How to Adapt Marketing Strategies to Consumer Trends

Loyalty isn't what it used to be. 74% of consumers say their loyalty is harder to earn than ever (source: KPMG), so how can your brand buck the trend? Recent studies have illuminated a stark reality: the era of guaranteed customer loyalty is over. Accenture Strategy reports that a whopping 77% of consumers retract loyalty faster than just three years ago. Similarly (and mind-blowingly), NielsenIQ finds that only 8% of shoppers consider themselves truly brand loyal, a drastic plummet from years past. But why the shift? Deloitte points out that 57% of consumers have recently switched brands for better price or value. Meanwhile, PwC underscores that one-third of consumers now place 'trust in brand' at the top of their shopping priorities, moving away from traditional loyalty. This landscape demands a new approach. Brands need to pivot from purely transactional relationships to creating meaningful connections. Here are actionable steps your brand can take: 1. Invest in Trust:  ↳ Enhance transparency and consistently communicate your brand values. 2. Personalize Experiences:  ↳ Leverage data to tailor experiences that resonate personally with consumers. 3. Reward Engagement:  ↳ Develop a rewards system that appreciates more than just purchases, such as social shares or community involvement. 4. Foster Community:  ↳ Build platforms where customers can interact, share experiences, and feel part of the brand story. 5. Adapt Quickly:  ↳ Stay responsive to market changes and customer feedback to continuously improve the offering. (side note: Nift excels at points 2 & 3 above, if you want to chat) Here's what it boils down to—the key to regaining and retaining loyalty lies in understanding and adapting to these new consumer behaviors. As Gartner highlights, 65% of customers are more open to new brands than ever—a challenge, but also an opportunity to redefine what loyalty means in your industry. Let's rethink loyalty together—because it's clear that the rules of engagement have changed.

Attribution isn't a marketing strategy. But most B2Bs build their entire GTM around metrics like: -Clicks -MQLs -eBook Downloads This often leads to: -Excessive focus on BoFu -Missed opportunities -Lost sales -Increased competition Here’s how to pivot to customer-centric marketing in 5 steps: 1) Identify Core Needs - Start by deeply understanding the problems your customers face. - Engage in conversations - Use surveys - Analyze customer data 2) Map the Buyer's Journey - Design your marketing tactics to guide potential customers from awareness to decision - Give them what they need at each stage 3)Evaluate Touchpoints - Assess each interaction with your brand. - Are these helpful? Personalized? - Can you remove friction? - Are you adding real value? 4) Educate, Don’t Sell - Build a community of prospects - Create content that informs - Teach prospects to buy from you - Learn what they need and package it up for them 5) Measure Impact, Not Just Leads - Develop metrics that gauge the real impact of your efforts - How many prospects are learning with you? - How many are in your community? - Souced Pipeline - Pipeline velocity - Deal Size - Win rates Shifting from short-term gains to long-term impact can transform your B2B marketing strategy. It requires patience and persistence, but the payoff is a loyal customer base and a stronger brand. Reflect on your strategy: Is it truly built around your customer's needs?

Customers are increasingly choosing to buy Experiences over Things. So, how should you adapt your marketing strategy if your company is in the business of selling Things????   Go beyond simply promoting your products …   Integrate immersive experiences as a pillar of your marketing outreach.   Here are 5 tips on how to market your products in ways that will engage and captivate your target audience:  1️⃣ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐏-𝐔𝐏 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐒 Design environments where customers can interact with your products. If you sell cosmetics, for example, your pop-up might offer personalized make-up consultations, interactive beauty tutorials, and, photo booths that will allow customers to experience your products firsthand AND share their experiences on social media.   2️⃣ 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 Turn the purchase and/or use of your product into a game-like activity that taps into your customers’ desire for fun, competition and/or rewards. An example is a fitness brand developing mobile apps that track users’ exercise routines and provide challenges and virtual rewards helping turn exercise into an engaging experience.   3️⃣ 𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 Utilize technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR) to carry customers into virtual worlds that showcase your products. Some furniture retailers, for example, have developed AR apps that allow customers to visualize how different pieces of furniture would look in their homes, enabling them to virtually arrange and explore different options before making a purchase.   4️⃣ 𝐂𝐎-𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 Invite customers to contribute ideas, designs and/or feedback making them active participants in the development of new products or the improvements of existing ones. Strengthen brand loyalty through crowdsourcing platforms and/or online communities.   5️⃣ 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 Tell stories that engage customers on an emotional level. For example, sustainable fashion brands might weave a narrative highlighting the journey from ethically sourced materials to the artisans involved in their creation that would resonate with environmentally conscious consumers.   Advertising is becoming increasingly less effective in capturing consumer attention, driving sales, or, fostering brand loyalty.   Companies with the added challenge of promoting discretionary products when the scales are tilting heavily towards experiences, should prioritize experiential marketing to gain a competitive edge.    Illustration: Semi-Rad     Ring the 🔔 on my profile to follow @Linda Goodman for marketing strategy and business development content.   #MarketingStrategy #Sales #BusinessDevelopment #Leadership #CEO #Entrepreneurship

