When businesses think outside the box and create predictions they can truly own, it’s much easier to stand out.
This could mean publishing a list of what the industry was missing last year, a business bucket list of things your team would love to work on in 2024, or even previous industry trends that you see coming back around (think: will B2B direct mail campaigns bounce back post-pandemic?).
This way, your team has space to think abstractly about your industry and the year just passed, so you don’t lose the recognizable format of a trends piece.
Hotwire has the tools and expertise to be truly curious. Let's chat about how we can inject this into your brand and communications strategy.
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Every year, marketing and communications are becoming more unpredictable. With technological advancement moving at an evermore rapid pace, predictions are following suit – the astronomical growth in trend content surrounding GenAI last year after the launch of ChatGPT is testament to this. Our Creative Director Camilo expressed this same sentiment in an end of year piece on the Hotwire blog.
But focusing only on broad, future-gazing macro trends can see businesses ignore the only thing they can control: the micro. To be valuable, trends and predictions need to be specific and immediately actionable, so using data to home in on the smaller-scale changes that will affect customers in the coming months will be far more influential and impactful.
FROM:
TextFX
JANUARY 10 / 2024
With 2023 behind us and January in full swing (whether you like it or not), we’re currently overwhelmed with content predicting what the year ahead will have in store. Amongst all the industry noise, how can businesses make sure that trend content is relevant, actionable, and stands out from the rest?
Key Takeaway ›
When it comes to developing predictions or trend content, think about how you can offer real value to the reader. Rather than focusing on grand claims about the future of the industry, instead consider well-informed strategies that can be acted on immediately.
Crucially, you don’t have to wait until the end or the beginning of a new year to talk about the smaller shifts and micro trends you’re seeing. To keep content truly relevant and engaging, recognise changes as they happen and use them to spark conversation and inspire action.
Here's what businesses are getting wrong about trends.
The unpredictability of predictions
Drop!
Be bold, be different
Another way to enhance trends content is looking at changes that are happening in real time.
Spotify Wrapped has shown the world how powerful data can be when it’s neatly packaged to consumers in a shareable format. If you have proprietary data signifying emerging trends, it’s worth flagging these industry shifts as and when they emerge.
Think content like “The five tools our customers are investing in right now” – and this is something you can talk about all year long, not just during trend forecasting season.
Real-time for real impact
Key Takeaway:
When it comes to developing predictions or trend content, think about how you can offer real value to the reader. Rather than focusing on grand claims about the future of the industry, instead consider well-informed strategies that can be acted on immediately.
Crucially, you don’t have to wait until the end or the beginning of a new year to talk about the smaller shifts and micro trends you’re seeing. To keep content truly relevant and engaging, recognise changes as they happen and use them to spark conversation and inspire action.
Understand today before you predict tomorrow
Key Takeaway ›