When it comes to the world of digital marketing ā one thing will always be true: Trends change and fads fade.Ā
So how can you tell if a marketing trend is something you CANāT ignore? Or if itās on its way out the door?
You know I love to keep it real, so you can stay relevant. In this blog, Iām going to share with you my 5 MARKETING PREDICTIONS for this year
Hey, Posse! Whatās up? Itās Alex.Ā
Coming at ya this week with my personal predictions to help you level up your digital marketing this year and beyond.Ā
But first, if youāre new to the crew ā welcome!
My blog is here to help you understand the world of digital marketing, copywriting, and freelancing so you can create a business you love, find the freedom you deserve, and live life on YOUR terms. And Iāve got hundreds of tutorials waiting for you to read next.
Alright now, letās get into itā¦Ā here are my 5 marketing predictions for this year.
Weāll start with #5 on my list and end with THE BIGGEST ONE of them all⦠can you guess what it is?
#5 ā Community-Building
First things first ā in order for any marketing strategy to stick⦠you need to be focused on building a loyal community that shares your values. You should NOT be focused on simply āgoing viralā, buying followers on Instagram, or doing any of that outdated nonsense to āhack your growthā.
Why?
Because while that type of growth might look shiny and impressive from the surfaceā¦Ā
It DOES NOT pay off in the LONG RUN.Ā
You might see a spike in followers or subscribers ā but what good is that if they arenāt aligned with your message or fall squarely in your ideal customer audience? In fact, Iāve seen first-hand how āgoing viralā isnāt all itās cracked up to be.Ā
I had a couple Instagram Reels go viral this past year and while my following skyrocketed, it became harder and harder to connect with my TRUE fans ā the ones that have been following me from the beginning ā thanks to algorithm changes that limit reach and engagement.
So I promise you, if you take the TIME (and yes, it does take time) to build a real community by rallying your audience around a shared set of beliefs and valuesā¦
Your marketing efforts will feel SO MUCH easier and effective.
Because when you have a community of loyal superfans, who are dedicated to your brand, they will buy from you again and again and again.
In fact, in my recent launch, 80% of the revenue came from EXISTING customers which means I didnāt have to pay a single cent to get those customers!
LISTEN TO THIS: It is WAY easier to turn a customer into a repeat customer than it is to turn a stranger into a first-time buyer. Especially now that itās getting more and more expensive to BUY peopleās attention online.
So why not focus on converting the people whose attention you already have? Even if youāre starting small. A small but engaged audience is FAR more powerful than a large and unaware audience.
So starting focusing on community building NOW.
Over the last few years, Iāve built my community from ZERO to over 300,000. And yes, while it did take time and hard work⦠all that work has paid off because no matter what algorithm changes come along, no matter how expensive paid media becomesā¦
As long I continue to nurture my community, my business will continue to grow as I launch new products and programs and increase my customer lifetime value.
And that brings me to prediction #4ā¦
#4 ā Omnichannel MarketingĀ
Like it or not, linear marketing is OVER. The old school direct response mentality of “buy, die or unsubscribe” is DEAD. And any marketer who continues to optimize for immediate sales will struggleā¦
Thatās because customers are savvier than ever and are no longer falling for a forced approach to marketing that pressures them to buy immediately or elseā¦Ā
What Iām seeing now is a MUCH longer sales cycle with 53.65% of my customers purchasing AFTER 60 DAYS. Theyāre taking more time to interact with my brand across multiple channels before committing to buying anything from me. In fact, the average customer interacts with my brand across 34 touchpoints before making their FIRST purchase.
Thatās why you need to be diversifying your marketing effortsā¦
I hate to say it, but Instagram is no longer the be-all, end-all (I know thatās hard for me to hear too!)Ā
With reach drastically affected by recent algorithm changes, having a āfollowerā on Instagram doesnāt mean much these days…Ā
And the sad truth is that the majority of your followers probably donāt even see your stuff.Ā Plus with scam accounts, spam comments and impersonators out there ā Instagram is quickly becoming a place of frustration for a lot of customers.
