The Latest Blog…
✨A lifestyle marketing blog✨
THE LATEST
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MARKETING AND PR TRENDS
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THE LATEST ~ MARKETING AND PR TRENDS ~
What’s Happening in April
Tax Day and Easter are the big things that most of us think about in April - but there’s so much more going on. As with trees leaf out, the world’s attention is drawn to eco friendly ideas and stories of all kinds. Much of the media focuses on a range of eco stories. Sustainability within the lifestyle industry is so important, every brand should be embracing this trend.
CozyMaxxing Your Brand Into Spring
One of the top trends on Google search this week is Cozymaxxing! When I first heard about this I thought it was a clever TJ Maxx hashtag - and it may have originally started that way a few years back - lively discussion boards on Reddit focused on the concept in depth more than 2 years ago. As of yesterday it was peaking as a search term across all internet platforms.
Winter is a natural time to snuggle and stay in bed, but what as we head into Spring this trend offers a fresh look at the idea.
Cozymaxxing is not to be confused with the Danish concept of hygge. Hygge emphasizes simplified, comfortable atmospheres and a sense of well-being. It involves creating an uncluttered, inviting environment, often through warm lighting, comfortable textiles, and shared moments with loved ones.
Hygge and cozymaxxing share similarities, but they are not the same.
Here’s What’s Happening in March!
With the approach of Spring, people are emerging from their Winter cocoons and embracing bright colors, cheerful prints, and floral scents. Spring Cleaning and whole house recharging will be on our minds, as will garden planning, seed planting and chicken raising.
Recycling: Not Just for Plastic and Cardboard
As a brand manager of a lifestyle company, you probably spend many hours each week carefully creating content. (Or at least you want to.) You do this for your website, perhaps for a blog and as SEO support for product descriptions, for Instagram, Linkedin, BlueSky, Pinterest and more. That’s a ton of content. It can take all day, and at many bigger companies, a team of 10 or more social media experts work on a brand’s social accounts each and every day. That’s not something that’s feasible for a smaller startup working on a shoestring budget - and this fact alone makes it hard to compete on most social media platforms.
4 Free Unsplash accounts to Fuel Your Romantic Art Trend Posts
4 Free Unsplash accounts to Fuel Your Romantic Art Trend Posts. Don’t miss this treasure trove of free downloadable classic art.
Charming Valentine’s Day Retail Displays
I love scouting Valentine’s Day retail displays every year. After Christmas decorations come down there just seems to be a colorless void that happens towards the end of January that cheerful Valentine’s Day displays seem to fill so easily.
January Offers a Wealth of Marketing Opportunities!
January Offers a Wealth of Marketing Opportunities! The Age of Aquarius, The Year of the Snake, and Pie vs Pi
Seven Steps to Consider When Getting Your Website Ready for the Holiday Rush
Whether you’re actively recruiting press placements for your products or just want to make the most of your website, here are some simple elements you should consider.
Gift Guides 2024: Here are 5 Essential Elements to Make Sure Your Products are Front and Center
Gift Guides 2024: Here are 5 Essential Elements to Make Sure Your Products are Front and Center
Here are some interesting dates coming up to mark on your marketing calendar.
It’s the beginning of August and heatwaves and beach days are most likely your reality.
Here are some great internet holidays coming up to post about over the next few weeks:
August 8: International Cat Day
August 9: Book Lovers Day
August 15: 55th Anniversary of Woodstock
August 17: National Bee Day
August 17: National Thrift Shop Day
August 19: Full Moon (Sturgeon Moon) is a Blue Moon: occurs when there are four full moons in a single astronomical season, instead of the usual three. There will not be another Blue Moon until May 31, 2026
August 19: Coco Chanel’s Birthday
August 30: National Beach Day
The Second Half is Here! Here’s What’s Trending in June and Beyond.
Brand owners who sell wholesale know that June is the month that kicks off a frenzy of activity.
The big media players like Oprah, The New York Times, Glamour, Goop, Vogue ect are researching trends and investigating the popularity of specific brands for inclusion in their exhaustive holiday gift guides. They’ll roll out their recommendations to readers in late September through mid October, which means that if you have special designs, gift sets, price breaks or new products you’d like to sell a lot of at Christmastime, June is the month that you must start pitching.
The reason for this long lead time is the colossal importance of the season for media players who rely on the ad sales that these gift guides bring. Digital versions of these guides bring commissions earned from click throughs. Holiday gift guides also go a long way in the promotion of media brands - they can demonstrate their influence on the consumer product market by generating great sales, thereby attracting year round advertising revenue. Key editors from these guides appear on numerous morning shows and entertainment programs to promote their choices, further strengthening their brand and generating traffic and circulation to their pages.
Happy Spring! Here’s What’s Trending in the Weeks Ahead.
With or without big editorial boards, the world is moving ahead like a bullet train speeding through the fog. Here’s what’s on our radar:
As with trees leaf out, the world’s attention is being drawn to eco friendly ideas and stories of all kinds. Sustainability is a keyword that’s getting lots of searches on Google this year. Thrifting from charity shops and reselling on platforms like Ebay, The Real Real, and Vestiaire is gaining in popularity with influencers. They can sell their own clothing, and earn the same commissions on items listed on those sites as they would with other types of online stores.
How to Easily Find Trending Audio on Instagram
If you enjoy those hilarious audio grabs you see in other’s feeds or want to give your Instagram account an up-to-the-minute feel, incorporate trending audio into your feeds. The beauty of trending audio is that you can pop almost any video underneath some of the more colorful audio clips and enjoy the benefits of it. Of course, because they’re trending, they can change by the minute. For this reason, it’s important to be able to easily find great trending audio - and we’re in luck! Because it is.
Use This Strategy to Build Your Audience on Instagram and TikTok
Your current customers (for brands this would mainly be retailers that carry your products) have a vested interest in your success, as you do in theirs. For brands that are carried in dozens or even hundreds of stores you have a built-in network of micro-influencers who can help drive your social account to major success.
Encouraging your current customers to post about your brand on their platform of choice not only helps to increase visibility but also fosters a sense of authenticity and trust.
Here are some tried-and-true strategies to inspire customers to share their experiences and promote your business on Instagram and TikTok:
Floral Trends: On the floor, the wall, the ceiling, just not in a vase.
If you’re planning a resplendent photo shoot, breathtaking store window display, or product launch, you’ll want to take note of this unique trend.
Some Excellent Quotes to Motivate You as You Prepare for Fall and Holiday Marketing.
We searched for some particularly inspired quotes ... here are a few of our favorites.
Let’s Get Tuned Up For Fall with Some Excellent Jewel and Floral Tones
Pantone’s trend report for Autumn/Winter 2023-2024 describe the coming season’s color palettes as limitless and full of self-expression while “serving as a vehicle for vitality and enthusiasm.” Shown above Rose Violet, and Persian Jewel.
3 Easy Steps for Setting Up an Online Store
Even if your retail business is mainly driven by local foot traffic, setting up a web shop gives your customers a way to browse what you have to offer at their leisure. In this manner, you’ll sell more and have a direct route to following up with clients in weeks and months to come. You can more easily “bundle” items that go well together as you would instore, and offer incentives to buy on the spot.
Five Easy Ways to Instantly Boost Your Brand's Social Proof
Social Proof relies on the notion that if a product is tried and true, it must be trustworthy and worthwhile. Most easily put, Social Proof is the spark of energy that each of us give off each time we scroll through a social feed. We offer it in the form of likes, recommendations, comments and shares. Few brands can exist without social proof, and in the abscence of it, find competing in a crowded marketplace very difficult.