IQ-Magazine-Issue-15

IQ marketing
WHEN A TREND
ISN’T A TREND
The age of social
Social media has evolved to become an undeniably
important part of how we communicate. Years ago,
it was labelled by many as a total ‘fad’, but now – budgets
are doubling for social left right and centre. It’s grown
up and now produces a visible and measurable return
on investment, if implemented correctly.
As we consider what the New Year will
bring, Emma Ward, marketing manager at
Cubiqdesign, shares what we can’t afford
to ignore in the marketing world for 2016.
As a rule, most people avoid trends. They’re perceived
to be risky and adopting them too early, or keenly, can
make you look like an idiot. You only have to look as
far as Twitter to see how quickly trends can change, but
a blanket rejection of the ‘new and evolving’ isn’t the
answer for 2016.
Businesses can be hesitant to embrace what they
consider to be transient trends in the digital world,
because they don’t think they’ll still be relevant in years
to come and aren’t worth the investment. But there are
developments that have moved beyond ‘trend’ status,
and are now essential to how we market ourselves in
the modern world.
Those who adopted early are entering a second wave of
sophistication as they’ve learned from the mistakes they
made early on, and are reaping the benefits. Insights from
early campaigns have shaped knowledge of customer
behaviour across different channels and activity has been
refined accordingly. Businesses need to look at how they’re
performing on social to identify what can be refined and
improved from a strategic perspective.
Rise of the robots
Data science and new technologies are enhancing the
artistry of marketing at an industrious pace. The influx
of data, and its increasing complexity, has resulted in
a real skills gap for many businesses, which will need
to be addressed sooner rather than later.
This data is being collected from website analytics, email
marketing software and social media channels, as well
as back office systems, but many are struggling to make
best use of this information. Understanding data and
gathering insights that help make informed decisions,
is an undeniably valuable skill set for 2016. Getting to
grips with multi-channel attribution modelling, customer
flow visualisation and conversion rate optimisation should
be high up on the priority list.
The digital space has become more sophisticated, and
as more platforms evolve their ability to generate income,
advertising technology (AdTech) has raised its game.
Social media advertising, mobile marketing, PPC, display
advertising, re-targeting and more have become an
essential part of how businesses operate online. Keeping
up to date with what’s possible, and which channels can
provide the best return, are essential next year.
issue 15 | page 36