Some companies have entire departments dedicated to keeping up with rapidly changing marketing trends.
Small businesses, however, don’t always have that luxury.
This doesn’t mean that marketing should be pushed to the backburner in small businesses. In fact, some argue that it’s even more important for small businesses wanting to stand out from the crowd.
Here are a few areas of focus for your marketing in 2017:
Small Business Blogging
Make sure you’re giving your readers and website visitors quality content that they want to share and promote. Is an issue going on in your industry that you have unique insight on? Is there a new product or new information that might interest your audience and customers?
Also, focus on making sure you’re using appropriate search engine optimization techniques when managing your blog. There’s a science to it, and killing your page rank is the last thing you want to do.
Video Marketing for Your Small Businesses
Video marketing is on the rise. It’s a very effective way to connect with your customers while also building your brand.
Not sure it’s right for your business? Check out a few stats that will make you seriously reconsider:
- 79% would rather watch a video about a product than read about it
- 91% have viewed an explanation video about a product or service before purchasing
- 84% have made a purchase after watching a video
Social Media for Small Businesses
First, make sure you’re hitting all the social media platforms that your customers use: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.
Also, focus less on paid social media advertising and more on quality content. You don’t have to spend a lot of money for social media to work for you. Concentrate on content with value to your customer. Do the digging and research required to uncover what that valuable information is.
Mobile for Small Businesses
Time consumers are spending on their smartphones is increasing, while spent on other media like desktops, tablets and laptops is decreasing. Most of the time spent on their phones is in mobile apps.
So if your business doesn’t have an app yet, 2017 might be your year to consider creating one. Fortunately, there are mobile app development options for all budgets – from DIY to hiring a team.
Email Marketing for Small Businesses
By 2018, 80% of email users are expected to access their email accounts via a mobile device. So make sure your emails are as mobile-friendly as possible.
Another reason to use email marketing? Statistics show that ROI for email marketing is currently a whopping 43%.