As more and more messaging is thrown at consumers, it is becoming harder to stand out. Messaging is becoming similar and brands are starting to fade together. As a brand, you must look within to find differentiating characteristics in order to stand out from the competition. Do you want to stand out in 2016?

These 4 marketing trends may help to distinguish your brand is a world of sensory overload.

5. CUSTOMERS WILL CONTINUE TO VALUE TRANSPARENCY

• Customers are seeking higher engagement and demanding transparency
• Brands need to “walk the talk” and create real value for customers
• If brands do not tell the truth, someone else will do it for them
• Transparency across all social and digital channels will foster trust and fuel long-term success
• Genuine messaging will reflect brand alignment

6. CONTENT REMAINS KING

• 86% of B2B organizations are predicted to have content marketing strategies in 20161
• Providing content based on customer wants/needs will build trust and ensure you’re seen as an expert
• Quality content will increase search engine rankings
• Content co-creation between brands and consumers will continue to rise, creating value to the community where contributors are part of the process

7. AUTOMATION IS KEY TO INBOUND MARKETING

• Inbound strategies continue to be most effective in lead generation and prospect nurturing
• Compared to 2011, there are 11 times more B2B organizations now using marketing automation2
• Convergence helps businesses stay lean, focused and profitable without compromising quality
• 97% of B2B marketers will be utilizing an email marketing automation software3
• Content marketing costs 62% less per lead than outbound marketing4

8. BIG DATA STRATEGIES REMAIN A HIGH PRIORITY

• Demand will increase for analytical apps like automated reporting, dashboards, predictive measurements and strategic support
• 68% of organizations use big data to bolster their customer experience and improve
process efficiency5
• Big data technology will grow at a 26.4% annual rate through 20185
• Data will contribute to securing brand and competitor intelligence

To get the full list, download our infographic – 16 Marketing Trends for 2016
If you missed the first four trends, check out our blog series “16 Marketing Trends for 2016”

1 Pulizzi, Joe. “What Effective B2B Marketing Looks Like [New Research]”. Content Marketing Institute. 30 September 2015. Web. 1 October 2015.
2 SiriusDecisions. “B-to-B Marketing Automation Study”. Sirius Decisions. n.d. Web. 1 October 2015.
3 Software Advice and Research Now. “Demand Generation Benchmark”. Software Advice. n.d. Web. 1 October 2015.
4 Miller, Melissa. “Inbound Leads Cost 62% Less than Outbound [New Data]”. HubSpot. 1 March 2011. Web. 1 October 2015.
5 n.p. “Big Data & Analytics”. IDC.com. n.d. Web. 1 October 2015