Follow the trend lines, not just the headlines
Emerging trends can uncover hidden truths, help you sign a client, and start a business that solves upcoming problems.
Up-and-coming ideas usually present better opportunities than consolidated concepts. Becoming a Facebook influencer today is almost impossible compared to becoming an influencer on Clubhouse and TikTok.
However, expecting TikTok ads to be a popular topic may sound like a no-brainer. Still, the actual trend is not there, with research showing only a mediocre interest in search results. Robinhood and retail-trading apps may also sound like an obvious trend, but the demand in search results over time can’t confirm the headline fad.
Real trends are obvious, but most often silent, and sound like common sense, even if they’re entirely new.
What we’ll cover:
1. Print on Demand
Printful helps me run the Etsy shop for 2 Minute Madness. I don’t have to worry about the inventory, shipment, and manufacturing because Printful does it all. We provide design, pick products, and focus on promotion.
Other PoD companies include SPOD, Printify, Teelaunch, and Lulu Xpress.
Print on demand is a supply-chain system that helps companies launch new products with minimal overhead. The third-party imprints your design on products only when the order is received, minimizing inventory risk. The print-on-demand products are usually referred to as “merch.” Merch is usually home supplies, apparel, and other marketable goods that drive value from the cultural significance.
You don’t have to worry about a living room crammed with Avenger’s phone cases and NASA T-shirts. PoD lets you deliver your merch at scale, without worrying about the significant risks that come with usual retail.
Automated direct mail marketing also falls within this category. SaaS companies like Postalytics let users personalize, print, send, and track postcards without getting involved in the manual process.
Keyword ‘print on demand’ has grown 266% over the past five years, signaling a noticeable trend forming, and the follow-up term ‘merch’ enjoys a positive boost too.
2. Product Review Websites
Wirecutter is a product review website that rates anything from portable projectors to sleeping bags.
The New York Times repurchased the company in 2016 for $30 million and continued adding fresh content. Wirecutter gets roughly 250,000 monthly searches and helps millions find the right bang for their buck. The website is reader-supported and earns money through affiliate links.
The company is not the only success story in this trend. Many YouTubers, TikTokers, and Instagram influencers are profiting from rating other products. Ryan Kaji, a nine-year-old YouTuber, made $29.5 million reviewing toys last year.
3. Online Courses
If you think teachers don’t make much money, you haven’t talked to online educators then. Online courses are probably one of the trendiest trends in the new decade. The world is changing immensely, and most people need to supplement their knowledge to adapt to new market needs.
In plain English, on-demand courses on Udemy, SkillEd, and Udacity are crazy popular. Platforms like Teachable can help you set up a system.
And here’s a list of popular and free marketing courses.
4. Shopify SEO and Marketing
Shopify is massive. The company has successfully helped millions of entrepreneurs launch their digital shops and currently caters to over 1,000,000 businesses.
Subsequently, marketing for Shopify websites is booming alongside the platform itself. Digital agencies, including the TakoStand, NoGood, Lamb Agency, and many others, work exclusively with Shopify shops.
Shopify SEO is one of the rapidly growing topics, followed by other forms of digital marketing.
5. No-Interest Payment Installments
Afterpay, ClearPay, and similar companies spearhead another financial revolution that affects the world of marketing. Customers in the UK, U.S., Australia, and other places can now enjoy all the perks of having an interest-free credit card without even having a credit score.
Afterpay has recorded growth of 1875% in the past five years and currently has 14.9M monthly searches on Google. ClearPay records 150,000 monthly search hits in the UK, offering a similar service.
Consumers can buy a product and pay for it in several installments over a certain period, and it’s all interest-free. You could buy $500 of clothes and then pay $125 every two weeks until fully paid.
Marketers now have a new avenue to promote consumables to consumers.
6. Podcast Tools — Picks and Shovels
Podcasts are a seductive topic, but starting a podcast may not be the most lucrative business idea in 2021. Building picks and shovels for the massively expanding market makes a lot more sense.
Podcast hosting, podcast marketing, SaaS transcription software, and similar tools are in high demand this year. Buzzsprout, a podcast hosting service, records 2,025% growth in-search demand over the past years.
7. SEO Copywriting
Copywriters are in high demand since the dawn of modern advertising, but the new cast of SEO marketers consolidate a strong uptrend.
Google and other platforms may change algorithms multiple times a day, making it hard to game the SERPs. However, the world of business needs professionals who understand information architecture and know-how to deliver the right message to the right audience.
SEO copywriters have been growing in demand over the years, with the pandemic only exacerbating the market needs.
I receive a job offer roughly every day on Upwork with for SEO copywriting profile.
Follow the Trend Lines, Not Just Headlines
Trends can help you start a business, pivot to a new profession, and design excellent new products. You can solve real problems and help others live a more comfortable life.
Following trends hardly makes anyone rich, but you gain insight into how the market works, what’s hot, and what’s not.
Marketers often haven’t the faintest clue of what the world wants. Trend data is a shortcut to your marketing goals. Understanding trends will help you focus on what brings the most bang for your time.
Credits:
Written by yours truly, Toni Koraza
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