Small businesses sometimes have it rough to get attention from customers’ since there are already well-established businesses in the big leagues to choose from. A small business also lacks a big team and capital that others have, which makes it harder for them to promote themselves and create an identity in the market. They should be able to figure out and stay up-to-date with the changing trends in the businesses world in order to survive. To help small businesses on their journey, here are marketing ideas for 2017.
1. Jump to mobile
Being a mobile-friendly business is not enough. Small businesses should expand in the world of mobile and transform from mobile-friendly to mobile-centric. After making the website responsive to any screen size of platforms used by the user, you can now focus on other mobile functions such as mobile payments, buy buttons and mobile apps. Entering the world of social media can be a great opportunity for small businesses to gather a following and to be noticed especially now that millennials now possess their own buying power and people are using mobile more than desktop to surf the web.
2. Email is not dead
This form of communication is a low-cost way where businesses can communicate to consumers. Actually, email is considered to give a high Return of Investment (ROI) to businesses. Small businesses can have a successful email campaign if they can provide relevant in-depth information instead of the regular sales talk. Build relationships with potential and loyal customers to create trust and strengthen relationships to have more conversions.
3. Consult data for decisions
Data is a vital component on how to decide on what to do next especially for small businesses. Heaps of data such as collected information, analysis and feedback can help the businesses to decide their next move. A small business needs to fully understand their niche market for them to know how to provide a better customer experience. Information can be gathered by checking the company’s systems, getting feedback on online surveys or forms and social listening. Gather all these heaps of data and compare each one to know which fields the business is lacking and excelling in.
4. Videos can help
Grab the attention of consumers by creating videos. Some consumers would prefer to watch videos on information and others prefer reading text. In 2017, videos will expand since it is an effective way to get the consumer’s attention. Live videos can be a nice post once in a while. Small businesses can feature customer testimonials, a Q & A session, facts, or even tutorials to get the potential customers engaged.
5. The use of beacon technology
The more businesses give time to understand customer behavior, the more they can produce effective ads and content. Now, small businesses can use mobile beacon technology to help them understand their consumers more. Mobile beacons are devices that can communicate with a consumer’s mobile phone to improve the experience. Once a consumer enters a store, beacons use bluetooth technology to detect the consumer’s mobile phone and send the detected mobile phone with ads, promos or supplementary product information. The effectiveness of beacon technology depends on every consumer, but is worth the shot.
6. Permission-based marketing
This type of marketing, a term coined by the icon Seth Godin, is a privilege of businesses to send relevant content to consumers who want to receive one. If small businesses give a chance to try permission-based marketing, this can not only expand their communication to loyal customers, but also get their respect. Permission-based marketing can be achieved by having blogs, push notifications, live events and more.
Small businesses need to push harder so that they can compete with the established ones in the big leagues. Business brokers melbourne should pay close attention to these upcoming trends in 2017 and start checking the company’s system so that growth can be achieved.
