Introduction
Similar to how freshly prepared food will nourish the brain—knowing evolving marketing trends will inspire to generate creative solutions that can solve challenging organizational objectives leading to growth and innovation.

There are other benefits related to applying evolving marketing trends:
• Enhanced informative data for decision making
• Staying ahead of your competitors
• Improved content engagement
• Better understanding of your audience across various platforms
• Updated knowledge of your SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)

So how do you discover the next “next” in marketing? The tactic that can solve a looming marketing strategy, or address a cost-cutting measure. This could be by chance, but strategically orchestrated, it is through receiving current information from industry sources, networking, or taking a course to update one’s skills, for instance. Overall, the process—outlined below—should not be left up to chance.

Provenance
During an employment interview, a former HR co-worker who’s branched out with her own recruitment company, Amanda Prenty, Co-Founder/Managing Partner KAS Recruitment, asked me how I keep up with the latest marketing trends? I had replied to the best of my knowledge. However, my answer could have been better knowing what I know now after formally compiling this blog. So, her question inspired me to write this blog topic.

Moreover, I recalled when I was enrolled in a SEM/SEO certification course at BrainStation. The instructor Jesse Ringer, founder Method and Metric SEO Agency, provided his students with a list of resources including browser extensions, keywords & performance software, to web competitor research tools. Those also had inspired me to build on his resources for this blog.

Marketing Trends
Outlined below are some trends—or pre-existing trends that require highlighting as they are are industry staples—and the contents will be updated accordingly with newer trends that enter the landscape. In this ever changing world of technology, not all trends have staying power, such as those loud/lengthy Flash animation entry to a website haha, and outdated techniques in outbound marketing.

One can certainly Google a marketing topic at any given time, but there are benefits in continuously receiving up-to-date content through, for instance, a blog subscription or utilizing an app/browser extension for a specific use.

There are numerous other marketing topics to be considered such as ABM, B2B/C, CPG, content, D2C, demand/lead gen, ESG, experiential marketing, and trade shows. However, for now, this is the start.

• Artificial Intelligence
– Adobe Firefly: Text prompt to image
– Midjourney: Text prompt to image
– OpenAI ChatGPT (Generative Pre-training Transformer): Text chatbot that can remedy writer’s block and provide creative inspiration
– OpenAI Sora: Text query to video, no release date yet

• Blog
– Bluehost: This blog is hosted by them, and you can purchase a domain from GoDaddy
– WordPress: You can start a free blog in minutes, then if you want to dive deeper see Bluehost above
– These resources have blog sections: MarketingProfs, ProBlogger, and SEMrush

• Browser Extension
– This technology allows added browser functionality pertaining to the specific extension’s application
– BuzzSumo: For content engagement, spotting trends, listening tool, etc.
– Keyword Surfer: Free search volume analysis as you Google search
– MozBar: Free extension version allows quick page analysis
– SEOQuake: Provides free quick website analysis such as Page Info, Diagnosis, Keyword Density, and Internal/External Links

• Design
– Adobe: Still the industry standard software for designers delivering print, photography, motion, etc.
– AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts): Vast network of US professional designers
– Canva: Simple to use and gaining traction; design your social media posts by using their free app
– DesCan (Design Professionals of Canada): Formerly known as The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, where I was once a BC Chapter board member (VP e-Communications) for 3 years
– Inspiration:
> David Carson Self-taught designer who figuratively/literary turned the industry upside down
> Kyle Cooper When I grow up I want to be like this title-sequence designer (MARVEL, Se7en, e.g.)
> Neville Brody UK-based graphic designer, typographer and art director
> Stefan Sagmeister Influential and well-decorated American designer based in NYC

• Education
– BrainStation: Up date your digital skills online or in-person
– Coursera: Free or paid courses from schools such as UBC, Stanford, University of Leeds, etc.
– Hubspot: Free, self-paced certification marketing courses
– MarketingProfs: Numerous topics to offer

• Information Resources
– American Marketing Association: I was once a member for years, where there could be a local chapter in your area for event meetups
– Marketing Brew: eNewsletter subscription, which is also affiliated with Morning Brew (general business, entertainment, IT, etc.), IT Brew and others—visit their site to learn more
– Search Engine Land: Stay current on SEO, PPC, platforms, etc.
– Social Media Today: Get your latest news and more

• Networking
– Eventbrite: Check to see if there’s an in-person event near you
– LinkedIn: Networking should not just happen when one is unemployed, rather it should be a continuous process meeting and conversing with SMEs in respective industries

• Podcasts
– Apple: Numerous choices
– The CMO Podcast: Former P&G CMO Jim Stengel provides his insights on the CMO
– Search Off the Record: Produced by Google about their inner workings
– Spotify: They provide industry-specific podcasts beyond their music offerings

• Research Tools
– Google Adwords Planner: Plan your keywords campaign
– SEMRush: A popular tool for SEO, web competitor analysis, etc.

• Social Media
– Hootsuite: Known for its social media posts scheduler has a blog
– Later: Social management tool with its own blog
– Oktopost: This not only provides social tools such as social listening, it has an employee advocacy social dashboard where the editor can set up posts that employees can share on their personal social platform
– Join a user friendly social channel such as Instagram to source the latest marketing trends, which will also allow you to better experience the medium if you have not already overdosed on social haha

• Video
– YouTube: A self-explanatory channel

Conclusion
Those fresh food ingredients all equate to energizing the brain, and so do evolving marketing trends. Overall, today’s dynamic business landscape can be challenging, and embracing such trends can result in numerous positives such as the ability to measure and adjust monthly KPIs that can lead to revenue growth. It’s a topic that’s certainly food for thought.