Marketing Trends for 2017

Ghada ElGammal – Marketing Trends

Marketers who keep track of the current trends will have an advantage when planning ahead. It is great to know which way marketing is heading.

In 2017, there will be more focus placed on live video, visual content, interactive content, virtual reality, personalized and niche content, content promotion and distribution, and that more businesses will seek out content creators and marketers.

Are you ready for the future?

Following are some tips and insights that I gathered from daily updates on emerging trends for 2017:

• Invest Big on Social Analytics

The DMA reported that social media is still in its infancy. There are great opportunities presented by social media, while many companies are still not collecting data from the social media channels. This gap will close this year given that 47% of marketers say that social channels offer the greatest opportunities. There is a growing importance to measure its effectiveness and collaboration between apps, networks and platforms to make it meaningful.

• Real Time Video is the hot shot

Video rules, and it’s taking over the social media landscape as many users prefer video content over text content. Now with Snapchat, Facebook Live and Periscope leading the way towards social engagement with customers in ways many brands haven’t explored before. Marketers are picking up on the trend as well, with 69% of marketers saying their budget on video content is “significantly increasing”.

• Mobile Marketing is a Must

Mobile will be an every day essential. Aside from the fact that Google has listed mobile optimization as a ranking factor, people’s habits have changed. Over 80% of internet users now own a smartphone, fluidly switching between devices to find information.

According to a study conducted by Google and AnswerLab, mobile users are extremely goal-oriented. They want their information quick and displayed in an easy-to-navigate manner – no pinching or zooming required.

• Niche Content Would be Mandatory

Massive volumes of content are being created on a daily basis and so people will direct their focus towards narrower niches, personalized content, more targeted channels, where as more and more content is being published, brands will find that they need to define a topic or niche that they can own – one that truly reflects their unique expertise and reason for being. There will be a shift away from generic content on broad topics to more specific areas of coverage.

• Personalized content that is focused on specific personas, which makes content to be of as much value as possible to the readers.

• Interactive content that is professionally developed to enable readers to choose different paths in the content, click on sections that are of interest and are applicable, and that is more entertaining than the standard text heavy content we see today.

• Visual content continues to dominate. As a society we are consuming more visual content. This will push brands to define strategies and to hire experts in the fields of design, photography, videography, data visualization, and visual storytelling.

Do you want to stand out from the crowd?

Be different, be daring, be dynamic

Bring your boldest self to your biggest challenges

Ghada ElGammal – Standout from the crowd

All of us have competitors, all of us want to shine, but how to stand out of competition?

The most important thing in business is a persona that defines it.

In order to standout, your business must have a unique selling point that is full of substance.

 

Understand Your Target Audience

I do believe initially you need to understand your target audience and their needs and why they are choosing your product. That is to say: what is your competitive advantage?

At the same time, you need to look at those needs that aren’t being met and also think about the key trends in the industry. Extend your advantage into these areas. Understand your audience industry and check how you fit into the prospective client’s world.

 

Is Your Product Unique

Can you offer a product that is so unique or even trendy that your business is associated with that offering? You can even extend a product and offer a valuable service to make the product more useful to your clients.

 

Communicate Your USP

Convey your unique selling point with a strong statement. Your unique selling point should be leading the development of your company as well as your marketing strategy. Make sure that your image and activity clearly communicates the benefit you are offering.

 

 

Go Against Competition

You can transform your category niche by looking for gaps in the offerings of your competitors or even in the market. If a certain need in industry fell to be addressed, boldly grab on to satisfying that need and use your competition as the point of difference.

 

Find areas where competition fell short. Focus on communicating how you have the answer.

 

Offer insight

Offer expert knowledge and suggestions that build trust, which is key to building a credible reputation. Give suggestions on better options based on market.

 

Customer Experience:

“Best marketing is done by satisfied customers”

It is crucial to hire smart, nice and empathetic staff in order to execute all of the previously mentioned effectively. Be known in the marketplace as the company with the group of professionals who are not only intelligent and hardworking, but who think out of the box to get things done. Be known as the company whose employees pick up every call and who would come up with solutions before there is a problem.

Secret To Success

Secret to success is to “Focus on where you want to go”

If you want to move on, focus on where you want to go, not on where you currently are, as fear keeps us where we are.

Ghada ElGammal Presenting

When we concentrate on criticism, judgment, negativity and other discouraging freeze thoughts, we are not focused on what we really want. And if we are thinking about existing in the short term, then we are focused on what we fear, as we want to bloom.
Unfortunately, thinking about what we don’t want does not define what we do want. Do not allow the past to guide your actions. After all, if you keep doing the same thing, you’ll keep getting the same result.
Give it a try and allow yourself to imagine new possibilities and figure ideas on what to do to make it a reality.
Explore what is significant to you and others and notice the powerful impact on the results achieved because of being proactive rather than reactive.

 

Plan Ahead

Proper planning is essential to make things work.
When you know what you truly want and what is significant to your long-lasting success, remarkable things start to happen. You open the door to your bold self and creative ideas emerge on what to do next and how to do it. Hence, goals become clear and you make great decisions. You confidently move in a direction that serves your goal. Then, you become inspired as well as inspire others. At this point you achieve significant results.

Tell the story

When you began to share your story you will attract those who understand where you are coming from. Every member of your organization should be able to tell the story of how they contribute to their individual success and to your organizations success. You can tell the story of how each asset owned, each dollar spent, and each resource used, contributes to the fulfillment of your target.

Commit to Your Goal

The most powerful technique to capture your continued success is to stay focused on what you want – and all aspects of that – and not to give in to worry, doubt, or to any temporary circumstances that might be happening.
The secret to all success is to be able to stay focused on exactly what you want, regardless of how long it takes, or even what temporary obstacles might be in your way. It is this single ability to stay focused, committed and always trained on the end result you want – no matter what – that will enable you to ultimately achieve any goal you can set.
That combination – always resist any negative thoughts that oppose the thought I believe in – “If others could do it, I could as well” – along with constantly feeding myself the feelings of having accomplished my target, enabled me to stay focused on what I wanted, rather than on what I didn’t have.
As said “If you don’t own your fear, it will own you”.
Certainly self-awareness sets a foundation for fulfilling your potential and gripping the fear that so often limits it. It’s all about acknowledging your fear, but being cautious in not giving it the power to dictate your actions, limit your aspirations or shape your future.
But …how to focus and get what you want?
This is how the mind works. Give it a target and it will hit it.
One of the key skills I’ve learned is how to be aware of my negative thoughts, and to replace them with positive thoughts.
Instead, learn to focus on the positive. Think about ways to reach your target. Think about how good it will feel when you accomplish what you’re trying to do.
Now here comes the best part…
Translating Goals, Desires into Immediate Actions
Most people’s goals are nothing but weak desires.
As a result, they will always find excuses to stay within their comfort zone and put it off.
The ultimate way to achieve anything you want lies in ACTION.
Everybody wants to succeed, but only a few are truly COMMITTED to their goals.
By thinking positively and visualizing success, you can shape your future with your reflections.