by aligning a company’s values and beliefs to their audience. Traditional marketing sells products and services – an increasingly defunct practice as consumers grow more and more media literate in the developing digital age. Purpose driven marketing promotes experiences and personal values, both vital to capturing a millennial base. Millennials are known to value experiences over belongings, and they are willing to spend more for a better experience. They are also likely to make emotional attachments to causes they believe in. Align yourself with their values and offer them a wonderful experience and you will significantly increase the likelihood that they will embrace your brand and purchase your product. David Fishcer, the Vice President of Business and Marketing Partnerships at Facebook, said about the recently developed trend, “One very positive trend I see is a growing recognition that doing good in the world is good for companies.”. Fischer’s quote recognizes the growing value in companies publicly supporting causes and communities. “It doesn’t necessarily mean monetary investment. Aligning yourself with a set principles and values through support and volunteerism is highly influential”.
Social media marketing has been on a steadily increasing trajectory since its inception. With a plentiful selection of platforms to choose from and new channel developments happening on a fairly regular basis, social media is currently the giant that connects the world. The number of social network users has also been on a constant rise, offering an ever-growing consumer pool:
Of all social media channels, Facebook has seen the most meteoric rise, and as a result it has earned more advertisement revenue than any other platform. Facebook is the largest social media site in the world and still more than 70% of users login daily. 75% of users on the platform is between the ages of 18 and 34, a valuable audience to capture. And while costs are increasing, Facebook advertising still remains cheap and offers huge impression share and high click through rates for marketers. How is that possible? Facebook offers the most developed targeting options of any social media platform, utilizing user data (both on the application and off of it) to help you put your product in front of people who care to see it. Facebook has spawned Instagram, which is more popular among younger generations. With the companies living under the same roof, Facebook targeting can also reach Instagram streams as well, providing ample opportunity for your audience to view, and view again, creating more unique impressions and facilitating a wider reach. Expect these companies to continue along the cutting edge of development. I expect Facebook to open its advertising engine to WhatsApp, a messaging application recently added to the Facebook family, and to continue to build their own marketplace and e-commerce solution for small businesses. These developments will add to the data pool and improve upon already useful targeting options. As a result, costs will increase – but so will the efficacy of the channel.
So if you find yourself with a need to market in the coming years, produce great content and get it on your Facebook business account. Align yourself with purpose and make connections to your community beyond selling products. Be a better brand and tell a better story. You are likely to find your results are better, too.
‘Coping with Humans’ A Support Group for Bots IBM. (2016, February 27). Retrieved June 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuHqhR9VpNc
“Global Marketing Forecast 2017”. Retrieved June 11, 2018 from, https://www.pqmedia.com/gcmf-2017.html,