While I still love Instagram as a platform and will continue to post content there this year, Iām seriously considering and ramping up my omnichannel marketing efforts and you should be tooā¦
Iām talking Messenger, SMS, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and of course ā the GOLDMINE OF MARKETINGā¦
Your EMAIL LIST!!!Ā
You want to give your audience multiple ways to engage with youā¦Ā
Not only does that build more authority and trust⦠BUT it also gives your customer control over HOW they interact with your brand, rather than being forced down a funnel and pressured to buy on day 1.
And remember what we talked about in trend #5 ā customers take LONGER to make their first purchase.Ā It takes time (and repeated exposure) in order to build the like, know & trust factor, which is why omnichannel marketing is a must for any business this yearā¦
And here are some stats to show you just how powerful this marketing strategy can beā¦
- Marketers using three or more channels in any one campaign earned a 287% higher purchase rate than those using a single-channel campaign.Ā
- Customer retention rates are 90% higher for omnichannel vs. single channel.
- Omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel
Yeah. Those numbers are HUGE! So whatās the most powerful way to SHOW UP across these platformsā¦
Well, Iād like to introduce you what I callā¦
#3 ā 3-Tier Video Marketing
Yes, you know video marketing would make this list! In fact, this has been a trend on every single trends and predictions video Iāve done EVER. Video marketing has been on the rise for YEARS. So this is nothing new.
Video marketing IS marketing.
So if youāre not already utilizing video as part of your marketing strategy, then itās time to get with the program.Ā
BUT I want to make sure weāre clarifying what type of video you should be focusing onā¦
Iām sure youāve heard everyone say that āshort-form videoā is the future. And itās all you should be focusing on.Ā But HOLD UP. Because I actually donāt agree.Ā
And while yes, I do think short-form video is great and I love using it in my content marketing strategyā¦
I donāt believe that short-form video ALONE is enough to drive long-term sales and create a community of loyal repeat customers.Ā Thatās why I recommend following a 3-tiered approach to video marketingā¦Ā
Tier 1 ā Short Form Video ā GROW
Where short-form video really shines is when it comes to growth and getting a lot of new eyeballs on your content.Ā As Iāve mentioned, Iāve had a few short-form Reels go viral on Instagram. It had millions of views and gave me tens of thousands of new followers
Which is great, BUTā¦Ā
Followers does not mean customers.
And honestly ā the vast majority of those followers will probably never become a customer and might even unfollow me at some point because they were never truly aligned with my messageā¦
In fact, Iāve lost a shocking number of followers over the past month.
A lot of that is likely due to Instagram doing a big cleanup of bot accounts and fake followers, but Iām likely also losing a lot of āfairweather fansā who nonchalantly followed me after watching a viral videoā¦
And then unfollowed me when they realized I wasnāt their cuppa tea and that is AWESOME. Because I only want the RIGHT people in my audienceā¦
I want to find the RIGHT people, and then get them to stick aroundā¦
And thatās why long-form video is so important.Ā
Tier 2 ā Long Form Video ā NURTURE
Long-form video is invaluable because this is the type of video that actually nurtures people and helps you build a REAL community that sticks with you and becomes your customers.Ā Long-form video is where youāre able to actually deliver VALUE.
Because letās be honest ā thereās only so much value that can be delivered in a 30-second video.
But an 8-10 minute video is a lot more valuable to your audience. And if you take anything from this video then let it be thisā¦
Customers demand VALUE before they buy.Ā
Whether that value is coming through as education, entertainment, or inspiration doesnāt matter ā but customers want real value before they commit to going any further with you.Ā
YouTube is taking off for this exact reason and that is why it still reigns supreme on my list of hot predictions for this yearā¦.
People are craving more than 30-second dancing videos and memes during a midnight scroll seshā¦
And if you donāt believe me, just take a look at these stats!
- YouTube is the #2 website by traffic in the US! You, it is the second most visited website in America, only come second to Google.Ā
- Online video consumption has increased by 121% in the last 3 years.
- YouTubeās revenue increased by 21 times over the last 10 years! (from $1.3 billion to $28.84 billion).
- Youtube is projected to have 2.85 billion users by 2025.
