The foundations of marketing are the one constant in an ever-evolving world of new fads and shiny objects that we see in our industry. Threads.. what?

Trust us – if you start with human insights and a decent amount of time exploring the market to understand the competitive landscape and perceived strength of your brand before developing a strategic marketing plan – you’re doing something right.

But it’s also important for marketing boffins like us to keep up with the latest trends and your competitors in an increasingly busy space. In this blog, we take a deeper dive into some of the marketing trends that seem to be hot topics this year and how they can work for your business.

Short-form video content

Short-form video is here to stay. Unlike the previous focus for B2B and B2C marketers to use longer-form video, we’re all now realising that short-form video plays into the hands of our short attention spans and can be very effective. In our fast-paced scroll-through world – short-form video is easily digestible. Brands that would have usually stayed away from these platforms are now utilising them to reach new audiences. Short-form video isn’t just for TikTok but if you’re looking to reach younger audiences, it’s a great place to start. 

Influencer marketing

Influencers are old news but until recently have not been part of the day-to-day arsenal of marketers. Brands often think they need to secure a high-profile celebrity and pay loads of cash but the reality is that micro-influencers will increasingly play an important role. Micro-influencers typically have a smaller following but have good engagement rates. An added bonus of micro-influencers is that they’ve usually honed in on their niche and so play an important role in converting leads, boosting brand awareness and connecting with target audiences. Customers find it easier to relate to and trust this type of influencer too as they are “just like us” – everyday people. 

SEO

We all know about the importance of SEO and its impact in making our content and website more discoverable online. SEO is increasingly getting a first-class upgrade, to be third in line (right after short-form video and influencer marketing) for what marketers will invest the most money in. SEO will feature more heavily in marketing strategies and will increasingly be left to SEO experts to implement. 

Mobile optimisation

The bottom line is that we are all spending a lot of time on our mobile phones. Marketing to the modern consumer is all about being fast-paced, connected and on the pulse. Mobile optimisation will increasingly become more important to marketing across websites and email, especially as 33% of global marketers invest in mobile web design and a further 64% of SEO marketers consider mobile optimisation an effective investment according to  Hubspot. Mobile optimisation is crucial and will increasingly be given more weight in marketing strategies. 

Social responsibility

The social responsibility trend is one we are particularly fond of at CMG. Brands are supporting causes that align with their values and mission – whether it be racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, climate change or sustainability. This has a dual bonus in doing something good for the wider world and very much aligns with the purchasing power of Gen-Z and Millennial consumers. 

Customers are also demanding greater transparency and holding businesses to account on important issues like production processes and workers’ rights. Let’s be honest, not only is this a welcome trend, but it is also great for marketing. Who doesn’t love a feel-good story and a shift in wider consciousness? 

Artificial Intelligence

Love it or loath it, AI is here to stay. Whether you use it for research, content generation or any of its other varied capabilities – AI will increasingly be part of the marketing world. Applications like Google Bard and Chat GPT do have their advantages, especially when it does not require much creative input. 

Now you’re all asking, did we write this blog using AI? The answer is no, at CMG we do appreciate personable, human and creative input but won’t rule it out for a bit of background research. 

At CMG we’re a collective of experienced storytellers, designers, marketers and digital natives. We offer strategic planning, brand design, social media management, content marketing, web design and plenty more. 

If you would like to discuss outsourcing your marketing to our team of experienced specialists, book a call here or email us.