With 2021 slowly coming to a close, business leaders need to start monitoring the trends and predictions that will shape the next year, and start strategizing. It’s important to stay on top of the latest trends in your industry so that you can optimize and adapt your strategies and processes, but most importantly, future-proof your business in the new normal.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding, that doesn’t mean that the crisis is over, and you can expect to feel the effects of the pandemic in your business and your industry for years to come. If you are to keep your company afloat and even incentivize growth in the face of ever-changing socio-economic trends and consumer behavior, it’s important to have the right information at the right time.
With all of that in mind, today we are going to take a look at some of the best ways you can keep up with business trends now and throughout 2022, in order to achieve your goals.
Follow the authority figures in your niche
Every industry has its leaders and authority figures that consumers and other businesses turn to for guidance, advice, and educational content. No matter if you are a business leader yourself or if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur looking for as much quality information as possible, it’s important that you start following these inspirational figures in your niche.
Some of the most experienced thought leaders and experts in your field will present a true treasure trove of useful information that you can use to shape your 2022 strategies, adapt your internal processes, and better understand the changing consumer market. But there is a catch.
Keep in mind that there are equally as many untrustworthy and fake authorities in every industry in the world, people who give out bad advice or share only tactics that have worked for them. Just because one growth tactic worked for a single person and their company doesn’t mean that it will work for you, so make sure to only follow credible authorities in your industry and always fact-check their claims through other reputable sources.
Join peer groups and online coaching programs
One of the best ways to keep up with the trends and act on them ahead of time is to join mentorship programs, peer groups, or online coaching classes in your industry. Once you have identified the leaders in your sector that you can trust, you can check if they’re running any mentorship or coaching programs that you can sign up for. These programs will allow you to gain deeper insight into the subject matter, and actually start working on leveraging the trends these coaches talk about.
You can listen to them speak online in YouTube videos or podcasts, but it’s a whole different thing to actually be in their online classroom and work with them on achieving your business goals. What’s more, peer groups are excellent for connecting with other leaders in your industry and learning from each other. This can even spark amazing partnerships and numerous opportunities for growth in 2022.
Have a business news app on hand
Apps are becoming more and more popular with business leaders for their ability to deliver value and results quickly. Now that you’re taking your smartphone everywhere with you and are using it to do your job on the go, it’s important to have a business news app as well so that you can stay up to date at all times.
This is a very popular trend in fast-paced sectors like the financial industry, especially in competitive markets like Australia.
In the Land Down Under, business leaders will monitor finance news in Australia in real time via a dedicated news app where they can get notifications on important topics and trends in their industry. This allows them to maintain their competitive advantage and act on the latest trends before the competitors get a chance to seize the opportunity.
Wherever you’re based, though, be sure to use this approach yourself and install a reliable news app on your mobile device so that you can stay in the now at all times.
Stay on top of the statistics websites
Everything you hear online or offline, and everything you read in the digital world that’s related to your industry or makes specific claims should be backed by data. You can only minimize risk and act on trends safely if you backed them up by data from reputable websites and sources.
It’s important that you verify a piece of information by tracking it to its source, but if an article doesn’t have a citation or a link to the data, then you need to conduct your own investigation. Don’t act on the claim, instead, go to your industry statistics websites that publish the latest research and data to ensure that the claim is legitimate.
Once you identify the trend as real, you can start creating a strategy to capitalize on the opportunities it brings. This process will make sure that you’re able to protect your company from any unsubstantiated claims and trends that could potentially ruin your future.
Sense market demand by asking for feedback
Your target demographic is one of the biggest sources of quality data and relevant insights. You can get the industry data from reputable online sources, but if you want to delve deep into consumer trends, you should also engage directly with your target audience. After all, who better to tell you what the modern customers need than the customers themselves?
With that in mind, you can start asking your online audience and customers for honest feedback on a number of topics. You can ask about their view of the industry, the common and new pain-points and challenges they’re facing, their general sentiment about your brand or your competitors, and much more.
There are also many ways you can gather this feedback. Consider collating this data from online reviews, testimonials, user-generated content on social media, online comments, polls and quizzes, questionnaires, direct email communication, and more.
Listen to your in-house experts
On a final note, one of the best things you can do for your business in 2022 and beyond is to simply listen to your in-house talent. Make sure to present all your research and every trend you come across to your in-house experts and ask for their input.
They will be able to give you their professional opinion and will conduct their own further research to dig deeper into the subject matter. If they think the trend has merit and that your company should act on it, you can then start working with them immediately on a strategy that will exploit these opportunities. The best part is that these experts will already be familiar with the trend, ensuring a seamless brainstorming process.
Over to you
Keeping up with the latest trends in your industry and niche is one of the key ways to ensure the steady growth and success of your business. This is especially important during these unpredictable times, as you want to protect your brand from future crises and prepare for what they may bring. When a new shift in the market occurs, you should be well-prepared to adapt quickly and continue growing your business in the face of adversity.
