Three business trends that aren’t going anywhere

In today’s ever-evolving world, it can be difficult to keep up with the trends. What will stick? What will disappear almost as quickly as it appeared?

Throughout your years in the industry, you have probably invested in some that were worthwhile and some not-so-much. By now, chances are you “know what works,” and are hesitant to change that, especially if you have been burned in the past.

However, every professional must continue to adapt to the changing climate. Author Doug Sandler is confident that you must embrace these three trends to stay atop of the industry.

1. The Internet is Here to Stay – Hello Captain Obvious, it’s not just for email anymore. I lump a lot into this first trend and I could write a book about all of the trends the internet has created. Think about all the new technology at your fingertips. Cloud-based computing, social media marketing and analytics play a starring role in pushing and pulling information. While technology is key in getting and giving information, the most successful businesses will be able to master technology but still provide a human element as well.

   Being a trendsetter in social media marketing and sales, but having no one available to personally respond to customer inquiries and problems is not good. If you can’t provide a smile, a pleasant word and a handshake, you are creating a recipe for business disaster. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social channels should no longer be handled by the intern. Social media has earned the right to be out of the broom closet and up on the executive level. The businesses that will have the steepest growth curve will understand how social media impacts the bottom line, how reading and understanding analytics is needed to survive and success will be earned by those able to forecast and change overnight, based upon analytics.

2. Content is King – Blogging, writing and sharing content with existing customers and potential customers will no longer be the exception, it will become the rule. More than 30 million pieces of content are shared daily and what is most interesting is that although lots of great information is provided by business, many of the same businesses lack the website structure to actually convert all of the traffic generated to anything more than a web hit. It’s equivalent to putting jet fuel into a 1972 Ford Pinto. It’s about to blow up on it’s frame.

   If you are still driving around in a beater, it’s time for you to get that web heap into the body shop for a needed facelift. Don’t spend good money on bad structure. Don’t delay, provide a worthy home for your content to reside. Also, you need to be the expert in your industry. Poll your management team, have them share the responsibility of writing content for you to distribute. Interview your existing client base and get your info out on social media. Although you want to make sure your content is grammatically correct and free of statistical errors, don’t wait to have four editors, 17 fact checkers and the CEO approval. You need content and you need it now. Update frequently, stay connected to your market and provide content that is relevant, interesting and easy to read.

3. Adapt or Perish – It’s no longer enough to rely upon your reputation. Market your business like you just opened your doors yesterday. If trends continue as they have been for several years, waiting for the phone to ring because you have done an outstanding job is one way to assure that you will probably not be around for long. Potential customers are doing most of the research on their own. They are more educated than ever before and willing to sacrifice less because they know they can get what they want from someone else if you can’t provide an exact fit.

Do you agree with Sandlar? What trends do you think are here to stay?