The New Year is a perfect time to reassess your marketing strategies and implement new ideas as you stay ahead of new and emerging trends in an effort to grow your business and reach new customers.
Consider the habits, priorities and digital trends of the prospects you want to reach. Your typical customer in 2020 most likely uses their mobile devices regularly, values social media for interaction and prioritizes online reviews from their peers before making purchasing decisions on goods or services. The most effective marketing trends you can employ to reach these individuals are ones that cater to how they already operate on a day-to-day basis.
Invest in your overall brand
Generating content, building mobile-friendly webpages, creating social media followings and establishing a cohesive internet presence isn’t just a one-time expense. It’s a long-term investment that creates assets your business can benefit from for years to come. Over time, blogs, video and content that lets customers get a good feel of who you are as a company can help your brand become one that people enjoy doing business with.
Emphasize your personalized customer service
“Marketing” and “customer service” might be viewed as separate facets of your business, but success in customer service can directly lead to its own successful marketing. Every positive customer service interaction creates a chance for that customer to speak highly of you to their friends, family or, most importantly, online review outlets.
Internet reviews through Google, Facebook, Yelp and other relevant sites are by no means a new trend, but they’re more important than ever. Customers aren’t likely to make purchases from businesses lacking online reviews, and negative reviews can be even more damaging to your reputation. Generating positive reviews online should absolutely be a top priority for your small business in 2020.
Get smart
While nothing beats a human touch and personal interaction in most customer experiences, the use of AI and automated or segmented marketing initiatives is sure to become an even more accessible trend for small businesses this year.
“Big data” may sound daunting and only available to the largest of business enterprises, but small companies can easily store basic information and cater content for customer segments based on age, location, buying behaviors or recent interactions with your social media or website, for example. Automated email campaigns, website chatbots or text-message marketing are other examples of smart ways small businesses can grow alongside the mobile trend that will only continue to become more important. Customers will also appreciate your company’s adoption of easy mobile payments from platforms like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, Visa Checkout and similar services.
Be seen
Between short streaming videos, live social media “stories” and even augmented or virtual reality experiences, visual content creates the most views and is a trend you don’t want to miss. Livestreamed social media stories are becoming more viewed than traditional newsfeeds. Posting spontaneous, authentic video messages is an easy and powerful method for generating visibility, engagement and more of an emotional connection with your audience — which helps lead to all-important brand loyalty from your social media campaigns.
The 2020s should be an exciting time for small businesses — especially those who pay close attention and stay on top of the latest trends to meet the needs, preferences and habits of this decades’ consumers.
Do you need help putting new marketing trends into action at your business in the New Year? At Collective Alternative, we’re always asking questions and discovering comprehensive solutions for new opportunities that help local businesses prosper. Let’s connect for a strategy session today to get started.