We should be talking more about this in B2B marketing. Younger generations are redefining corporate purchasing behaviors. The average Director is 40, the average VP 51. Millennials, aged 28-43, are positioned to dominate decision-making roles in the next few years. Already, as key decision-makers in 73% of buying decisions and finalizing 44% of B2B purchases, their influence on changing corporate purchase processes is undeniable. The trends below will only intensify with the entry of more Gen Z into senior positions, reshaping purchase behaviors even further. 4 Trends Caused by "Generational Turnover" Transforming Purchasing Dynamics: 1. Digital-First Mindset: With a natural proficiency in technology, younger execs propel the adoption of self-service B2B buying. Over 1/3 of Millennials already prefer entirely self-guided purchase processes, a trend set to grow as more Gen Z enter the senior ranks. 2. Emphasis on Personalization: Younger decision-makers prioritize user experience and value brands offering personalized interactions. Investing in collecting and operationalizing 1P data is key.. 3. Demand for Transparency: Accustomed to digital transparency in their oen lives, younger leaders expect the same from businesses. Information about pricing, terms, and brand values is crucial. Transparency builds loyalty, with 84% of millennials expressing increased loyalty to transparent brands. Authenticity is key, oo, as 88% define it as crucial in selecting and remaining loyal to brands. 4. Collaborative Decision-Making: Known as the "Collaboration Generation," Millennials favor teamwork in decision-making. Collaboration tools make it easier than ever to work across generational and geographical boundaries. B2B vendors should adapt to this team-centric approach, recognizing the significance of appealing to groups rather than individuals. Tips for Brands: 1. Adapt to Self-Guided Sales: Tip: B2B brands should develop tools that will enable a greater portion of their sales process to be self-serve. This means providing not just content, but decision-making resources like cost-of-ownership calculators, interactive product selectors, and business case-generators. 2. Prioritize Personalization: Leverage data analytics to customize offerings, providing a user experience that resonates with the preferences of younger executives. 3. Cultivate Transparency: Build trust through transparent communication about pricing, terms, and organizational values. But be authentic! 4. Embrace Collaboration: Tailor strategies to accommodate collaborative decision-making, recognizing the shift towards team-centric approaches in leadership. Drop MQLs for QBCs (qualified buying committees)...more on this in another post! You're not marketing to a business. High probability you're marketing to a millennial! #B2BMarketing #FutureTrends #MillennialsAtWork #DigitalTransformation https://lnkd.in/gMFsYjD5

