News Tracking
Google keeps updating their core algorithm every now and then. These algorithm updates typically focus on improving the user experience of the general population that uses the search engine on a daily basis. While most of the time these updates do not hurt digital marketers to a huge extent, there were instances when they did.
Ironically, the element that you need to know the most isn’t made public. Google never reveals their source code and the updated information to the populace. But, you can get a hint of what the next digital marketing trend is going to be by following the news and podcasts. It is where experts—who have an extensive knowledge and database—come forward to share their knowledge, thoughts, and predictions about the recent updates.
Keeping a blind eye to social media trends can and will be an expensive mistake for your campaign. As the market evolves, so do social media trends. In the last 5 years, social media and social media content have witnessed such dynamic changes that it hasn’t seen in years.
Seeing how important social media is for digital marketing, digital marketing managers have gone over and beyond to secure tickets for their customers for this next big thing in marketing. Digital marketing agencies are learning new strategies and relearning old ones to be more effective on these new types of platforms.
And it’s evident from the growing number of ads and other marketing efforts on platforms, such as Tiktok, Instagram Reels, and Youtube Shorts, that digital marketing agencies are staking their claim–yet again–in new and growing social media platforms.
If you don’t learn to ride the waves when they are forming, you won’t be able to reach the top when it’s at its peak. Predicting the next social media trend is not hard, but embracing the change is what a failed campaign lacks.
Keeping tabs on your competitors’ social media accounts can help you learn a lot about their best practices. You might also want to consult a digital marketing agency to keep track of your competition and help you with an audit for your social media handles. You can use this resource to find the missing link in the puzzle and work toward business results like lead generation, sales, and engagement.
Performance Metrics
The best way to predict something is by peeking at how the current market is reacting to your campaigns. If you’ve had a successful run with your latest campaigns, then you already have started to swim with the stream. But if your campaigns aren’t producing the maximum return on investment (ROI), then it might be time to switch strategies. Tweak elements that impact digital marketing, like changing content structure and channel of communication.
In 2022, Apple introduced a no tracking feature in their latest IOS updates, which almost crippled Facebook and other social media ads altogether. Now, following the updates, the online forums are humming with the sound of distress due to the increased CPC and low conversion.
If you are a digital marketing agency and don’t follow performance metrics, this news will reach you only after a loss of thousands of dollars of your client’s money.
Competitor Tracking
Your digital marketing objective should be to beat your competitors in their own game. Keep a close eye on what your competitors are doing and how they are doing. Whenever you notice a shift in their campaign strategy or schedule, you must review your performance to ensure that you aren’t falling prey to ignorance.
Once in a while, you might miss a trending special event that your competitor is looking to score eyeballs from. But, with competitor tracking, you’re unlikely to fall behind. It’s like school all over again. Someone copying your homework gets an A while you are left with a B+.
It’s because they’ve sourced your material to build their content on top of it which you couldn’t. Don’t let yourself be a prey of the same thing again.
Customer Tracking
Customer tracking is not as easy as it may seem, and it goes beyond collecting names and email addresses. Although a compact database having details helps, it’s useless if you can’t extract information from them.
A hot new trend always starts with the customers. Imagine Steve Jobs presenting the first-ever iPhone on a podium full of empty chairs. It’d have been a disaster. The event was a success because marketing agencies made sure that they have tracked potential customers and are certain that they are seeking a new product of this kind.
If you already have a database of clients, look forward to just talking to them and understanding what they’ve been thinking about your product and if they are diverting to your competitors. If they do, you need to change your strategy as soon as possible.
Content A/B Testing
Content A/B testing is categorizing content to show to different audiences. While you already can customize your campaign to specify the customers it reaches, you can also customize your web pages to show different content to customers of different demographics.
If your revenue has recently plummeted due to abandoned carts, higher bounce rate, and website navigation issues, it might be the best time to introduce A/B testing in your digital marketing strategy to predict the latest trends.
A/B testing helps you to understand which set of content is driving the maximum traffic and reaction from the audience. In contrast to guesswork, A/B testing provides a certain, data-backed strategy framework that digital marketers can use to design their next campaign.
Surveys and Events
Start a survey. There is nothing more effective than getting a sneak peek of recent trends in digital marketing from the customers themselves. Ask your customers to participate in your survey, which might give you a sense of direction with rising trends.
Events can also be effective if you can make digital marketers show up. As digital marketing mostly is about reachability and networking, it’s likely that they’ll also be interested to know more about the next trend as you are.
The Bottom Line
It’s now evident from the points above that predicting the rising trend is impossible without a public relations strategy that lets you track customers with social media and emails. In addition to public relations strategies, you also need to take account of news tracking, performance metrics, and competitor tracking to effectively design your next campaign in accordance to the latest trends.