The Things That Don’t Change

I was recently invited to speak to a group of marketing managers for influential companies.

The topic of the talk is around new trends and changes in the industry.

It’s certainly a popular topic, and I’m excited to give it.

As we wrap up 2017, you’ll start to see dozens of articles start floating around about “Major Marketing Trends in 2018” or “Things to Think About in Marketing in 2018”.

But are those going to make you a better marketer?

Will they have a huge impact on your business?

Maybe.

But probably not.

I’d argue that the biggest bang for your buck is spending more time focusing on the things that don’t change.

Things like:

• Copywriting – Most marketers are terrible copywriters. If you don’t know how to write copy, that’s a huge hole in your business.
• Storytelling – We’re wired for story. Learn to tell great stories in whatever medium you’re in.
• Video – AR and VR is all the rage. But telling an amazing story with an iPhone is more impactful than the largest VR project you’ll ever see.
• Being Valuable – Learn how to be valuable to your clients and customers.
• Building Trust – Learn how to get your clients and customers to trust you more.
• Following Attention – Figure out how to take attention from someone/somewhere else and bring it to your brand.

And that’s just a handful. The basics of SEO, social media, sales, copy, design, and virtually everything else remains unchanged.

People don’t change that fast. Even technology doesn’t change that fast.

There’s a lot of shiny, sexy things we can follow.

But the biggest bang for your buck in 2018 is likely to get really good at the boring stuff.

Get good at the stuff that won’t change.

Because that’s what’s going to last beyond the next twelve months.