With the number of increasing ads and technologies and Millennial’s attention span decreasing, how can Brand’s stand out among all the noise? Whether you’re promoting your Personal Brand or a Business Brand, you can benefit from checking out our five marketing predictions for 2018.
1.Simplifying Experiences
It’s no surprise Millennials and Generation Z want things now and they want things simple. Think Amazon, where you can get delivery the next day or within a few hours. YouTube, find and learn about absolutely anything within seconds. And it’s not just tech companies, look at restaurants that have implemented text when your table is ready. In 2018 we’ll see more and more companies experimenting with simplifying consumer experiences. Google AdWords, for example, is testing click to purchase (a product) on their Search Ads and click to hire through Google Home Services. Whether these features prove to be successful or die out is to be seen. The point is they are testing simplifying experiences in hopes of winning over customers to engage with their services more. The easier you can make experiences for people, the more likely they will be to become consumers and stay loyal brand customers.
2.Video is everything
Platforms like YouTube and Instagram have gained such huge success among Millennials and Gen Z’s because they no longer want to read as much (if you’re reading this, video content center coming soon!) In 2018 we predict every social media platform will jump on board with video at a rapid rate. Bloggers, Influencers and even your mom and pop websites will start adding video to their websites or launch video channels on social platforms like YouTube and Facebook. More and more video companies will pop-up. Video editing and producing will become hot skills to have on your resume. How can you adopt and grow video in 2018 if you haven’t already? As a brand/business, invest in a video strategy that will provide value to your audience. At Growth Marketing Partners we help brands identify their goals and work on video strategies with them. As an individual looking to expand always expand your skill-set, you can learn to be comfortable in front of the camera or learn how to create videos. The sooner you jump onto video and learn what works, the more ahead of the competition you will be in 2018.
3. Influencer Marketing
Over the past year you may have seen old colleges, friends and bloggers rise in the number of social media followers. “Big brands aren’t just looking to work with the Kim K’s of Influencers” says Steve, Director for Content4Demand, a B2B content agency that works with big brands such as Bing Ads. “They are seeking more micro-influencers that fit their target audience”. One prediction for 2018 is that Brands will invest more in influencer marketing. The smartest brands will be the ones that invest more in influencer marketing than many of their other channels and will allow the influencer to take more creative lead in the collaboration. Influences know how to target their own following the best. Need help identifying influencers to represent your brand in 2018? We research and identify the best to partner with your brand.
4. Influencers Creating Products for their Personal Brand
Perhaps one of the hottest predictions is the rise of Influencers launching their own products. Influencer Entrepreneurship! Dutch model @Twan took his Instagram fame of 4.4 million followers and launched Promiseland. Social megastar brothers Jake Paul and Logan Paul also run their own brands. They promote it in their daily vlogs and even made holiday songs about it. Logan Paul’s merch song Santa Diss Track received 44million views and 1 million likes alone. In 2018 we predict an increase in influencers and micro-influences launching product lines ranging from cosmetics, to health and fitness to almost any product you can think of… and Millennial’s and Gen Z’s will be eating them up.
5. More Authenticity. More Than Ever Brands Will Have More Fun With Their Voice.
If you haven’t already see Brita’s video about water or Burger King making fun of Net Neutrality than you need to! These two brands did a phenomenal job taking ordinary products and turning them into successful marketing campaigns. You want to watch them over and over and share them with your closest friends. We predict more brands will be taking risks with their voice in 2018 in order to reach Millennials, to entertain, to stay relevant. Some may fail in the process, but we say test! Try adding more humor and increasing authenticity to your marketing because Millennials love to consume it and after all, who doesn’t want a good laugh in 2018!
Bottom line:
How can you simplify consumer experiences that people will love?
Are you using video to promote your business or personal brand?
Consider working with influencers that represent your brand in order to expand your reach.
Influencer product marketing will be huge. Influencer Entrepreneurship (we may be the first to coin the term!)
How authentic is your brand authentic? What campaigns have made you laugh lately?