Because no, you don’t actually need to buy a fancy new business tool or the latest online course to next-level your marketing strategy.

It’s not like some new industry wide marketing concept is falling from the sky every single day that you’re missing out on. I’ve  seen the same “trends” on big name marketing and business blogs repeating for like, the past 8 years now…#mobilefirst #duh

So exhale a sigh of relief knowing that you don’t have to spend a dime to get new marketing strategy ideas because today I’m sharing some liberating marketing perspective along with some done-for-you marketing ideas to swipe for FREE.

This one blog post is going to show you how you can next-level your marketing strategy with 7 other industry trends to try + done-for-you examples to swipe so you can:

• Try something in your marketing strategy that you HAVEN’T tried yet
• Gain a competitive advantage by staying on top of the latest, engaging industry trends
• Sky-rocket your conversions and grow your email list

 

Look, I get it. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to map out how to get to your business goals feeling like you’ve tried every tip, trick, and hack under the entrepreneur sun.

Blah.

I know exactly what it’s like to feel like you can’t move fast enough to get to the “next level” in your business and wonder what next course, mastermind, or Target prop you can buy next to write off as a “business expense”.

I’ve signed up for too many “wait-lists” for online courses and have returned more coffee mugs and desk accessories for a better Instagram “strategy” to Target than I care to admit… and I can’t have you doing the same. The simple truth is this:

You are enough. You’re brave enough. Smart enough. Creative Enough.

And you don’t need to buy a single thing to uplevel your marketing strategy.

It’s the worst feeling to sit down each month and map out your marketing strategy only to find yourself planning the exact same things over and over again. That’s why I’ve come up with some strategic thinking exercises to get those creative juices flowing each month and today, I’m sharing one of my favorite go-to’s:

looking at other industry trends to include as part of my marketing strategy.

Today, I want to share 7 advertising industry trends with you that you can use to next-level your marketing strategy and creative thinking.

7 advertising trends to use to next-level your marketing strategy:

First, I guess I should answer “Why advertising? Aren’t marketing and advertising the same thing?”.

Technically, the answer is no. In small business, however, they’re often interchangeable which is why I still refer to the industry when planning out my marketing strategies.

My marketing professor taught it like this:Marketing is like a pie and advertising is just a slice. So within the marketing pie you can have all sorts of slices like advertising, public relations, sales, product, branding, research & development, etc.

Marketing is the promoting and selling of your goods so think of advertising as just one of the ways you can do that. And since you’re in small business, you basically have one department (or slice): marketing.

I spent nearly half of my corporate career in advertising and am to this day, intrigued by all the creative, technology, and strategy that comes along with the industry. And though I formally left my corporate advertising gig for a full-time manager role in our marketing department- and now teach marketing strategy full time in my own business… advertising never left my digital media-loving heart.

Now in my very own small business, I’ve combined my enthusiasm for advertising and passion for marketing to get the best of both worlds when drafting my marketing strategy each month. 

 

Today, I want to share  7 advertising industry trends that you can use to take your marketing strategy to the next level and think outside the box the next time you plan. Here they are:

1. Native advertising

• What is it? It’s basically an ad experience that follows the user experience. For example, you may be looking for places to visit in Mexico and in the middle of reading your “Places to visit in Mexico” article you may find an ad for a hotel near that place (not by coincidence). 
• Best suited for: Bloggers.
• Swipeable idea: If you’re a blogger and use affiliate programs, use a blog post that’s relevant to one of your affiliate partners to place an image in between text to replicate an ad. This allows you to not have to write an entire post about the affiliate partner AND spares you another stock image to search for. #doublewhammy

2. Sticky advertising

• What is it? Those little boxes that stick above navigation bars and at the bottoms of your mobile screens that solicit a call to action.
• Best for: Business owners with free download offers or newsletter sign up offer or bloggers monetizing content with Google ads.
• Swipeable idea: Have your developer drop a bar shape (recommended of equal size to your navigation bar) above your navigation bar that promotes your newsletter. If you use Showit, you can easily add a new canvas (roughly 50 pixels in length) with a simple button above your existing top canvas. Include text only that points to a landing page or popup form or drop the form directly in the bar. Tip: I like the bottom sticky ads too, but if you use them, make sure it’s not blocking important content on the page or include an “x” /close option for your users so they aren’t annoyed every time they visit.

3. Retargeting advertising

• What is it? Advertising that targets users who have previously engaged (or not engaged) with your ad. Those Amazon ads that have abandoned items in your cart don’t follow you for a reason 😉
• Best for: Business owners with tagged or “segmented” email lists, shop owners, or anyone using paid forms of advertising.
• Swipeable idea: If you have a solid email marketing strategy and already track your users behavior, retarget someone who has shown interest in a previous product or topic with your latest related offering. If you’re a shop owner using paid advertising and someone clicked your ad previously but didn’t complete the purchase, target them with a new promotional incentive to get them to finalize their purchase.

4. Post-roll adverting

• What is it? Advertising at the end of a video.
• Best for: Bloggers with or without existing video content.
• Swipeable idea: If you’re a vlogger, incorporate a slide at the end of your video with a relatable, call to action to another product, service, or newsletter sign up ask at the end of your video.

5. Interstitial advertising

• What is it? Those really, really big screen takeover ads that prompt you to sign up for a newsletter or if you’re in an app, that block your whole screen to show you sponsored/affiliate content. Intrusive indeed, but super effective.
• Best for: Online business owners with an email list (or looking to grow one).
• Swipeable idea: Start with desktop and create a pop up with a form already in it. If you have a sophisticated pop-up program, try greying out the background to make the form pop even more to grab the users attention. Lastly, always always have a close option and make sure the close option actually works (on all devices!). #PetPeeve

6. Video advertising

• What is it? Video + advertising= video advertising. Basically self explanatory.
• Best for: Any business owner trying to stand out in a saturated ad market.
• Swipeable idea: Skip the static Facebook and Instagram ads or run an a/b test using a video ad to get more eyeballs on your copy and clicks to your page. It doesn’t need to be long or professionally published, it can actually be as simple as an animated gif that causes the user to stop the scroll and want to read more of your ad.

7. Hyper local advertising

• What is it? Hyper local or “geotargeting” ads uses ads to target a user based on their geographical location.
• Best for: Business owners seeking local clientele, say photography or events local to you and your services. Any business owner looking to grow in-person networking opportunities.
• Swipeable idea: Try using popular local hashtags in your social media posts instead of universal,big- brand hashtags if you’re looking to grow your local networking strategy or are looking to promote for free via your social feeds. Or if you’re paying for ads, target your ads by geography and consider bidding higher for these types of leads if you know they are more willing to attend/purchase.

8. Sponsored Advertising

• What is it? Paid forms of content promotion. For example, a brand hires a website to review their product and post it to their blog of a similar audience for a fee- typically a pretty hefty fee. I once read Buzzfeed charged around $100k per post!
• Best for: Bloggers and affiliate partners.
• Swipeable idea: If you have an email list, consider pitching to some influencers about messaging your email list for a sponsored advertiser opportunity. You could review their product and write it in your own voice as it pertains to your business.

So next time you’re looking for something new to try or if you just need some strategy ideas to tackle that upcoming launch, promo, etc- give one of these a try. And if you’re just feeling overwhelmed with all the choices and want to hop on a quick call, I’ll give you my personal opinion for free- see below and meet your new marketing best friend.