A new year calls for a selection of new trends, and 2018 is certainly no different. When it comes time to prepare for the times ahead, which trends are worth keeping on your radar?

So much is changing this year. Facebook has changed their algorithm to rank posts based on engagement, so there goes organic reach again. Also, many experts believe that Facebook ads are going to get significantly more expensive. Instagram is constantly launching new things, such as Instagram Shopping, which creates a brand new shopping experience for mobile users.

How do you keep up with all the changes?

You pick a few trends that are the most popular and effective and double down on those.

Let’s break down the top 5 marketing trends to follow in 2018.

1. Influencers & Influencer Management

The rise of influencers and influence-related content has taken the marketing world by storm over the past five years or so. How does it work? The method relies on influencers in online communities, those with large followings, to leverage their “social” status to promote products through spontaneous content and sponsored posts.

It all comes down to that personalised touch, but how do you find the right influencer for your business? You can either do a manual search on Google or on the social platform of your choice, or you can speed things up and use an influencer tool like Grin.

Grin is unique in that it automates virtually all the elements of an influencer campaign for you. It not only makes finding influencers for your brand easier, but it is also able to automate payments, billing, and it analyses the campaign data and your results.

One of the most difficult elements of influencer marketing has been tracking its success and reach, but with tools like this, we may well be venturing into a space where that is much easier.

2. The (Continued) Rise of Chatbots

In the same vein as influencer marketing, chatbots involve more personal involvement between businesses and potential customers. Primarily used in the world of e-commerce and for content syndication, when used properly chatbots can enhance a user’s experience and can even get them to convert faster by offering a unique customer experience and a personal interaction.

Here is a message that Andrew Warner sent using his Facebook Messenger bot:

How is it done? When made part of your marketing strategy, chatbots can be used to increase open rates to 90% and can be used to develop direct calls to action (“buy buttons”) which allow customers to make decisions in the moment, in the message itself – without having to guide them elsewhere. It’s business-forward content, in a digital environment that is comfortable for everyday users.

As we move forward into 2018, chatbots are going to play an ever-increasing role in how we see products marketed, launched, and how we interact with them on social media.

3. Social Media Automation

In order to take your social presence to new heights, you need to automate it to handle a larger influx of activity. While every interaction deserves a personal touch, it is often not possible when trying to grow your business and brand at the same time.

Automation allows things to be consistent, can improve engagement rates, and ultimately results in more effective social listening (the kinds of conversations going on around certain topics, around the world).

One great social media automation tool to use is Sendible, which not only helps you publish content and engage with your followers but has a CRM feature that helps you treat your social media contacts as leads for your business.

It also connects your social media analytics with Google analytics for your site to help you track each social media campaign and how much traffic it generated.

How do you keep track of it all, though? A tool like Nuvro allows for effective organisation of projects, campaigns, and team management. It literally helps you organise all of your business and easily share it with your team.

In a world of increasing online social interactions, how brands seek to manage them will play a large role in 2018’s marketing success. That’s why having the right tools at your disposal is so important.

4. Outbound Email Campaigns

The dreaded cold email might be getting a bit of a makeover in 2018. Rather than stoking current leads, outbound email campaigns rely on generating increased interest in your product or service. The most interesting facet of this emergent trend are the tools that are making it so easy.

Take the tool MailShake, for instance, which is a really simple tool that helps automate outbound email campaigns. All you have to do is choose from one of their stunning templates, populate the information, and watch as the opens and responses roll in.

Another great tool to use is Ninja Outreach, which is used primarily as a way to build a Rolodex of bloggers and influencers across the web.

5. B2B Lead Generation

In just about any industry, LinkedIn is one of the easiest ways to generate leads. 2018 might be the year where that really kicks into overdrive and LinkedIn graduates from simply being a place where you update your resume.

This is where automation tools for LinkedIn come to play. Not only can they help you extract connections, in order to expand your network, but automation tools can be used to garner endorsements and other response in an affordable way.

Consider LinkedHelper, for example, which has fast become the #1 tool for LinkedIn automation. It’s a chrome extension that handles all of the heavy lifting, and can connect you with up to 50 people per day. It can also send out mass messages, make your messages more personable, and can help utilise LinkedIn in its new role as a B2B lead generator.

2018’s Top Trends Discovered

Another year promises another exciting round of developments in the world of marketing, with the tools to get it done.

These are some of the ones we have identified for this year, but what else is on the horizon?
Only time will tell…