So if youāre looking to start producing long-form videos, YouTube is clearly the place to be!Ā
Now, the last tierā¦Ā
Tier 3 ā Live Video ā CONNECT
This is where the magic happens! So if short-form video is how you growā¦
And long-form video is how you nurture that new audience and convert them into customersā¦
Then LIVE video is really how you connect with those customers and RETAIN them for the long run.Ā
LIVE video is so special to your audience because itās totally unscripted. It gives them a real sense of who you are ā and allows them to connect with you on a much deeper level.Ā
And connection fosters loyalty.Ā
Now, this doesnāt necessarily mean you have to go LIVE once a week and answer community questions or teach content LIVE (though that is great to do!)Ā You could simply post candidly on your stories throughout the day and achieve the same effect.Ā
Itās real, itās unscripted. It creates connection.
And coming back to YouTubeā¦
People and Blogs (aka vlog-style videos!) are the most popular YouTube video category, making up 32% of the videos posted on the site.Ā Again, this just demonstrates how much people are craving connection.Ā
Our customers want to engage with us on a deeper level.
Alright, next upā¦Ā
#2 ā A.I.
YES.Ā A.I. is here, and itās here to stay.Ā But that doesnāt mean we need to be afraid of it.
In fact, we should EMBRACE it.
- Use A.I. to help streamline your content creation…
- Make your video editing quickerā¦
- Add subtitles to your videosā¦
- Use it for help with SEOā¦Ā
- Utilize bots and A.I. chat funnels to help you capture more leads and give your customers more timely supportā¦
There are SO MANY ways we can utilize A.I. in our businesses.
But listen to me very closely ā A.I. is NOT a shortcut to building a brand people trust.Ā Adding A.I. into your marketing strategy is a great way to save yourself some time when it comes to ideation, strategizing, and systemizingā¦
But it absolutely cannot replace the insight, value, personality, and high-level insight that a human can bring to the table.Ā
So donāt fire your designers, copywriters, or proofreaders ā just help them work more efficiently and effectively ā and get the best of both worlds.Ā
Alright, finally my prediction for the #1 marketing trend weāll see this year and beyondā¦
#1 ā Lead with VALUE and VALUESĀ
This can relate back to so many of the things weāve talked about alreadyā¦
Customers are FED UP with being treated transactionally.Ā
They donāt want to feel like they’re just a āleadā in your business. They want to be A PART of your brand.Ā They want to feel valued, seen, heard, and respected.Ā They donāt want you to shove a product or sale down their throat every single day.Ā
The market is savvy and they no longer tolerate hypey claims, clickbait, or āfree contentā with no real value.Ā And this is exactly why āthe influencerā as weāve known it is dead.Ā
The market is BORED of vanilla content and perfect pictures that are all aesthetic and have no substance behind them.Ā The same poses. The same palette. The same aesthetic feeds. The same “felt cute, might delete later”-esque captions.
Iām over it and I know Iām not the only one.
In fact, if you scroll through your social feed today, I guarantee you it looks a LOT different than it used to. For one, there are a LOT more videos, a LOT more memes, and a LOT more storiesā¦
And thatās because people today crave something MORE than just pretty pictures and glossy highlight reels.
They want more:
- Captivating and inspiring storiesā¦
- Funny and relatable anecdotesā¦
- Vulnerable sharesā¦
- Practical adviceā¦
- And values-based views.
People want a connection with the brands they interact with.
We want to rally behind those who share the same values as us and fight for what we believe inā¦
So today, the most iconic brand leaders are not āinfluencersā, they are āmessengersā.
So if you havenāt alreadyā¦Ā
Let this be the year you lead with VALUES in your business.Ā Donāt be afraid to STAND for something and call it out.Ā
Create content that helps real people solve real problemsā¦
Then WATCH as your business growth takes offā¦
Because your marketing āstrategyā is simply you showing up as YOU, engaging with your customers, and offering them real value.Ā
And there you have it ā my predictions for the future of digital marketingā¦Are you already doing these things in your business or do have some new things to try?Ā
Comment below and let me know!
Until next time, Iām Alex. Ciao for now!Ā