Digital marketing plays an important role when it comes to branding in the modern world. Companies can become more recognizable and develop a trustworthy reputation by creating quality content, publishing it regularly, and using social media to share this content and connect with customers. Staying up-to-date on the latest and expected new trends can help your company stay on top of its branding efforts. Keep reading to learn about some of the most anticipated business branding trends for 2018:
Companywide Branding
One of the most exciting branding trends coming in 2018 is a switch from manager-only to companywide branding. Instead of having one or a few employees responsible for all marketing-related efforts, companies are now looking to every individual employee to act as brand ambassadors. Everyone should play a role in your business’ branding efforts, so everyone can feel like their voices are being heard. This will also make it easier to adapt and keep moving forward even if some employees leave in the future. By including all employees in branding efforts, you’ll also be able to hear more ideas that can potentially lead to successful marketing campaigns.
Focus on Micro-Moments
In the world of digital marketing, micro-moments refer to those moments when people think about something and immediately pull out their phones to find information about that topic. These micro-moments can be something inconsequential, such as trying to figure out who that actor from that movie is or something more important, such as finding information about job opportunities for buying a house. Customers are constantly having these micro-moments throughout the day, and in 2018, companies can try to take advantage of them—no matter what industries they’re part of. Thinking about the type of information your potential clients are looking for and when they’re looking for it can help your business focus on micro-moments.
Video Creation
Did you know that around 1.65 billion Facebook users watch 8 billion videos each day on this platform? From funny clips to tutorials with valuable tips, videos are some of the most popular types of content on the internet. It’s no secret that visual content tends to attract more users and receive more shares than text-only content, and 2018 will see this trend continue to grow with the rise of videos. Consumers want to watch videos on social media—both entertaining videos and informative ones. Companies can use this fact to their advantage by focusing on video creation in 2018. Videos are eye-catching, engaging, and incredibly shareable, making them a great choice for companies that want to build stronger social media followings and bring more people to their websites.
Native Advertising
As inbound marketing has become more popular, consumers have become more irritated by the disruptive nature of traditional marketing. Nobody wants to have a seemingly irrelevant ad pop up when they’re trying to read an online article or look through a list of funny pictures. Instead of being an intrusion, advertising should fit in with its surroundings so that it looks as natural and native as possible. Social media advertising platforms have made it easier to make native ads that can highlight your products or services without taking away from the appearance of the platform or the user’s overall experience.
Better Personalization
There are many steps that companies can take to make sure potential customers feel like they’re getting valuable information instead of simply being advertised to. Focusing on personalization is one of the most effective ways to make sure every potential customer feels special and is more likely to purchase a product or service. Instead of creating content that a large group of people might find interesting, focus on creating high-quality content that a smaller group of people will definitely want to hear about. It might take some time to start seeing results, but personalization is expected to be one of the biggest, and most effective, branding trends in 2018.
Geofencing
Have you ever entered a store and almost immediately received a notification with a deal or discount for that store? This process is known as geofencing and it is becoming more popular in more industries. Since consumers usually have their smartphones on them when they’re shopping, it’s easy for companies to figure out when someone enters their store. Geofencing technology allows companies to send notifications as soon as people enter to encourage them to buy something specific or use a certain discount code. In 2018, more companies will start taking advantage of this innovation and using it to build better brand recognition.
Taking advantage of these business branding trends will be much easier when you’re working with Pennington Creative. Our writers, editors, and graphic designers can help you create winning strategies for your company’s online marketing efforts. Visit our website for a closer look at our services or contact us today to set up a discovery call.
