The Impact of Modern Marketing Trends
A good marketing strategy is the most reliable revenue driver in most businesses. A working strategy, however, will sooner rather than later hit a saturation point. As such, the famous old saying, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, does not ring true anymore, especially in the field of marketing. Marketing is now viewed as a dynamic concept that is continuously shifting and changing. On a yearly or even a monthly basis, new marketing trends are continually emerging and having a significant impact on the way marketers connect and engage with consumers.
Hence, tml Partners believe that it is within marketing leaders’ best interests to seek these trends and be aware of their influence. The fine line between success and failure can often be determined by how fast marketers can react to the current trends and accommodate them within their marketing strategy. The following represents tml Partners’ views on the trends that are causing a significant shift in the way companies engage in marketing.
A customer-centric approach
Prioritising the client is not just about offering superior customer service, it means ensuring a great experience throughout the customer’s purchase journey; from product awareness to post-purchase. In short, it involves ensuring customers are the primary focus of the business, and it can yield significant benefits to organisations. Most importantly, it has a direct effect on the bottom line. According to Deloitte, customer-centric focused companies are found to be 60 per cent more profitable than the rest. Also, most successful companies attribute their success towards high customer satisfaction. As Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon, once said, “If there’s one thing Amazon.com is about, it is obsessive attention to the customer experience, end-to-end”.
The importance of this approach was also in tml Partners’ recent roundtable discussion involving marketing leaders in the professional services industry, when Charlotte Green – the Head of UK BD & Marketing, Bird & Bird, emphasised the significance of “getting the whole firm wrapped around the client”. The benefits of putting the customer first are tremendous and long-lasting; therefore, the likelihood of more firms transforming their marketing strategy to reflect such an approach is quite high.
Incorporating innovation: the double-edged sword
Marketing automation and technology is a popular strategic tool for many marketing leaders. Such changes are constantly evolving and allowing marketers and brands to scale more efficiently and make more informed decisions. Marketing innovations such as chatbots, machine learning, augmented and virtual reality have the potential to enhance a customer’s journey through the marketing funnel.
However, on the flip side, these innovations can cause a strain on customer relationships or the ‘personal touch’ that marketers should have built with customers. This is not to say that firms need to limit the use of advanced technology and automation; in fact, the opposite is true. However, innovation should not come at the expense of customer relationships; instead, the two should work hand in hand and complement each other.
Benefitting from emerging trends
One way to ensure that your brand’s marketing strategy reflects today’s trends and is finely tuned to benefit from them is to ensure that the right marketing leaders are in place.
Through tml Partners, you can connect with the right talent to fill senior marketing positions. Whether it is board-level marketing positions or a chief marketing officer on an interim basis, our team of experienced marketing recruitment consultants can help you find the right fit for your organisation. So, if you think you will benefit from our specialised services, please don’t hesitate to get in touch here.
tml Partners is the UK’s leading marketing recruitment agency.