What is keeping all GTM teams, including myself up at night? Staying relevant to attract and retain the modern buyer. So based on our buyer research, now is the time to ditch the conventional and embrace the impactful. Here are some concepts I am applying to our strategy. Meet buyers where they are: Over 65% of buyer are millennials or younger. These digital natives seek info from trusted sources. Engage them on channels they value and believe. Make product info accessible beyond your website: Buyers crave easy access to details – security, pricing, features. Use third-party platforms for transparency and validation. Address concerns proactively and build trust step by step. Embrace the "Try before you buy": Skepticism is natural, but 74% of buyers said offering free trials or interactive demos builds trust and bridges the gap between marketing and reality. Amplify customer voice: Validate your claims through the voice of your customers. Leverage their voice in all channels – website, online forums, events, reviews. Transparency is the new currency, and social proof is gold. Champion advocacy: Prior experience matters. It top 3 resource for buyers in their decision making. Build advocates. Their success stories speak louder than your marketing jargon. Then when they move to another company, there are a prime target to be a repeat buyer. Understand buying committees: The committee is growing, and C-suite's voice is louder especially the CFO's. Align your pitch with their needs when making a business case. Be multithreaded in the account regardless if it's a prospect or customer. If you only have one POC that deal or customer is at risk. Prove value early: Early bird get the worm is the new mantra. Buyers want to understand value upfront. Showcase cost savings, revenue impact, time savings, and time-to-value. Automation and efficiency are high on their radar. Don't lag behind in the evolving world of modern buyers. #GTMStrategy #BuyerTrends #CustomerVoice #AdaptAndThrive

Some brands will ALWAYS stay a few steps ahead. It's not because they have a big budget. Or a big marketing department.  If I were to break it down, you'd see that the ONLY distinction between leading and following comes down to one thing: The depth of market intelligence in a brand's strategy. Here's how you can copy a big brand’s strategy and use it in your company:  First, and I can't stress this enough, you have to do more than just collect the data. You have to think BIGGER. You want your insights to do more than just shape campaigns. You need to know how to read the story the data is telling you. And then turn that story into actions. The story your data is telling will help you understand: - Current trends - Consumer behaviors - Competitor strategies - Low hanging fruit - is your approach working, why or why not Once you have a strong hold on these elements, you can develop marketing strategies, campaigns and tactics to win more customers and position as a forerunner in the industry. For instance, The market is continuing to shift toward sustainability, but just plastering eco-friendly on your packaging isn’t enough. Recently, a client came to us wanting to go all-in on the sustainable movement. We used a combination of website user behavior, historical customer segment knowledge, and consumer trends data to pinpoint when in the buyer journey to introduce the sustainable value prop and where in their online presence it best aligned with that buying phase to make the biggest impact. This approach moved us beyond reactionary marketing that makes sweeping changes from general trends into a strategic approach that reacts quickly with more input for bigger outcomes. Businesses that know how to use market intelligence see a 60% increase in profits and productivity, Because their strategies are more in tune with market demands and less about guesswork. #marketing #digitalmarketing #b2bmarketing

A lot of marketers are telling me there is a new lead/client referral source showing up in lead forms, client conversations, and "how did you hear about us?" surveys. ChatGPT is now being cited more and more as a source of discovery. Even if your leads aren't actually discovering you via ChatGPT, it's likely reshaping the entire buyer's journey for many of them. It affects everything from recognizing there's a need, to evaluating you against competitors, to final purchasing decisions. For many, AI is now integral to both personal consumer and business decision-making. Reflecting on my own experiences, I've noticed that ChatGPT, along with its friends Perplexity and Bing Chat, now significantly influences my purchasing choices. (Just this week, I made two purchases based on ChatGPT and Perplexity recommendations!). This behavioral shift is a crucial juncture in marketing, demanding immediate attention. Understanding how ChatGPT and generative AI influence client decisions and buying behaviors is becoming increasingly important. ChatGPT's role in product and solution discovery is rapidly transforming previously effective marketing practices, with the risk of making some avenues that previously worked obsolete (traditional SEO, I'm looking directly at you). Marketers must be reevaluating and adapting marketing strategies before they're frantically trying to catch up. Aligning our marketing efforts with these AI-driven trends is essential to stay relevant and effective. We should all be reexamining our customer sales processes and mapped buying journeys, and adapting our strategies to incorporate these new behaviors. I'm eager to hear from my marketing community. Have you noticed ChatGPT or other AI tools influencing your clients' customer journeys yet? How are you adjusting your strategies for this new reality we live in?

