Welcome to the second edition of What's Hot in Marketing, a series in which we discuss the latest and greatest trends in this fast-paced and ever-evolving industry. As sales and marketing professionals, it's crucial that we stay updated and put our knowledge to use in order to build relationships with customers and ultimately drive sales.

Each post in the series highlights two online marketing trends that are taking the industry by storm. If you recall, Part One focused on sophisticated retargeting and online videos. Let's dive right in!

Marketing Trend #3: Utilizing Predictive Technology
By now we all understand the importance of analytics when it comes to increasing your sales, boosting your ROI, and planning future marketing campaigns. But recently there has been a surge in the use of predictive technology to analyze results and achieve competitive advantages. Predictive technology is a body of tools that uses advanced statistical modeling to help marketers proactively address problems, analyze patterns and consumer behaviors, identify possible bottlenecks, and act on profitable opportunities. Ever log on to Amazon to see a list of recommendations based on the purchases of customers with similar interests? Yep, they used predictive technology.

Marketing Trend #4: Personalizing Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs have been around for some time, but successful businesses have started to personalize not only the programs and offers, but also the channels through which the messages are received. Nowadays, marketers aren't limited to loyalty punch cards dangling off keychains or stuffed in wallets. Twitter feeds, emails, and even text messages are fair game when it comes to communications regarding exclusive sales or other loyalty perks.

Did you know that 41% of consumers say they purchase more from retailers that send them personalized emails based on past behavior¹? Whether you're delivering routers, servers, or security solutions, it's crucial to keep your customers' past behaviors in mind, as well as their preferred methods of communication.

Stay tuned for Part Three, where we will finish up our series with more industry trends.

It's never too soon to put the latest trends in action and grow your margins. Send us a message or call us at 800-500-3501 today to discover how we can use our marketing expertise to help you.

Source:
¹ Engage Consumers & Increase Buyer Readiness ThroughCustomer-Centric Marketing by The E-Tailing Group