To stay ahead in the market, you have to predict new trends in your industry and become an early adopter. Some of the emerging trends today include more emphasis on customer experience, creativity in marketing and authenticity in the digital age.
Other specific innovations every business must consider include chatbots, interactive video, blockchain technology, Facebook and Instagram and voice search. In today’s highly competitive business environment, these emerging trends will make or break your business.
Image 1: Don’t fear change, instead, go out there and embrace it
Over the last few decades, many big brands have collapsed under the pressure of new technologies. You can avoid the same fate by learning how to leverage new trends in your industry.
How can you do this? Take a look.
- Listen to Your Customers
In this digital age, you have multiple touch points where you can get invaluable feedback from your customers. The fact that a customer in this age leaves you feedback is a sign of loyalty, and you have to consider their view.
You can learn about new trends in the industry by listening to your customer’s feedback. If they suggest a change in your customer service, for instance, they have likely encountered something better elsewhere. Start encouraging your customers to share their reviews, allowing you to collect valuable data that can give you insights on what to improve. You could even use feedback software (more info here) to help you analyze data and look for trends. That could help businesses to improve and grow.
- Collaborate with Employees
Whether you are in the research phase or implementation stage of a new trend, you have to bring on board everyone in your team.
Many companies adopt new technologies hastily without involving their employees, and this inevitably backfires terribly. By collaborating with your employees and asking their opinion, it is easy to learn the pulse of your industry.
Your employees are also consumers, and they have more contact with the industry through interactions with customers. If you motivate your employees to share new ideas, it is possible to learn about new trends in the industry and start implementing them.
- Leverage Online Tools
It is important to keep learning about any developments in your industry. However, you still have a lot on your hands running your business. This is where online research tools come in handy.
You can use tools such as Mashable, BuzzFeed, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube Trends, Google Trends, AdWords, Signals, Brandwatch Audiences, to mention a few.
These tools keep you up-to-date with relevant industry information, and you will never miss out on any trends.
- Networking
No business exists in a vacuum, and for this reason, you have to build strong relationships and maintain them. Start by joining LinkedIn, which is the most important professional social media group.
You should also join other professional groups within your industry and establish connections with influencers in the industry.
Attend roundtables in your city or elsewhere and follow conversations on professional business forums. You should never ignore any event or opportunity to add one more contact to your network.
- Stay Open to Change
If you want to become a trendsetter in the market, you have to change your attitude towards change. It is not easy to embrace disruptive technologies, but ultimately, they revolutionize industries. Don’t resist change, instead, adapt quickly and leverage these trends.
Final Thoughts
Still worried about emerging changes in your industry? With these ideas, you can now start leveraging these trends to your advantage. Keep researching, use your customers’ feedback, bring everyone on board and learn how to embrace change.
Author: Floyd Dudar is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast he currently writes for nostop.net