Spray n' pray discounting kills brands. But tons of them still do it. Every turnaround I’ve worked on has had the same initial marketing meetings. "OK, any ideas on how can we juice revenue?" People hem and haw, stare at each other a bit, then start throwing out discount ideas. Discounts on this? Discounts on that? "And then who gets the discount?" Everybody! This is the top marketing strategy for bankrupt DTC brands. Your first job as a turnaround marketer is to stop the spray and pray. How to fix it: Lean hard into a promotional strategy driven off customer behavior. By behavior, I mean Recency and Frequency (R and F). New customers who've just discovered the brand? They often don't need a discount. They need more things to buy, so show them the selection. At full margin. Old customers that aren’t buying anymore? Time to discount. Here's why this customer-centric approach works best: *Profitability: It's more profitable to promote based on customers' engagement than sending blanket promos out to your entire list. *Reduce email overload: By segmenting and treating different customers differently, you aren’t punching them in the face with all emails every day. Your emails become instantly more relevant, delivered more, read more. *Automation: R and F can be tracked in platforms like Klaviyo or Sendlane and via direct mail apps like PostPilot. Set certain rules + build your campaigns ahead of time. Then make money while you sleep. Test your offers over time. Maybe 10% is the sweet spot for detached customers. Or it's just free shipping. Or a free gift. Test it. But the goal is simple: Stop discounting too much and too generally. Focus on customer behavior and meet the customer where they are. BTW. . .   If you’re looking to test these sorts of customer-centric campaigns, direct mail is a great way to do it.    We're hitting all those customer-centric marks: *Profitable: Build campaigns based on engagement, which means you'll be allocating budget where you'll see strong ROIs. *Reduce email overload: Sending mailers based on specific triggers, with a 99.9% open rate. *Automated: Any direct mail campaign can be set and forgotten for hands-off revenue. DM me if you want to automate your revenue, too.

This is the most underrated shift in marketing, and no one is talking about it. - We talk about brand vs. performance - We talk about whether demand can be created or tapped into - We talk about zero-party data and the death of cookies But there's a bigger conversation we're missing: the fundamental SHIFT in consumers themselves. The internet's novelty has faded. It used to feel like a small town where everyone knew each other. Today, it's more like New York City, and everyone has to find their version of Cheers. (The bar where everybody knows your name!) Scrolling short-form videos is the new normal, but comments and public engagement are declining. In every keynote, I bring this up, and the audience nods collectively because they know it to be true. We consume publicly but engage privately – in Slack channels, LinkedIn DMs, Team calls, and good old email forwards. Marketers, wake up! We need to adapt to this new reality: 👉🏽 Focus on creating content that resonates deeply. Establish a POV, not just chase trends. Make viewers stop and think, even if they don't leave a comment. 👉🏽 Infiltrate the "private spaces." Find ways to reach consumers in their preferred communities through targeted messaging, earned media, and influencer marketing. 👉🏽 Rethink what engagement means. Likes and shares are just the tip of the iceberg. Focus on brand loyalty, third-party credibility, and positive word-of-mouth, knowing this happens behind closed doors. This fundamental shift in consumer behavior is the marketing game-changer we've all overlooked. To address it, we must embrace new rules of influence. #marketing #b2b #consumerbehavior #socialmedia #contentmarketing

Are you feeling the squeeze? Google updates, discerning customers, attention-deficit audiences... let's face it, as a Founder & CEO, our jobs aren't getting easier. But here's the silver lining: Tough times aren't a curse; they're a competitive advantage in disguise! 🔥 Think of it as a natural selection process: 👉 The spray-and-pray crowd is getting weeded out. Generic tactics that worked a few years ago are now met with a resounding "meh" (or worse, the spam folder.) 👉 Strategic players get to shine. Those who understand their ideal customer, personalize their messaging, and, most importantly, build genuine relationships will stand out from the noise. 👉 Adaptability is your superpower. This isn't about mourning the old ways; it's about embracing new strategies and channels. So, if you're ready to up your game, here's something to keep in mind: Instead of chasing more eyeballs, focus on deepening connections. Quality conversations with highly qualified prospects beat a massive, indifferent audience any day. This means: 💡 Niche down, personalize up: Become an expert in your target market's pain points. 💡 Value over volume: Offer insights, solutions, and genuine connection before asking for the sale. 💡 Test, learn, evolve: Marketing is now an iterative process. Analyze what works, ditch what doesn't, and adjust quickly. Embrace the challenge! This is your chance to separate yourself from the pack and build impactful, customer-focused strategies. #marketing #strategy #growthmindset