Should You Jump On the Latest Technology Trend? Five Questions to Ask

It’s always a good idea to watch trends and stay up to date on what people are talking about; it’s not always necessary to incorporate every trend into your business practices. Being an early adopter of a trend can position you as a pioneer, but if it doesn’t work for your business, it can be a big waste of your time and effort. How do you know if a trend is really going to pay out or if it will just be a short-lived fad?

Here are five questions to ask yourself when considering jumping on the latest technology trend.

1. Can it build my customer base?

Lead generation is one of your most important daily tasks, so the tools you use must be efficient and effective. There has been a stream of talk lately about adopting Pokémon GO for real estate: Perhaps you place a lure at a PokéStop near your business or an open house event. Here’s the thing: Are the people who come to you really in the market for real estate or are they just stalking Squirtle?

If you want to connect with people, Pokémon GO can be a fun and unique way to do it — just don’t gamify your marketing as a lead generation strategy.

2. Will it showcase my expertise?

The most useful technology trends combine elements of communication, entertainment and engagement that allow you to share your content with an audience, receive comments on it and track your performance. These trends don’t place any limit on where, when or to whom you share your brand messages.

Snapchat is all about telling a story in the moment, and what is real estate but telling a home’s story to attract the perfect buyer? Snapchat is also a highly engaging platform, so you’ll know how well you’re bringing your audience into your life by your open rates and the responses you receive.

3. Is it part of a bigger movement?

Some trends are difficult to parlay into business applications because they’re too specialized to fit logically within a long-term marketing strategy. For example, Ello, a by-invitation-only posting and collaborating site for digital artists, was touted by some to be the “next Facebook,” but it didn’t fulfill that prophesy. Some trends go viral — the messaging app Peach reached as high as 85th on U.S. iTunes downloads on a Saturday and was declared “dead” by Monday — but unless they’re indicative of a bigger, steadier pattern of consumer behavior, don’t waste your time.

Pokémon GO might not occupy a pocket in your marketing tool belt, but it is part of a bigger trend: augmented reality (AR). The real estate industry has already adopted 3-D imaging, so it makes sense that AR — overlaying simulated enhancements atop existing reality — might be the next evolutionary step in helping buyers visualize living in a home to see if it’s the right fit.

4. Do I see myself using it in six months?

Like fitness equipment, a trend can start out being wildly popular with an audience who imagines all the benefits they’ll get from using it, but wind up dusty and forgotten in the back corner of their consciousness. Technology trends like cloud storage or smartphone apps have longevity because you use them every day; others like Blab or Meerkat wither away from neglect or obsolescence.

Facebook started out as a trend, just like many other social media platforms, but after more than 10 years, it’s proven itself to be one of, if not the most popular social media of them all. It reached that status because it continues to add features, such as live streaming, that people really want and can use every day to attract bigger audiences through engaging content.

5. Does it fit my brand personality?

In other words, will adopting this technology be a logical and seamless next step for your business, or will it be a complete non sequitur that confuses your audience and dilutes your brand? For example, if you had used Facebook or Instagram to post beautiful listing photos and suddenly switched to Snapchat, will your audience follow you to the new platform or will they feel confused and left behind by your new tactic?

By all means, explore trends that gain popularity — you never know where the next game-changer will come from — but ask yourself if it’s a business tool you can use to achieve your day-to-day goals. If not, enjoy it for entertainment purposes, and save your time and money for trends that help you build your brand and increase your business.