The world of business is constantly evolving. To stay ahead of the curve, you need to get ahead of your audience.

Updating yourself with the latest marketing trends is not only essential for your business growth but it is also important to stay on board and satisfy your customers.

Trends play a huge role in shaping your content strategy. Whether you are promoting a product or a service, sometimes you require to ride the viral wave to be seen.

What are the latest marketing trends this year? This article explores different forms of content that have been a major hit and have also proved to be fruitful for businesses around the globe. 

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Trend#1 Short Video Content

The lockdown during COVID-19 saw short video content emerge and take over the digital marketing industry. Tiktok, that was targeted for producing cringe content is now used by millions for advertising purposes. Other social platforms also followed suit and came up with their own features for short video content.

Instagram came up with reels and YouTube introduced YouTube shorts. The online audience already has a short attention span, hence, the short video content was warmly welcomed and saw huge engagement boost and higher conversion rates as compared to other forms of content.

Marketers took it as an opportunity and started utilizing TikTok for advertising. People now trust a product recommended by a TikTok influencer more than they would a celebrity. 

Let’s take an example of a popular food brand- Dunkin. They planned their TikTok marketing strategy wisely and jumped on the viral trends when needed. Not only this, they used stylish visuals and short video content to attract the audience.

They hopped onto one of the viral trends like that said “Proof not everything can be an album cover” and by the following response, we can tell their strategy worked.

"Short video content has quickly become a dominant force in digital marketing, offering businesses a unique opportunity to engage audiences with concise, impactful messaging. As consumer attention spans shrink, brands must embrace this trend to effectively communicate their value propositions. Leveraging platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts enables companies to reach new audiences, build brand awareness, and drive conversions in a format that resonates with today's fast-paced digital landscape."‍

— Maria Harutyunyan, CEO of the SEO marketing agency Loopex Digital

Trend#2 Users Over Products

What if we told you that the audience cares more about UGC or the user generated content now? They find it more trustworthy and not only this, many people go to social media platforms to look up and discover new brands.

As a marketer, it is crucial for your brand reputation and also your sales growth. By utilizing UGC in your marketing campaigns, you end up saving a lot of money since you do not have to spend on the visuals or make content yourself.

This year, all you need to do is create a viral corporate hashtag and allow users to play with their creativity. Just like Apple launched #ShotOniPhone and people jumped on the trend. It was a simple advertising product but later grew into a social media sensation. Many users discovered the amazing quality of iPhone cameras and how they capture in low light.

Other tech brands also started following the same trend later. This became a huge success only because of users. They created content, made it viral, and this ultimately helped the brand.

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Trend#3 Interactive Content

People used to see advertisements and would have multiple queries but directly asking was not possible back then. Now, throught interactive content marketing, users can directly get in touch with the brands. They can do so by just a simple click.

You are missing a huge opportunity if you are not doing social media marketing to interact with your audience. Creating interactive content like quizzes, polls, and other forms such as storytelling not only boosts your engagement but also allow users to learn about what you have to offer.

Emails are also interactive in nature. Every platform has its own format. It depends on you what suits you better. 

Attractive visuals, playable ads, one click e-mails, and there are other various creative interactions that you can utilize. For instance, look at this clickable map by Royal Carribean International.

But the opportunities for interaction don't stop there. Serviceform, a versatile conversion tool suite, can elevate your interactive content game. With a wide array of tools, including chatbots, popups, and analytics, Serviceform excels at lead generation and delivering a seamless engagement experience for website visitors. While it specialises in real estate and automotive industries, its solutions can adapt to various sectors. If you want to effectively engage your website's traffic, Serviceform is a valuable resource to consider.

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Trend#4 Live Streams

The live streams also became viral during the lockdown as in-person events were cancelled. Brands and audience, both turned to live streams. It helped brands save costs on the event management and helped audience to see their favorite brands just sitting at their home.

Live streams are not one of the top trends to promote content online.Many social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook now have a live stream feature. For the audience, it is like watching TV from the comfort of their home.

Here are some stats by eMarketer that shows the live video viewers in US from the year 2019 when lockdown was imposed to the year 2023.

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Trend#5 Mobile Optimization

How many times have you clicked on an ad while being in your bed scrolling away? We bet you do not remember. Almost 91% of US citizens and 45% of consumers around the world use their mobile phones for online shopping.

This is not surprising as smartphones are the most convenient way to interact with brands online. If you are not designing your website keeping in mind that it should be mobile friendly, you are going to lose a lot of potential customers.

Website optimization for mobile phones is crucial if you want to follow latest marketing trends and want your business to grow. Optimization may include user friendly interface, fast download speed, multiple mobile payment options, and making the customer journey as smooth as possible.

One of the best ways to optimize for mobile devices and enhance CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) is to create separate apps specifically tailored for better customer experience and convenience. These apps can offer coupons, rewards, loyalty programs, re-fills, and added features for in-store shopping, making them essential CSAT tools in your arsenal.

Here is an example of Starbucks rewards. Businesses can learn from it and create similar apps to boost their sales and engagement.

Mobile optimizations are typically performed by SEO specialists, and if you're an eager specialist, there are plenty of SEO marketing jobs to apply for.

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Conclusion

In a nutshell, the latest marketing trends we have shared can help you stay ahead of the curve. But, not every trend can be for you. It all comes down to which industry you belong to and what is good for your brand image.

The trends we have shared are diverse and can be utilised in different ways to boost sales. Do not be afraid of change when a new technology or trend is introduced in the market. It just means you have now various ways to advertise your product and services.

You can get creative and can also find new ways to interact with your audience. Do not copy another brand or industry’s strategy. Instead, incorporat trends into your marketing strategy wisely. Do not be scared to try new things. Evolving with time is essential for your business growth.

As we said, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to get ahead of your audience to cast a long lasting impression.

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About the author

Aabhas Vijay stands as the creative and imaginative founder behind Avija Digital, an agency that specializes in crafting ingenious online strategies and trust worthy marketing solutions. Aabhas has demonstrated himself as an outstanding authority in the realm of digital marketing specifically for SaaS (Software as a Service).He is an exceptional expert in brand positioning, content creation and audience engagement. Moreover, Aabhas's prime focus is on organizing cohesive strategies and formulating plans that lead to long term brand sustainability.