We are Christina and Peter Pilarski, founders and leaders of CIPR Communications.

The world of marketing moves quickly and new trends emerge constantly. When building your marketing budget, you need to be aware of current trends and keep an eye on the emergence of future ones, always thinking about how they could enhance your marketing strategy. However, it’s important that you don’t get distracted by all the shiny tools, fashionable ideas and new practices that will inevitably emerge in digital marketing. Many of these trends are great, but they may not necessarily be appropriate for your business and marketing goals.

Start simple and build over time

In the previous episode, we talked about understanding your growth stage and how it should inform your marketing budget. The subject of growth stages is relevant when it comes to trends as well. If you’re a new business just starting out with marketing and your focus is on getting off the ground, sophisticated new marketing tools may not be for you. You would more likely want to employ simpler, tried and tested tactics and then expand your strategy as you become better established and your marketing strategies get more sophisticated.

You also need to consider the costs involved with capitalizing on the latest trends, because each new tool will require training and time for your team to master it. Another thing to consider is your target audience. Just because a new tool has become all the rage, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it will be perfect for your brand and audience.

Marketing trends can be big distractions or mean major gains for your business. Consider them carefully as part of your marketing budget and make sure you understand if, how and where they fit in.