The Marketing Snack.

Focus people and cut the crap. Target online users and make sure you show them your brand or company is community-oriented. That is according to consumer insights firm trendwatching.com latest research on the consumer trends for this year’s increasingly demanding consumers. Don’t just do marketing or post stuff on Facebook or Twitter for the sake of doing it. Keep up with these trends and they will follow you.

Companies are constantly looking for new trends and marketing strategies that might help them attract more consumers and improve brand loyalty. For that, knowing what they (consumers) look for and are thinking could have a huge impact. According to the consumer insight firm, trendwatchig.com there are a few tendencies companies should keep in mind in 2010:

1. Business as unusual: Companies need to be transparent
and honest about their efforts to conduct environmentally sustainable business practices and genuinely collaborate with their customers rather than try to dictate to them. Trendwatching.com  mention Google, Amazon, Zappos and Virgin as some of the companies that are successfully conducting “business as unusual.”

2. Urbany: Consumers are more sophisticated than ever due to the fact that more and more of them are residing in cities.  This all means that they’re looking for daring goods, services, experiences, campaigns and conversations.

3. Real-time Reviews: Consumers tend to trust more in what critics, a panel of experts and other consumers have to say about a product or service. Companies must then either offer products and services which are so good they are beyond criticism or involve customers in product design from day one to minimize the chance of a bad reaction.

4. (F)luxury: You’re probably wondering what is that. Well, this means companies should produce products and services that are scarce or radically different from what is on the marketplace. Be original!

5. Mass Mingling: People who interact online through social networks are taking those virtual relationships into the “real world.” Companies should help facilitate real-world meetups from social networks in a way that promotes their brand.

6. Eco-Easy: Consumers want to be ecologically conscious but don’t want to expend time or effort in doing so, creating a market for products and services that make it easy to be “green.”

7. Tracking & Alerting: Using online technology, consumers want to instantly track and be alerted of events and information they find interesting or important. Make it easy for them to follow. If it’s too complicated, it’s less likely they’ll look for it.

8. Embedded Generosity: Consumers will continue to  respond well to products and services which have a charitable component, such as apparel items which have a portion of their profits donated to a worthy cause. Today’s consumers like to feel like they’re making a difference (kinda like killing two birds with one stone).

9. Profile Myning: Consumers are increasingly protective of their online privacy and are receptive to products and services which offer security for online social networking activities. Keep away spamers!

10. Maturalism: Short for “mature materialism,” this trend revolves around consumers’ increasing receptiveness to products, services and advertising campaigns which are edgy, controversial and push social boundaries. Make them feel smart, intellectual and deep.