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What’s Trending in Marketing for August 2024

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Welcome to our August 2024 edition of “What’s Trending,” where we bring you the most relevant marketing trends and insights. Stay informed and ahead of the game with our curated collection of marketing trends and reports in summer 2024.

Increase in Subscriptions

Subscription-based services have been becoming more and more common lately, and are expected to continue to grow in popularity. These services provide companies with recurring revenue. Subscription-based services also increase customer value, and can be used to incentivize higher engagement. Consumers especially value subscription offers that are tailored to customer preferences. Read more.

Lowe’s is Rebranding

Lowe’s is rebranding. The home improvement retailer is now calling its retail media network “Lowe’s Media Network.” They will be launching four new channels this year: direct mail for install services, in-store audio, paid search, and email. Lowe’s will also be expanding placements on their app. Read more.

Skin Care Pop-Up Event (With A Bus)

Neutrogena is hosting a Boost Bus pop-up event on August 31st and September 1st in Toronto. People will have the opportunity to talk with skincare experts to learn about skin vitality, protecting the skin, and hydration. The event will have games and prizes in addition to product samples. Read more.

Improving Your Marketing Program

6 Tips for Improving Brand Communication 

Brand communication is how your company communicates with their current and future customers. Good brand communication builds and maintains brand loyalty among customers in addition to setting your company apart from the competition. It is a core aspect of a company’s strategy and is important to the company’s success. Click here to learn six tips for improving your company’s brand communication.

5 Ways to Improve Your Display Ads 

Display advertising is a kind of online advertising that uses copy, images, and other visual elements. They come in many different formats like banner ads, video ads, interactive ads, and more. The benefits of display ads include brand awareness, visual appeal, performance tracking, and targeting capabilities. Click here to learn five ways to improve your display ads.

The Website Redesign Process- Why Content Comes First?

Redesigning a website is a time to boost the brand image, refresh the look and content of the website, and update all the product listings and sales offers. Learn why copy should be refreshed on your new and improved website, and how to do it. Read more.

Recent Marketing Reports, Updates, and Trends

Say Goodbye to Third-Party Cookies

Due to their users’ concerns about data privacy and protection, Google is currently phasing out third-party cookies. This will be finished in 2025. Being able to use third-party cookies to track user behavior across sites has allowed for audience segmentation and the use of targeted ads. To keep gathering consumer data without third-party cookies, offer rewards to users who give you their information and keep utilizing first-party cookies. Read more.

User-Generated Content

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Consumers’ desire for authenticity on social media platforms has given rise to user-generated content. Many customers do not trust advertisements, but they trust content made by real people. In the past five years, search engine interest for “user generated content” has increased by 200%. Read more.

Ethics and Sustainability

Your product or service alone is no longer enough. Today’s consumers care about the values of the brand selling that product or service, particularly the values that pertain to social and environmental responsibilities. This has prompted brands to partake in and showcase ethical and sustainable practices. Read more.

Extreme Personalization

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is allowing marketers to tailor digital experiences to individual consumers better than ever before. This personalization through AI will allow marketers to give consumers inclusive experiences. AI can also assist marketers in understanding their audiences and delivering content to consumers in local languages. Read more.

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What’s Trending in Marketing for July 2024

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Welcome to our July 2024 edition of “What’s Trending,” where we bring you the most relevant marketing trends and insights. Stay informed and ahead of the game with our curated collection of marketing trends and reports in summer 2024.

Customers Want to Know What’s in Products

Consumers in the United States have been paying more attention to health and wellness in recent years, especially when it comes to the products they purchase. Concerns regarding the safety of unknown ingredients and the health risks that come with some additives are on the rise. The shift towards cleaner cosmetic and food ingredients is called the “better-for-you” (BFY) trend. This change in the behavior of consumers has caused some retailers to come up with BFY products or revamp old products with the BFY trend in mind. The BFY trend gives companies the chance to earn or increase customers’ trust by offering BFY products. The BFY trend also means that companies must make sure their products are clean before it becomes too late. Read more.

Virtual Fragrance Experience 

L’Occitane en Provence worked with the leading virtual reality technology company, Emperia, to create L’Occitane Greenhouse. L’Occitane Greenhouse is a virtual environment that showcases the L’Occitane en Provence summer fragrance collection over three spaces: a main hall for women’s fragrances, an additional room for men’s fragrances, and a Middle East oasis. Read more.

