This morning I attended a networking event. We were invited to comment on a discussion question: What are the top 3 trends in your industry?
I had to stop and think. But I quickly realized these 3 trends have become essential for small businesses and solo-preneurs who provide services to their clients.
(1) Digital marketing is all about creating content…and storytelling has become the most important component of your online marketing.
Click bait is dead. Effective content doesn’t call attention to itself. It’s professional and conversational.
We are also seeing trends with storytelling. People don’t want to hear those old heart-breaking, “make me seem vulnerable,” rags-to-riches stories.
They don’t want to hear how you messed up. They want you to come from strength.
My course on copywriting with stories was designed to support this trend. When you buy this course, I’ll send you a link to get free access to my course on Personal Branding With Stories (a guide to promoting yourself the way customers want you to).
(2) More and more business owners are showing up with course creation.
We’re no longer finding success with the “thud factor.” We’re not seeing those huge, comprehensive courses.
Instead, we’re seeing shorter niche courses with very short modules. We’re seeing courses created to solve just one important problem, while each module solves a small aspect of that problem. Modules can be as short as two or three minutes on video
There’s nothing wrong with longer modules. However, people could delay starting on the course. They think, “I don’t have an hour.” With a ten minute module, they can work in chunks.
I subscribe to Obe Fitness, which offers online workouts as short as five or ten minutes. I’m much more likely to slide one of those classes into my day, rather than wait till I can spend a full 50 minutes.
(3) We’re seeing a trend for DIY.
Of course people still hire assistants. But more and more, even high-earning business owners opt to DIY to get control and obtain exactly what they need.
A few weeks ago, I was on a mastermind group call. Someone asked for recommendations for book covers. To my surprise, the leader scoffed at suggestions to hire a designer. “Go to Canva,” she recommended. “Grab a template and use it as is.”
Not everyone will want to do that. But for this business owner, it’s not a matter of money. It’s what she sees as the best way to get the job done.
These days, I get many clients who want copy coaching for DIY, instead of copywriting Done For You. The reason is related to Trend #1: they’re writing tons of content and don’t want to work with a copywriter all the time.
These 3 trends weren’t chosen scientifically. They’re based on what I do every day and how I work with my current clients.
Let me know what you think. Are you seeing these trends as well? Or do you have a different perspective?