Since SMBs don't always have a full marketing team and their budget is often limited, they need to find creative ways to promote their brand.
Fortunately, marketing comes in all shapes and sizes, and new trends emerge italy business mailing list every year. In this article, we'll discuss the marketing strategies that are gaining popularity this year, and the best part is that they can be used by small businesses, too.
Marketing trends for 2017 that SMEs should consider
1. Downloadable content
Social media may need to take a step back in 2017. While these platforms can be very powerful in spreading brand messages, their content often remains hidden or never reaches its followers. For this reason, downloadable content (such as e-books, infographics, webinars, etc.) is becoming increasingly popular and therefore one of the marketing trends for 2017 .
Users can receive this content for free in exchange for their personal data such as name and email address . This is a great way for companies to identify and follow up with potential customers.
The downside to this approach is that these pieces of content are much slower to create than social media posts. However, if you have the time and resources, don't hesitate to invest in creating quality content that will appeal to your target audience in order to kick-start 2017 marketing trends.
2. H2H Marketing
H2H marketing stands for Human to Human, and it replaces B2C and B2B . This label represents a major shift in perspective: think of companies not as an inanimate business, but as a group of humans with their own emotions, personalities, and challenges. As Tech.Co says, “to get them interested in what you have to offer you must appeal to the emotional side of users.”
Start by finding common ground and let it guide your marketing strategy. By focusing on H2H marketing, you can create brand stories that are personal, inspiring, and connect directly with your audience.
Knorr, for example, was able to reach a large audience by connecting its product with human emotions. As a result, this video got over 31 million views in just one week. There is no doubt that it knew how to take advantage of 2017 marketing trends.
3. User Generated Content
User-generated content is another of the 2017 marketing trends. It encourages the audience to participate in the brand's message. Keep in mind that 76% of users trust content created by other users more than branded content , and 93% of consumers consider this type of content useful in making a purchasing decision.
User-generated content can be anything from images, videos, and testimonials to poems or letters . Users like to feel like they're part of something big, and a user-generated content campaign can foster this sense of community.
T-Mobile created a campaign called “The Break Up Letter.” They made it easy for competing customers to “break up” with their wireless carriers. In exchange, T-Mobile would pay the penalties for switching carriers.
The campaign resulted in over 100,000 people creating and downloading cards, with almost 70% of them shared on Facebook!
4. Interactive content
Interactive content is another of the 2017 marketing trends, and it takes reading to the next level. This type of content is much more engaging than simple text and image posts. You can use quizzes, surveys, infographics, and contests to get users to actively engage with your brand. For example, The New York Times published a quiz in 2013 that lasted only 11 days, but was the most read article of that same year.