Digital Marketing. How to Stay Up to Date With Latest Trends?

Digital marketing trends are changing daily. The smallest startup has to stay ahead of the curve and design its unique strategy. So what’s the best way to stay in the know of the hottest digital marketing trends? Other than wasting hours on Facebook, Google, TikTok, or one of the thousands of platforms?

We’ve compiled a list of valuable tips, tricks, and best practices to help you stay on top of the industry news. So read on and surprise your boss with your expert knowledge of the latest digital marketing trends!

Table of contents:
Set up Google Alerts
Search for marketing courses
Listen to podcasts
Make a list of brands you admire
Subscribe to industry blogs and newsletters
Follow digital marketing experts
Follow trending hashtags
Embrace video content

Set up Google Alerts

Not using Google Alerts in 2022 is such a waste. It’s one of the best ways to stay up to date with the latest trends without having your mailbox full of spam. How does it work?

The only thing you need to do is to find relevant keywords you want to follow. Set an alert to follow the latest trends in content marketing, social media marketing, or search engine algorithm updates. You can also set your alerts to a specific phrase instead of a simple keyword, like “SEO 2022”. This way, you’ll get a bunch of news related to the topic you are interested in regularly.

You can filter your results even further – by region, occurrence, or even relevance. You can also restrict the number of times Google emails you. Just set up your weekly summary!

Digital marketing hack: If you are in the service business, have Google Alerts set up for your most valuable clients. Then, you’ll already know what a client is about to tell you. They love that.“

Search for marketing courses

Who can teach you marketing better than other expert marketers? There are many marketing courses available both online and offline. You can look for general training, like digital marketing, SEO, or social media, just to name a few. You can also choose more detailed ones to help you in:

• specific digital tools (HubSpot, Ahrefs, Google Analytics),
• your marketing niche, like gaming marketing.

Most programs offer certification, which can prove useful when discussing your credentials.

Let’s say you chose inStreamly’s online Gaming Marketing Course. What do you get?

• Valuable insight into the gaming industry and gamer psychology,
• Gaming marketing tools you can use in your daily work,
• Real-life examples of the best gaming campaigns you can use as inspiration
• + many more!

In the end, you’ll get the certificate you can brag about on your Linkedin page!

Digital marketing hack: Remember that most niches and trends are seasonal – they gain interest in given months. If you want to boost your business and sell your products, consider who will use them in a given season. Yet, don’t be too seasonal!“

Listen to podcasts

Social media and digital marketing are all about new trends and hot topics. And podcasts are gold mines of valuable information! You can find excellent podcasts on basically every topic. Listen to business-related chats between industry experts, or spend your time on Gen Z gossip. Either way, you will learn relevant, valuable information for your marketing strategy.

Their most significant advantage is that you can tune in while doing house chores or driving your car. Time management, baby!

Digital marketing hack: Best marketing channels to check out:

• Social Media Marketing with Michael Stelzner;
• Online Marketing Made Easy;
• The CMO;
• The Social Pros;
• Perpetual Traffic;“

Make a list of brands you admire

A key strategy for spotting new digital trends! Make a list of big brands and their competitors and subscribe to their channels. Then, take advantage of the most prominent experts in the industry, and get inspiration from their content. 

Digital marketing hack: Check out your competitors’ websites and leading social media. Take notes of the content you like, the keywords used, and the audience they speak to. It will help you build your content and SEO strategy. Just look at our Linkedin, we are masters of imitation!“

Subscribe to industry blogs and newsletters

Articles and newsletters contain meaningful content you can learn from. Digital marketing blogs can:

• help you learn advanced marketing techniques,
• offer industry advice,
• provide lists of valuable resources and tools.

Visiting blogs frequently and reading newsletters will let you follow digital marketing trends and help you adjust your digital marketing strategy.

You can also consider traditional media, as paper magazines are still on track. Take note of digital marketing sources like Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, HBR, and The Washington Post. If you want to see newsletters and blogs at the beginning of their journey – just join ours!

Digital marketing hack: AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is your best marketing friend. It works exceptionally well on almost all marketing channels. It helps grab the reader’s attention, create a sense of want, pull on their heartstrings, and provide them with a solution to their problem. Of course, small businesses are the ones who can profit the most from it.“

Follow digital marketing experts

Social media are not only for influencer marketing. Twitter, Linkedin, or even TikTok can help you stay on your game. Marketers worldwide own educational media and share their tips with other marketing enthusiasts. This network consists of valuable articles, threads, videos, and many more. Be sure to search for social groups dedicated to your industry and niche.

Digital marketing hack: If you can’t find the answer to your question, consider creating a post on Twitter, Quora, or Linkedin. Content like this has a great chance of going viral, especially if you tag some experts in this field and ask for their advice directly.”

Follow trending hashtags

Marketing trends can easily be seen in trending hashtags. Use tools like Brand24 or Influencer Marketing Hub to follow many simultaneously. Additionally, search for them on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. In advertising, it’s crucial to know what your customers are talking about right now. So don’t be afraid to use tags in your posts, just don’t overdo them.

Digital marketing hack:

Instagram penalises accounts using the same hashtag for every post. Personalise every post while still ensuring it matches marketing trends perfectly. One way to effectively do this is to use a free hashtag generator tool or app.“

Embrace video content

Nowadays, there is a video about everything. The unlimited number of “what is”, “how twos”, or “tips for” is a gold mine for every industry expert. Everyone knows this feeling when something feels impossible until they find a tutorial solving their problem in about 30 seconds. Not sure how to create optimised blog posts as part of your marketing plan? There’s a video for that. Want to use an Internet tool to find the most popular trend among TikTok users? There’s a how-to guide.

Digital marketing hack: YouTube channels worth following:

• Gary Vaynerchuk;
• Marketingland;
• Digital Advertising Institute
• Unbounce”

Summary

These are 8 best ways to stay up to date with digital marketing. You need to know how to reach it. Use all available resources. Surprise your company colleagues and customers with your understanding of digital marketing trends!