Brands Partnering with “Deadpool & Wolverine”

The third DeadPool movie, “Deadpool & Wolverine” hit theaters on July 26th. Prior to the film’s release, many brands partnered with the movie for marketing purposes. These brands include Jack in the Box, Heineken, and Heinz. Jack in the Box added Mini Chimi Bang Bangs to their menu because the character Deadpool likes Chimichangas. The Heineken ad showed the two superheroes settling their rivalry. Heinz compared ketchup and mustard to the two superheroes’ costumes. Read more.

Improving Your Marketing Program

Up Your Email Engagement: Consumer-Oriented Strategies

Learn how to use consumer-oriented strategies to boost your email engagement. Use these six tips to keep your leads engaged, setting you up for successful email marketing. Read more.

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Marketing Blog Tips to Supplement Your Digital Strategy

Discover why maintaining a blog is crucial to your success as a company. Learn how to build and maintain a successful blog, and how to keep your blog in front of your audiences’ eyes. Read more.

Three Videos Every B2B Website Should Have

Video content adds personality, digestibility, and context to your website. Learn which three types of videos to include in your B2B website to increase sales with an effective digital marketing strategy and beat the competition. Read more.

Recent Marketing Reports, Updates, and Trends

B2B Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is gaining popularity in the B2B sector. B2B influencers are followed by professionals within their industry, and are typically industry thought leaders or experts on industry subject matter. B2B influencers showcase their industry knowledge by engaging in webinars, case studies, and discussions. While B2C influencer marketing concentrates on sales and short term engagement, B2B influencer marketing is centered around credibility and creating long-lasting relationships. Read more.

TikTok Marketing

Despite some marketers not knowing how to market their brand using short-form video content, or thinking that TikTok is only for Gen Z, you can expect more companies to utilize TikTok soon. TikTok has over one billion users. It also has a high rate of user engagement. Google and Meta are now seeing competition in TikTok’s ad platform, which now includes many ad targeting categories. Read more.

TikTok social media trending

Extreme Personalization

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is allowing marketers to tailor digital experiences to individual consumers better than ever before. This personalization through AI will allow marketers to give consumers inclusive experiences. AI can also assist marketers in understanding their audiences and delivering content to consumers in local languages. Read more.

  Struggling with low website traffic? Get practical tips to boost your online presence and attract new leads.  

What’s Trending in Marketing of March 2024

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Step right into our March 2024 of “What’s Trending,” your gateway to the latest in marketing trends and insights. Stay informed and ahead of the game with our collection of marketing trends and reports for the 2024 year.

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Google’s Update and Latest Changes

In its ongoing quest to enhance user experience and maintain the integrity of its search platform, Google unveiled an important core update in March 2024. This update marks a significant shift in the way Google evaluates content quality and addresses spam across the vast expanse of the internet. In this update lies an effort to minimize the presence of “unhelpful” content in search results. By refining its criteria for assessing content relevance and usefulness, Google aims to ensure that users are presented with the most valuable information in responses. This not only enhances the overall quality of search results but also raises the bar for content creators, compelling them to produce more substantive and engaging material.

These changes mean marketers and SEO experts need to rethink how they do things online. As Google updates its algorithms, they have to update their methods to make sure their content gets seen. By keeping up with these changes and adjusting their strategies, marketers can stay successful in the fast-paced online world. Read more here.

AI in Online Shopping

To meet consumer expectations, AI has a huge impact in online shopping now. IBM’s research found that more shoppers want AI help when they’re shopping. They want it to help them find products, solve problems, and get deals. But, even though companies want to give them this kind of help, what they offer often isn’t good enough, which makes shoppers unhappy. Still, shoppers like the idea of using AI, especially things like virtual assistants and features that use augmented reality.

Making AI shopping help work well means using customer data responsibly to give people personalized help that matches what they like. Also, since shoppers want better online and in-store experiences, AI is becoming really important for stores. Brands need to focus on using AI to make shopping more fun for customers while also making sure their privacy is protected and that everything is easy to use, no matter where they’re shopping. Read more here.

Automated Pausing in Ad Groups

Google Ads has recently implemented a significant update that introduces automated pausing of ad groups exhibiting low activity. This move aims to streamline budget efficiency for advertisers by redirecting resources towards more productive campaigns and eliminating wasteful spending on underperforming ad groups. One of the key advantages of automated pausing is its ability to optimize budget allocation in real-time. By automatically identifying and pausing ad groups with minimal activity, advertisers can prevent unnecessary expenditure on campaigns that fail to yield desired results. This proactive approach to budget management enables advertisers to allocate resources more effectively, maximizing the return on investment (ROI) from their advertising efforts. Read more here.

Learning Marketing Trends and Ideas

Tailoring The B2B Sales Funnel To Meet Your Needs

The B2B sales funnel typically consists of three main stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. However, it’s not rigid and can be adjusted to fit specific business needs while still incorporating elements of these stages. By tailoring the sales funnel, businesses can more effectively identify where customers are in their journey and determine appropriate actions.

