Five Marketing Trends to Watch in 2017

We may have crossed into the second half of 2017, but it’s never too late (or too early) to create or revise marketing strategies. Here are some marketing trends to consider when developing or evaluating and fine-tuning your communications plan.

1. Content marketing will drive strategy. People want feel a personal connection with the companies with which they want to do business. There’s no more effective way to accomplish this than through content marketing. This technique sets aside the hard sell and places a priority on communicating valuable information that is relevant to a target audience. It helps companies build their brand and voice while communicating the organization’s mission.
2. The role of marketing technologists will grow. Marketing is rapidly becoming one of the most technology-reliant spaces in business. In response to this transformation, the role of chief marketing technologist has emerged. The title may vary, but the person’s role is to align marketing technology with strategic business goals, serve as a liaison to the IT department, oversee technology providers and craft digital business models.
3. Short-term thinking will lead the way. Social media has created a need for marketing agility. Marketers now look to metrics including “likes,” “shares,” “tweets,” click-through rates and other technology-driven data. The winners will collect more consumer information, make quick decisions, readily adapt and focus on real-time marketing.
4. Marketing to millennials will adapt to a new age. Love them or hate them, millennials are here to stay. As they begin to enter their 30s, marketers need to adjust their messaging to address changing lifestyles and priorities.
5. Companies will increase focus on internal communications. Successful companies will use internal communications as a marketing strategy. By ensuring that every employee from the front line to the board of directors understands and lives the vision and mission of the company, businesses will build brand ambassadors that are invaluable to any marketing effort.

Any company that wants to maintain or increase its presence in the marketplace needs to be aware of these trends and determine how and what kind of impact they will have on brand visibility, corporate reputation and business development.