Marketing is a profession where the future is constantly being looked at, analysed and predicted. Quite naturally, marketers always want to know the answer to questions like ‘What will the next big trend be?’, ‘What will our clients want next year?’ and ‘How can I ensure I succeed?’ In a world where competition amongst businesses is fiercer than ever, staying ahead of the game is essential to survival and growth. As the end of the year draws closer, we look ahead to 2016, and share three predictions for the future of market.

1) The need for good content will grow

Already so important to brands and their websites, the value of content will continue to grow in 2016. But it’s not just the written word that will dominate in the coming years. More visual content, such as photos and videos, will grow in their importance as brands come up with more creative and innovative ways to attract customers. In the age of the 24-hour news cycle and instant information, the speed at which brands are able to create and upload content to their websites will play a huge part in how successful they are.

It’s a trend that has been growing for some time, but 2016 is the year we’re likely to see user-generated content become more important than ever. Online review, blogs, social media posts and tweets; these are all forms of user-generated content that can influence a consumer’s view of a brand. If you’re going to create a positive impression of your company, co-creation of content between brands and consumers will be essential, which leads us smoothly onto our next point.

2) Stronger relationships through customer engagement and retention

Nowadays in order to construct a positive relationship between a brand and consumer, the latter are now seeking, and almost expecting, more engagement from businesses. They are searching for “genuine” companies, who offer real value rather than just speaking meaningless sentiments. Businesses who look after their customers will find that they return again and again, because they feel looked after and valued, rather than just another faceless number on a spreadsheet.

These genuine companies aren’t just focused on attracting brand new customers; they also focus on retaining those who have visited them in the past, often through a loyalty scheme. However these schemes are often rushed without thinking about how they will benefit the customer. In response to this, Love Energy Savings conducted two surveys to find out what loyalty scheme users really wanted, simply by asking them. They found that 58.51% of B2B loyalty scheme users preferred a Spending Programme, where rewards would be given based on the amount spent, whereas 52% of B2C customers preferred a Points Scheme, where rewards were given on points accumulated. Even this basic level of research shows that businesses need to tailor their retention plans to suit their individual customers if they are to succeed in 2016.

3) Less advertising, more creative marketing

It is estimated that the average internet user is exposed to hundreds of advertisements every single day just through browsing the internet. Recently Apple hit the headlines because of an app in their store that could be downloaded to block internet ads on mobile devices and as more people head down this path, advertising will become less and less effective. But, rather than despair at the decline of this particular avenue, brands instead should see it as an opportunity to become more creative.

By forcing brands out of advertising, marketers will be forced to think about how to publish engaging content that customers actually want to read. More time, effort and money will be put into creating actual stories that actually interest people, rather than interrupting a user’s internet journey with something they may not necessarily want.

These are just three predictions for what lies ahead in the New Year for the world of marketing, but it certainly provides some food for thought. Rather than sticking to old practices that may lose their effectiveness, brands should be embracing new trends to further their own development, and what they can offer their customers.

 

By Phil Foster, MD of Love Energy Savings. 

PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.

comments powered by Disqus