What You Need to Win Marketing in 2016

It’s the new year! And like every new year, you go through your stuff and throw out your old calendar, your old notecards, your… marketing strategy?

Well, in some senses. The new year brings new ways to reach people, and new marketing trends that you need to take advantage of to stay on top of the game. Read on and find out what you need to know to win marketing in 2016.

Social Media

Not surprisingly, social media is still going strong. Under the general social media umbrella, however, individual platforms are taking off as their technology improves, making them more versatile and offering users more bang for their buck. Instagram is growing as a marketing platform as it incorporates ads and short videos and allows non-square images, and Twitter’s use will grow from its already staggering 5,700 tweets per second, partly fueled by its purchase of Periscope.

Live Video

Live video broadcasting is on the upswing, thanks to platforms like Periscope, Facebook Video, Blab and Snapchat. These platforms make it easy to get your message out there without needing to produce a video, and the real-time nature of streaming live helps create strong connections with your target audience. For specific ways to use live video to promote your brand, check out our Creative Director Sam’s guest post for AdWeek about 5 Ways Brands Can Leverage Live Video Broadcasting.

Educational Content

Content marketing isn’t new, but demand for educational content is growing. Online learning opportunities like the Khan Academy are hugely popular, and LinkedIn recently jumped on the online learning bandwagon by purchasing the online learning site Lynda.com. With such a demand for digital educational content, you can drive traffic to your site by providing the information that people are searching for.

Print

Tangible printed products are making a return, as a surge in online printing shops and the high resolution of phone cameras make it easier to develop quality materials. Printed leave-behinds are a good option to consider for raising brand awareness.

Logos

For logos, simple is chic, which is partly due to the huge number of mediums available for marketing – the simpler the logo, the more versatile it is. Companies are also trying to “own” their color, creating a link between the color of their logo and their company in the minds of the public.

There you have it! You’ll see these marketing trends get bigger as the year goes on, so stake your claim in the marketing space now. You don’t have to take advantage of all of these trends, but pick two or three and you’ll see the difference! If you’re looking for help developing a custom strategy that fits your business, let us know and we’d love to talk.