For instance, a modified B2B sales funnel may include five stages:

  1. Lead Generation: Introducing leads to the company and establishing authority through content and online presence.
  2. Lead Nurturing: Continuing to educate leads about the company and their pain points, while qualifying them based on their level of interest and need.
  3. Initial Meeting: Engaging directly with qualified prospects through various interactions like discovery calls or product demonstrations to build trust and establish a relationship.
  4. Closing: Finalizing the deal and securing commitment from the prospect to do business with the company.
  5. Retention: Nurturing the relationship with customers after the sale to ensure continued business and encourage referrals, thus enhancing customer retention and attracting new leads through referrals.

This modified funnel retains elements of the standard three stages while providing a more tailored approach to understanding customer needs and journey progression. Read more here.

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Modern Logo Design Trends of 2024

In branding, a compelling logo is crucial for creating a lasting impression and distinguishing your brand. Modern logo designs are essential for crafting a memorable brand image in today’s digital age. Trends in logo design include minimalist designs, bold typography, handmade elements, and dynamic logos adaptable to different platforms. Handcrafted and calligraphic logos offer authenticity and uniqueness, standing out in a digital world. While AI-generated logos may lack originality and understanding of brand values, professional expertise ensures a logo reflects the brand’s ethos effectively. When designing a logo, prioritize simplicity, versatility, and alignment with brand values. Embracing modernity in branding with a well-designed logo enhances brand awareness and loyalty. Collaborating with a professional designer is a strategic investment in creating a logo that captures attention and resonates with your audience. Read more here.

Using Hashtags on LinkedIn

Using hashtags on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook helps users expand their audience beyond their followers. Hashtags categorize content with relevant keywords, making it visible to users searching for those terms. While hashtags are often seen as casual, they hold value on professional platforms like LinkedIn. Here are ten tips for using hashtags effectively on LinkedIn:

  1. Follow LinkedIn’s hashtag rules and limit the number of hashtags used.
  2. Follow relevant hashtags to monitor conversations and discover content ideas.
  3. Research industry trends and competitor content for hashtag inspiration.
  4. Create a company hashtag to strengthen brand identity.
  5. Utilize LinkedIn’s suggested hashtags feature.
  6. Use hashtags in comments as well as in posts to increase visibility.
  7. Balance niche and popular hashtags for broad and targeted reach.
  8. Incorporate location-based hashtags to target specific audiences.
  9. Utilize event hashtags to highlight involvement in industry events.
  10. Reuse effective hashtags from successful posts to maintain engagement.

Using hashtags on LinkedIn can attract more leads and engage clients and prospects effectively. Incorporating hashtags into posts can enhance visibility and encourage interaction, potentially leading to successful marketing campaigns. Read more here.

Recent Marketing Trends, Reports, and Updates

Blog Content Ideas

In March 2024, content marketers have a range of creative options beyond the typical themes of St. Patrick’s Day and college basketball. Instead, they can explore topics such as National Puppy Day, alternative “March Madness” activities, the transition to daylight saving time, spring fitness, and National Craft Month. These ideas offer opportunities to engage audiences with fun, informative, and helpful content related to various products and industries. For instance, content around National Puppy Day can appeal to pet lovers, while articles on adjusting to daylight saving time can provide practical tips relevant to different lifestyles. Similarly, focusing on spring fitness or National Craft Month allows marketers to offer valuable assistance and insights to their audience while promoting their products in a more organic and engaging way. Read more here.

Profitable E-Commerce Ideas

Several e-commerce business ideas cater to various niches and interests, offering opportunities for entrepreneurs. These include selling homemade pet treats, starting an educational platform, crafting handmade toys, and offering eco-friendly baby toiletries. Additionally, flipping thrifted goods, selling specialty foods, dessert boxes, brand-name fashion reselling, and online plant sales are popular options. Collectibles and natural cosmetic products present profitable ventures as well, along with home decor items like candles, rugs, and bedding. Each idea requires thorough research, compliance with regulations, and strategic marketing to ensure success in the competitive e-commerce landscape. Read more here.

AI in Writing

AI-aided writing, editing, and research tools, including ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, Grammarly, and others, have significantly advanced, making them invaluable for copywriters in tasks like brainstorming, research, outlining, and proofreading. While fears of AI taking over copywriting jobs persist, it’s unlikely to replace human writers entirely, as AI still frequently provides misleading information, termed “AI hallucination.” Despite its advancements, double-checking AI-generated content remains crucial to avoid errors. Read more here.

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