It seems like every industry is caught up in the wave of change caused by technology. From social media influencers to traditional advertising, digital marketing strategies, and email marketing, the approach to marketing has shifted. The way we consume information has changed, and so has marketing.

One of the most prominent advertising industry trends that has changed the game is online targeted marketing. We will go over the basic principles of this new marketing approach in regards to your small business.

Consumers Have A Much Higher Expectation Of Brands

This trend does not just apply to big brands. According to HubSpot Blogs research, consumers have a much higher expectation of brands. Just take a quick look at your own social media feeds and you will see what we mean. More and more consumers are expecting to see brands rise to the occasion, satisfy their needs, and provide an excellent customer experience. This is simply not something that a few big brands can do on their own. It takes a complete rethinking of how brands can interact with customers.

Even well-known brands that have been around for decades must adapt to this new world. Take P&G as an example. This brand is known for their affordable and effective household products. However, even they must alter their approach to marketing due to the digital age.

Personalization Is King (Or Queen)

Thanks to the power of technology, brands can now directly target consumers based on their interests, hobbies, lifestyle, and so much more. This has completely changed the game for brands because it allows them to specifically address the right person (or audience).

For example, if you run a blog or an online store, you can use tools like HubSpot’s Marketing Automation, which helps businesses connect the right message with the right audience, to streamline your marketing efforts and make them more personal.

This kind of targeted marketing is often referred to as ‘personalized marketing’ or ‘customized marketing’. It is all about delivering the right message, to the right person, at the right time. Personalization is essential because a business cannot be everything to everyone. This would be a disservice to the customers that the business does serve. Instead, being individual and unique is what will make the customer remember you. With personalization, you can ensure that every message, whether it is on social media or in an email, will have a much higher chance of being recalled and acted upon by your audience.

Mobile Is The Hub

With mobile now accounting for over 75% of internet usage, all businesses, big or small, cannot afford to ignore this platform. Mobile users expect to see brands respond quickly to their queries and provide valuable content that is still relevant and interesting.

According to HubSpot Blogs research, 71% of consumers want their favorite brands to have a mobile-optimized website. Further, 70% of consumers want brands to respond to them on mobile. This simply means that consumers are more likely to interact with brands on mobile than on traditional laptops or desktop computers. To keep up with consumer demand, your website must look good on mobile and provide an excellent user experience.

Mobile websites are not just about fancy designs and big, beautiful photographs. According to HubSpot Blogs research, 22% of mobile websites are now fully functional and require only a touch of the user to navigate. This means that users can access all the content on mobile websites without having to click away to a different platform (like a desktop website).

Engagement Wins

This new breed of consumers, born and raised on social media, now expect to see their favorite brands engage with them on their own terms. Specifically, consumers want to see brands respond to their every move, comment, and like on social media. In other words, they want to see the ‘brand community’ on social media.

To attract and retain customers, brands must now not only consider what the customers want, but also what the customers are doing on social media. The approach to marketing is changing, and so must your efforts to keep up with the trends. To learn more, check out these links:

• What is mobile marketing?

  (Info on this topic from the HubSpot Blog).

• How to set up a marketing team

  (Info on this topic from the HubSpot Blog).

• How to structure a digital marketing plan

  (Info on this topic from the HubSpot Blog).

• How to measure the success of your digital marketing efforts

  (Info on this topic from the HubSpot Blog).

• The role of mobile phones in marketing

  (Info on this topic from the HubSpot Blog).