Companies that don’t appeal to consumer interests smartly find themselves sliding into obscurity. If their voice isn’t loud and distinct, people can question their relevance.
Not every business is willing to adapt to contemporary ways of working. Some firms will opt to operate in more traditional ways. However, digital marketing delivers quantifiable results for British companies, and it must be optimised to its utmost potential in your company.
Monitoring trends is a big part of getting the most out of your digital marketing. Both technology and consumer interests are always changing. If you fail to keep pace with every shift, your company can soon be left behind. How can you keep track of marketing trends effectively? Read on for some suggestions.
Sign Up For A Newsletter
Many people will turn to blogs for the latest information on subjects of interest. While it’s a solid strategy, manually inputting URLs, site names, or search terms isn’t always a bulletproof plan. After all, you could always forget or input a search that doesn’t yield the best results possible.
Once you’ve found a reliable marketing blog, you should consider signing up for their newsletter. They will then email you blog posts or site updates that are of great consequence. Typically this service is free and completely optional, which means you can opt in and out at your leisure.
Sign up for the newsletters of multiple blog sites. Cast a wide net, and you should be the recipient of a diverse range of news and updates in the marketing world. There’s nothing to lose but plenty to gain.
Remember, some outlets are claiming that ‘we’re all digital marketers now’, and while that’s not true in the literal sense, more voices are added to the discussion all the time. You can only hope to amplify your own by consuming the words of credible and influential sources first.
Enrol On A Course
There are many online business courses. Some are on the shorter side. Others are lengthier and provide key insights and important qualifications.
For instance, you could embark on a Masters in marketing on campus at the University of Stirling. If you study an MSC in marketing with them, you will acquire a practical and theoretical understanding of the sector. Current business trends are also covered in multi-channel marketing, brand identity creation, and sport marketing. A wide breadth of material is covered here, and all that you learn will embolden your career prospects.
Remember that it’s never too late to go back to your education. You can elect to study part-time and complete courses like the one above over two years instead of one, enabling you to schedule your studies alongside your professional obligations. It’s important to keep an open mind in all aspects of marketing, and higher learning can encourage that mindset.
Marketing trends aren’t just on the consumer side. Company attitudes shift, and internal operations evolve. Working in tandem with each radical marketing change can help you ensure your firm gains prominence and retains it. Your perception of marketing shouldn’t become warped through all the growth either, and high-quality education can help you ground your perspective and stay true to what you know at every stage of change.
Monitor Competitors
Most companies will employ digital marketing strategies. Subtle variations will exist between them, which means monitoring them individually and closely could be worthwhile.
There are many routes to explore here. You should:
- See which keywords your competitors use and where they rank. Many tools give you these insights for paid and organic searches.
- Browse the social media pages of your competitors. How do they interact with customers? What type of information do they share
- Check your competitors’ websites to see what type of content they’re posting and which pieces gain the most interest and shares. Use Google Alerts to check for new content regularly.
Much of digital marketing comes down to beating competitors at their own game rather than attempting to start your own. Analyse their behaviour closely and try to orchestrate something that’s similarly successful.
Note instances of failure too. After all, not every digital marketing strategy will lead to great success, and even big-name companies can suffer misfires on occasion. Perceive those instances as cautionary tales and swerve around them in your strategies.
Utilise Digital Surveys/Polls
If you’re uncertain if your digital marketing is relevant to your audience, you could always ask them for feedback. Online surveys and polls are a great way to collate various responses and data.
What demographics of customers respond most to your polls and surveys? Did they reach you through the ‘on-trend’ digital marketing channels you attempted to optimise? Answers to these enquiries can give you a rough idea of whether you’re engaging with trends in an optimum fashion.
It’s worth polling any marketing staff you might have too. Do they think the company is performing well in monitoring trends? What improvements might they suggest? Can they recommend any tools to help monitor trends? Tapping into their thoughts and knowledge could be instrumental to success.
Try to use a consistent template when running polls and surveys. Organising responses will be a lot easier should you choose to do so. It can also inform participants they’re engaging with a more formal process and compel them to provide more detailed answers.
Outsource Digital Marketing
Depending on the nature of your role and how you’ve structured who’s on your payroll, monitoring digital marketing trends 24/7 may not be feasible. Alternatively, you may give things a go but decide you’d rather have someone with more expertise oversee these matters.
In these situations, you could always consider outsourcing the monitoring of digital marketing trends to an expert in the field. Devoted marketing companies will not just keep up with the latest trends but anticipate them ahead of time. They’ll also guide you in implementing certain marketing strategies according to the most recent developments.
Some firms need digital marketing more than others, depending on their sector, size, and success in marketing elsewhere. There are many situations where hiring a full-time market specialist to monitor trends all day isn’t a cost-effective or otherwise worthwhile solution. When monitoring trends is useful but not overly important, outsourcing those needs can save time and provide balance.