Q. What one marketing/branding/PR trend is just around the corner that businesses need to be aware of?

Few professions face more rapid change than those in the marketing world. What was effective last year may not work this year, as communications platforms and technology are continually changing. So the Business Record asked local marketing professionals to weigh in with their predictions on the most important trends that marketing professionals need to focus on the rest of this year. Here are their key points: 

Customer service is the new marketing 

“I see a world where product or service providers will be held accountable for product performance throughout the entire life cycle. Massive improvements in technology will continue to enhance buyer/seller relationships long after the sale is made; and service, upgrades, logistics and feedback will be greatly enhanced. Technology is driving everything, especially marketing.” 
Connor Flynn, Chairman, Lessing Flynn

“Customer service is the next era of marketing. Consumers have found their voice, and they are determined to tell the world about you — good or bad. Most companies are woefully unprepared for dealing with online reviews, customer service requests/concerns coming through social channels, blogs, etc. The companies that master communicating/responding to customers via ALL channels will be the market leaders of the future.” 
Drew McLellan, CEO, McLellan Marketing Group

“Brand content alone is not going to cut it in 2016; there’s already too much noise. What’s next is amplifying great customer experiences. Creating remarkable experiences always nets a return because it generates great word of mouth, and online discoverability is much easier when you have advocates. The trend we’re seeing is businesses getting better at helping customers tell the stories. That starts with effective customer engagement, and there are more involved opportunities like brand ambassadors and other crowd-level tactics focused on getting others to say good things about your work. Machines are replacing people for all sorts of tasks, including marketing. The troubling trend is that we’re seeing really clumsy automation. As people adopt mobile messaging (Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc.) in part to escape the brand content onslaught, it’s really important to show up on social media like a real person. Keep it human.”
Ryan Hanser, President, Hanser & Associates

Keepin’ it real

“People will continue to want to see and hear stories about real people. Brands are going to have to focus even more on shareable content that’s more about their customers than product or service.” 
Antoinette Bernich, Director of Marketing and Communications, Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa

Come on in, big brother

“Personalized digital messaging and recommendations across all devices. There has been a dramatic shift from people being offended by how much companies know about them to now expecting it at every interaction. Highly targeted, relevant, timely messaging that is delivered when and where you want it with ease is not for just the major retailers anymore, it is expected across all categories.” 
Mike Gerrish, Vice President, Marketing Communications and Customer Experience, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Once more, with feeling: video, video, video

“Tactically speaking, one of the biggest marketing trends we will see in the coming years is the incorporation of video to otherwise traditional marketing pieces (without using the much-despised QR code). Companies across many segments should be looking for cross-platform integration through the use of technology like augmented reality. In the future, prospective customers will be able to simply scan a page of a product brochure with their smartphone and have a video pop up on their device. Video is already — and will continue to be to an even greater degree — everywhere in terms of marketing.” 
Matt Glynn, Partner, Performance Marketing

“Nowadays users are more likely to watch a video of interest than read an article or report. Having a well-shot and produced video can make all the difference in how the viewer and your potential customer perceives your business.”
Thomas Woody, Production Sales Specialist, Screenscape Studios

“Shorten your message to increase the opportunity for your audience to stay focused and use video, as the power of video won’t go away. The best news is that video production doesn’t have to consume a majority of your marketing budget. Find ways to introduce video into your marketing mix in simple ways. Capture the CEO out volunteering in the community and post about why volunteerism is important to your organization. If you have an event coming up, personalize a special invitation on video to include in your promotional email. Video is ranked higher in social media feeds than text-only posts, and even higher than posts with photos or graphics, meaning video will be seen by more people.” 
Michelle DeClerck, President, Conference Event Management

“With respect to digital media, images will continue to rise in importance and use, while text and text search will begin to fade. According to Mary Meeker’s ‘2016 Internet Trends Report,’ it is predicted that within five years, at least 50 percent of searches will be made through images or speech. Brand experiences that enable people to share visually interesting stories and better connect with friends and family will continue to reign supreme.” 
Caroline Jones, Consultant, Caroline Jones Social Media Development

Promising platforms

“I think the next game changer will be the ability to buy traditional media, such as TV, programmatically with similar targeting capabilities as we now have with digital marketing.”  
Anna Konchar, CEO and founder, Advisori

“Email and Facebook are becoming passé. The millennials, even older generations don’t make or take phone calls, either. Snapchat and other means of communications are becoming the best way to communicate with some. Businesses must stay ahead and anticipate the newest ways of communicating with audiences. … Keeping up on the latest greatest is not easy in our business.” 
Denise Essman, President and CEO, Essman/Associates and Essman/Research

Buzzwords

“I think, I hope, we are finally done with the ‘robust’ buzzword. Now you are going to hear buzzwords like ‘buyer’s journey’ …” 
Kristina Carson, Director of Marketing and Communications, Focus OneSource

Catching the Z’s

“Many companies are still trying to figure out how to market to millennials, but Generation Z is quickly maturing and making purchases of their own. This generation is larger than the baby boomers and has been so digitally connected since birth that it will make it even harder to catch (and hold) their attention.”
Jessica Maldonado, Public Affairs Manager, PolicyWorks

“Snapchat. If you want to connect with teens or 20-somethings, you need to be promoting snaps and stories via this mobile app.” 
Heidi Mannetter, Assistant Professor in Practice, Drake University

Tech tip

“I recently learned about SnapChat geofilters. During an event you can pay to have a special filter available designed to help advertise your business in a specific geographic area. (Example: A ‘corndog’ filter may show up on SnapChat while you are on a county fairground).” 
Caitlyn Lamm, Regional Marketing Coordinator, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Make it personal

“Personalization is more important than ever. The days of sending mass email product offers to all customers using the same language and imagery is over. It is important to segment your customers based not only on demographics, but also what motivates them, and how they want to interact with your company. Only then can you be prepared to send automated content (not always trying to sell something), using language and photos that speak directly to them, when they are looking. Building a consistent library of educational content is key to drawing them in and earning your trust as a valuable resource.”
Emily Abbas, Chief Marketing Officer, Bankers Trust

“The use of real-time personalization tools and emerging technologies to better customize and personalize communication between brands and the target audience, ultimately maximizing engagement.” 
Genevieve Dean and Liz Adelman, Partners, AdelmanDean Group