You may have wondered more than once about what’s trending in small business marketing this year. It can be tough trying to stay abreast of all the technological advancements happening when it comes to business. What are some goals that small business owners need to set in order to keep up with the ever-changing digital marketing landscape?
A few trends to consider when it comes to small business marketing this year are:
- Try connecting with your audience via live chat
- Leverage the power of social media for your business
- Focus more on customer reviews, testimonials, and case studies
- Utilize marketing automations
- Focus on brand purpose
Connect With Your Audience Via Live Chat
Communicating with customers through live chat is faster and more effective than through email or phone calls. A customer may not find your email right away, and vice versa. Additionally, with phone calls, there’s the risk of a long wait time. Your customer will give up and hang up—and that’s not good for business. Live chat is a convenient alternative that many businesses are incorporating into their marketing and customer service strategy. You get an instant response from the user, and you show the customer that you’re available to them and value their time. More satisfied customers result in more positive feedback that you can showcase on your website, so it all works together to make your marketing strategy as tight and seamless as possible.
Leverage the Power of Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool when it comes to marketing for your business, and most businesses are already utilizing this strategy. Think about how connected we all are with each other in our technology-centric society. We have access to seconds-old breaking news at the touch of a screen. We can purchase products with our smart phone while simultaneously multi-tasking. Leveraging social media to your advantage to streamline your business’s marketing strategy is just a brilliant idea. You can post business news, alert your audience about changes to products and services, and share inspirational quotes or messages. You’re literally reaching millions of viewers in one fell swoop. There’s absolutely no reason your business shouldn’t be reaching your audience on SM. Besides all of that, it shows you value your audience when you take the time to post.
Focus on Customer Reviews, Testimonials, and Case Studies
Don’t discount the influence of positive customer feedback and case studies that show the results of your work. When you showcase customer reviews on your website, not only are you streamlining your marketing strategy, but you’re also bolstering your organization’s credibility. You also need to respond to feedback in a timely manner. Communication is a two-way street, and your target audience notices when you value customers enough to answer their questions.
Utilize Marketing Automations
Marketing automation in business is the wave of the future. In a previous Aepiphanni blog post, we briefly touched on the advantages of implementing marketing automation into our businesses as we fully take the leap into the digital landscape. Keep a close eye on this trend for 2022. Marketing automations aren’t just helpful for sending out hundreds of emails at once—automations also help you track a customer’s buying behavior. For instance, in an article published to business.nextdoor.com, the author stresses that with automation, “If someone clicks on a product but doesn’t complete the purchase, an automated follow-up email can help complete the sale.” Not only is marketing automation helpful for customer service and communication, it also scales your business growth through increased sales.
Focus on Your Brand’s Purpose
It’s easy to get lost in this idea of “authenticity.” Being authentic is not a bad thing in and of itself. Certainly, we should strive to be authentic with all our content. But there needs to be more to your brand. As a business owner, you need to hone in on your brand’s purpose. What do you stand for as a company? What is your vision? What are your values? These concepts should be incorporated into your brand’s overall messaging strategy. Your potential customers don’t just want to know you are “real.” They want to know the “why” behind your brand -why should they choose you as opposed to a competitor?
