O’Connor Marketing Reveal their Top 3 Future Marketing Predictions

It’s been an eventful year for the sales and marketing industry and as 2014 approaches its final months, O’Connor Marketing share their top three marketing predictions for the next year.

The media so far this year has been full of conflicting claims about the future of direct marketing. Some believe that the future of the industry lies in digital online marketing, whilst others see this as a move that will isolate and frustrate consumers. Sales and Marketing firm O’Connor Marketing rely on face to face interactions to improve customer relationships for their clients, using their knowledge of the industry, the firm shares their predictions for next year, and gives an insight into the direction they believe the industry is moving towards.

Brands will relax their control

O’Connor Marketing believes that the relationship between business and consumer must be mutually beneficial, and that next year an increasing number of businesses will have to relax their control in order to build stronger customer connections. Within the direct marketing industry customer information is key to a business’s success; many companies rely on customer information to improve both their product and the customer experience. However, with many businesses working within the restraints of scripts and limited avenues for customer communication, O’Connor Marketing believes next year will see more businesses relax and personalise their customer interactions. An increasing number of businesses are now even turning to their customers to help create content for their brand. Be it through competitions or appeals for feedback businesses are finally recognising the importance improving the customer experience. This is welcome news for the direct marketing industry whose services are sure to be in demand over the coming year as businesses shift their focus to building stronger connections with their consumers.

A stronger collaboration between data and creativity

There is a common opinion that brands are becoming more rational in their approaches to marketing, relying on data to back up and support their strategies. Although this is a wise approach to marketing O’Connor Marketing believe that by regimenting processes in such a way, especially in the early stages of campaign development many businesses are stifling their creativity. O’Connor Marketing believe the next year businesses will see the benefits of merging data and creativity to ensure that campaigns meet consumer needs whilst still being engaging for consumers.

Brands will become more human

Brands are finding a growing need to present themselves as more than just a business, with consumers looking for businesses who share their values businesses are now required to develop their own unique personality. O’Connor Marketing believe that this means over the next year more businesses will need to increase their transparency with consumers and understand that consumers want to be involved in the business. It’s become apparent over the course of 2014 that businesses that are open and honest with their consumers have increased customer retention rates. Even those who have made customer service mistakes have found that being upfront with consumers has improved their reputation.

O’Connor Marketing is a sales and marketing firm based in Sydney, Australia. The firm specialise in B2B, event and promotional marketing and help clients develop their customer relationships through face to face communications. The firm have seen an increased demand for their direct marketing services and believe that this increase is set to continue in the future as customers become more eager to be part of their favourite brands development.