How to Use Trends Effectively to Increase Sales

The art of marketing, simply put, is stepping in the shoes of your customers and know what catches their attention. This means a well-funded and in-depth research is an essential part selling your product to your target audience.

If you, as a small business owner, want to expand to a very wide audience, nothing compares to two things: humor marketing and pop culture marketing (with more emphasis on the latter). With the prevalence of the Internet today, more and more people are exposed to the latest trends from social media to show business. To effectively cash-in on both aspects, know your customers. Know what they look like, their style, taste and even wants. Knowing their interest will bring your product closer to them. It acts as an attention catcher and trends are automatically associated with your products. It also shows that you are updated and trendy as well.

Image via Flickr

For instance, 2011 saw the rise of the very provocative and controversial “50 Shades of Grey” book. Talk shows were abuzz about the content of the very risqué book. This is more than an issue however. A UK-based bespoke tailoring company, Norton & Townsend, immediately grabbed the chance to take on a sexy image and tied the company to the popularity of the book. The company released a collection of menswear suits titled “Fifty Shades of Grey” complete with a print ad campaign with a model that can be mistaken for the character in the book. Not only it is sexy, but it shows that the company has a fresh take on their product and a good sense of humor.

On the topic of the UK, the birth of the royal baby is not only a blessing to the royal family; it’s also gold to marketers who are seeking to increase sales. Not only did the British marketers cashed in on the royal birth, but American salesmen are also latching on to the trend.

Johnson & Johnson published posters inspired by the royal baby. Johnson’s Head-to-Toe Baby Wash ad features a baby with a crown made of soap suds to tap the attention of those celebrating with the Brits. It is also a way to carry a “royal” brand to Johnson & Johnson’s product that will attract trendy parents.

Even Pampers took the royal birth and brought the magical moment of giving life to mothers around the country. Instead of focusing on the royal birth itself, Procter & Gamble took to the social media and posted a short video as an extension of the “Love, Sleep and Play” campaign. It also encouraged mothers to post photos of their babies to Pampers Facebook page.

The key to using trends to effectively market your product is to creatively use identifiable icons and images without being too obvious. Play with colors, shapes, sounds, experience, and social networks to bring your business and product closer to your target customer. The secret of trends and pop culture is its accessibility. It can be seen everywhere and once your product is associated with it (creatively, of course!), it will serve as a trigger to remember your company thus serving as a very effective marketing strategy.

2353 views