{"id":39416,"date":"2023-10-20T15:02:25","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/four-marketing-trends-you-can-take-advantage-of-in-2017-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:02:25","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:02:25","slug":"four-marketing-trends-you-can-take-advantage-of-in-2017-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/four-marketing-trends-you-can-take-advantage-of-in-2017-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Four marketing trends you can take advantage of in 2017 – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In 2017, advertising spending is tipped to actually slow across the world<\/a>, according to buying agency Magna Global.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not likely to matter much to small and medium business owners who are taking an increasingly sophisticated approach to managing their marketing strategy.<\/p>\n

Experts tell SmartCompany<\/em> that in\u00a0the year ahead SMEs\u00a0should turn their attention to the increasingly targeted approaches making headways in the marketing landscape by carefully choosing everything from the partners they work with, to the metrics they use.<\/p>\n

So what branding trends can you take advantage of in 2017?<\/p>\n

Here are some suggestions.<\/p>\n

The goal posts shift on number crunching<\/h3>\n

Using social media to market a business is now commonplace, but it\u2019s how that social media presence converts to sales that counts.<\/p>\n

According to one marketing expert, 2017 will be the year that smaller operators fully take control of deeper analysis about\u00a0who is engaging with them online and why.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of small businesses are on social now, and they\u2019re starting to evolve into a place where big data [is] making more sense of them,\u201d\u00a0Good Things Marketing chief executive Helen Ahrens told SmartCompany<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re focusing less on the idea that 3000 people liked a page\u2014now it\u2019s about clicks on posts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Click-through rates, time spent engaging on posts, and tracking the direct effects of a digital marketing campaign on sales are all becoming second nature to the bigger players\u2014and if you don\u2019t have an idea of which metrics will show you whether your digital strategy is working, now is the time to brush up, says Ahrens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of really interesting agencies and specialists online and lots of free resources, but technical specialists in marketing can also help you identify the things that matter,\u201d Ahrens says.<\/p>\n

Now that most businesses have basic social media marketing skills under their belts, it\u2019s time to properly reverse-engineer the aim of a marketing strategy by being concrete about the desired result, and then working out the metrics and posting strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, you might say \u2018we want to make 20 more sales a months\u2019,\u201d Ahrens says.<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0Lessons from five leading retailers: The risk-takers and the innovators<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The race for perfect pictures<\/h3>\n

Images are well known for trumping words when it comes to driving behaviour and consumer preferences for pictures is becoming increasingly important in the battle of the social media platforms.<\/p>\n

At the start of the month, research firm Emarketer predicted Instagram would soon overtake Twitter as the world\u2019s preferred marketing platform<\/a>, with three quarters of US businesses surveyed planning on using Instagram as part of their marketing strategy in 2017.<\/p>\n

This represents a significant challenge for marketers given most Instagram users access the platform from their mobile phone, as PricewaterhouseCoopers pointed out in a marketing review published in September<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Businesses must now make content that is high quality, but also made for consumption on very tiny screens.<\/p>\n

As PwC observes, \u201cUS adults are spending about 25 percent of their 12 hours of daily media consumption on a mobile\u201d.<\/p>\n

This includes younger consumers, who are also said to feel a strong connection with Youtube stars and content, which they identify with more closely than other content formats.<\/p>\n

Video content also provides a central platform for influencers to spread news about a brand.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s missing in the Australian market, according to Ahrens, is a strong platform for SMEs to make effective video materials\u2014but she believes a solution might not be too far off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what it is exactly, but you know how [graphic design startup] Canva is \u2018graphic design for anyone\u2019?<\/p>\n

“I predict in the next year there will be video editing for everyone. We\u2019re at a marketing point where the cost is just so high,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s already some movement on this front, with the likes of Shootsta telling SmartCompany<\/em><\/a> earlier this year the growing market for video content with a quick turnaround presents a big opportunity in the business of moving pictures.<\/p>\n

Connection to the world<\/h3>\n

Authenticity is going to become increasingly important in branding, particularly in the retail space, Retail Oasis strategist Pippa Kulmar told SmartCompany<\/em> earlier in December.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the future of retail has got to be around sustainability and conscious capital, and having an authentic story,\u201d says Kulmar, who believes a potential backlash against fast fashion retailers like Zara in favour of social enterprise brands like Patagonia could be on the cards in future.<\/p>\n

The connection that consumers now expect between the brands they use and their experience and values makes space for simple campaigns that show life as it happens, says Inside Out PR\u2019s Hannah van Otterloo.<\/p>\n

She points to a 2016 campaign from Ikea as an example of how brands can draw on the power of personal connections.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u00c5kestam Holst did an inspiring spot for Ikea that tackles the issue of divorce for good reason. Instead of presenting a glossy image of divorce and a bliss family image of \u2018separated but still supporting one another\u2019,\u201d van Otterloo says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe communications agency targets the consumer to feel like it really understands the ugly face of divorce on a father, mother and children.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cEvery Other Week\u201d campaign is a one-minute video built for online sharing.<\/p>\n

It tells the story of a small boy whose parents have recently broken up, and the stabilising effect of using IKEA furniture to make his dad\u2019s new place feel familiar.<\/p>\n