So, just what are the latest marketing trends that are going to help build your business? Well, at this point in time it is all comes down to the overarching theme of creating authentic human connections.
If you think about it, this comes as no real surprise. With the surgence of COVID since the onset of 2020, society’s human connections have been plagued by lockdowns and lockouts… severely limiting any authentic human connection. People are craving touch, craving person to person communication, people want to be seen and heard, understandably.
And when brands and businesses create this authentic human connection, it not only benefits society as a whole, it also reaps benefits for the company. When customers feel a connection with your business the following behaviours* emerge:
- 76% of customers will buy from you over a competitor
- 68% will recommend your business to a friend, furthering your reach exponentially
- 64% of customers will be loyal to your business, no matter what new fad emerges
- and 57% of your connected customers will spend more with your business
Wow! Sounds promising, right?! But just how do you take advantage of this latest theme and translate it into your marketing? By implementing the following trends that all create authentic human connection with your customers… and will help you build your business.
Business Values
What are your business values? Your mission? Your culture? Delve deep into what these are and then articulate them to your customers. When you humanise your business you will further deepen relationships with your customers as you connect with them emotionally.
Personalisation
Customers want to feel like you’re speaking directly with them… not to the masses on your database. This is where personalisation is key. Target your individual customers with relevant communications based on their personal data. Don’t have data? Well, it’s time to collect some, so you can really niche down your customers and provide them with products and services that are actually relevant for them… not a blanket approach where you send everyone everything. And while you’re at it, even a small gesture such as addressing customers by their first name goes a long way.
Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion movements have had an uprising in recent times, as employees became more vocal about their frustrations of unequal treatment within workplaces around the globe… and, rightly so. You might think, “what does that have to do with my business, we treat our employees fairly and equally”, and you may very well do this… but do your customers know? Customers align with businesses who align with their core values – with diversity and inclusion being prominent in most people’s minds due to the current media exposure. Businesses need to become transparent about the efforts they’re making to create an equal workplace for all employees, along with publicly discussing their plans to expand on their diversity and inclusion initiatives. If you are trying to build your business, this marketing trend of transparency of diversity and inclusion is here to stay.
Video marketing
Video marketing is by no means a new trend. However, its effectiveness and popularity have skyrocketed with customers during the pandemic. With everyone craving human interaction, customers are connecting with human faces on video, enjoyingthe entertainment and delighting in being transported away from reality, at this point in time. And video is no longer cost-prohibitive, with professional reels being created directly from smartphones and an editing platform. So get creative, be different, entertain – and you will see your business grow with this marketing trend.
