Image courtesy of unsplash.com

Some of the most successful marketing efforts come from capitalizing on trending topics, world events and relatable content. Understanding how to coordinate your marketing efforts with the world around you is a great avenue to getting your customers talking and your brand in the spotlight. In order to be successful in marketing, it’s important to understand what’s going on in the world, how it affects your audience and what your company can do to capitalize on it.

By understanding these aspects, you can leverage your marketing to tap into trending topics, avoid PR pitfalls, and create a captured audience. Follow these tips to learn more:

Monitor the news: There is always something going on in the news. Whether an issue in politics is heating up, your country just won gold at the Olympics or a major tragedy had struck an area your customers are located in, keeping up to date on what’s going on in the world will help you understand what your audience is going through and better adjust your messaging to fit that picture.

Monitor the world: As we all know, the news does not always paint an accurate picture of what’s going on in the world. Look to other resources, follow other outlets and keep your eyes open to what’s going on around you. Understanding the world in the most realistic way you can will give you the upper hand in crafting a marketing message.

Be flexible: Some marketers have their social media posts, email messages and other forms of communication scheduled far in advance. This is great until something happens. Don’t be the company caught with an inappropriately scheduled tweet during a time of tragedy. What may seem harmless when scheduled could turn into a PR crisis depending on the events going on in the world.

Try new things: Although it may feel like there’s no way you could incorporate the Pokémon GO craze into your marketing efforts, or relate the Olympics back to your company, don’t be afraid to try new things. More than likely there is always a connection, and once you find it, it may provide a powerful message to your audience.

Fit your brand: That being said, don’t try to force something that doesn’t fit. All of your marketing efforts should fit within your existing brand image and work to enhance it. Taking advantage of trendy topics and time-sensitive material is great, but it could do more harm than good if the message doesn’t fit with your company.