Marketing to the consumer of the future requires a paradigm shift from traditional models about getting a product or service to people based on whether they want it.
The new model is about getting a product or service to people based on how it improves their lives and lifestyle.
Consumers are empowered with a lot more information now than they used to. So, if you want to sell to someone, you have to turn information into meaningful, desired actions. After all, the consumer of the future is searching for answers and utility.
This modern approach requires data-driven insights rooted in the customer’s journey.
Now, marketers must embrace holistic methods to build an audience and inspire affinity for their brand while also persuading customers to make a purchase. These principles apply to large enterprises as well as newly incorporated businesses.
Customer conversations
If only 1 in 26 unhappy customers complain while the rest say nothing, companies should not consider the absence of negative feedback as a sign that all is well.
Many businesses lose customers consistently but cannot pinpoint a reason because they don’t talk to their customers.
Conversations offer the best opportunity to build meaningful relationships and directly shape each individual’s perception of your brand.
Your interaction with customers and leads should demonstrate how much you care about their needs and how committed you are to solving their problems. Analysing their feedback often uncovers ideas and insights that you might use to improve your business.
Community building
The fundamental advantage in the rise of social audio, live video, and just about any social media trend is that it brings about a sense of community and a new way to interact with people we share values with.
Psychology teaches that human beings have an innate need for community, to feel connected to like-minded people.
Building a community around your business isn’t just about sharing content and information – it’s about engaging with customers on a personal level.
There are many opportunities to organise your customers around digital events today. Take advantage of the opportunities and you’ll have a better chance of building long-lasting relationships with future consumers.
Informative advertising
When it comes to making choices, decision fatigue may affect consumers more than they realise.
When people begin to draw a concerning line in the sand, they either won’t make a decision or simply delay making one.
An effective way of advertising is to make an element of your selling process so informative that people are compelled to your product.
It’s easy to show people how your product works, but what’s more effective is to show them why it’s the best solution for their particular problem.
Micro-influencer marketing
Micro-influencers bring an element of authenticity to marketing campaigns by telling their stories in socially relevant and relatable ways.
These are people who may have a small, vocal following but can still influence their niche audience through their actions.
These Micro-influencers (with <15,000 followers) have the highest engagement rates of all categories of influencers on major social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
This is the power of micro-influencer marketing – it becomes more accessible than ever to promote your brand in a targeted manner.
Create campaigns involving multiple micro-influencers to simultaneously tap into various audience sections and market your brand/product more widely.
Marketing automation
New media marketing automation tools and technology solutions can make your company a more agile player in today’s marketplace.
You can record up to 15% gain in sales productivity and reduce marketing overhead by 12% via automation tools.
You can use them to set up and manage email marketing campaigns, create Facebook ads, or drive lead generation through phone calls. Automated campaigns keep you at the top of your game while reducing the workload of your marketing team.
Businesses today have to deal with large volumes of data; these tools help you comb through the mess, make sense of the raw data, and extract meaningful insights for business gains.
Brand storytelling
Storytelling is not out of vogue yet. In fact, in Twitter’s pandemic marketing study, 70% of respondents wanted brands to boost positivity and share positive stories.
Storytelling is how your customers learn about your company and connect your brand to their lives.
While there is consensus that most companies need a strong brand message, there’s considerable disagreement about how exactly to deliver that message.
The best approach is to use unique data-driven techniques to help ingrain your company’s message in the minds of customers and prospects.
Preparing for future marketing trends
The future of marketing is far from being linear. Indeed, it’s a big mess.
The current problem is that many leaders still think of marketing in terms of lists of channels and things we have to do – rather than thinking about how we can offer someone something that improves their life and job.
Your goal in marketing to the consumer of the future is to connect on levels that are as close as possible to the heart.
Online Marketing Consultant, Joseph Chukwube is the Founder and CEO of Digitage.net and Startup Growth Guide, result-driven content marketing and SEO agencies that help brands generate organic traffic, demand and exposure. He has been published on Tripwire, B2C, InfosecMagazine and more.
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