The world of digital marketing is constantly changing, and that’s especially true for small business owners who are trying to do the most with limited time and resources. If you’re looking for a competitive edge in your digital marketing strategy, check out these marketing trends for SMEs you should know about to enhance your digital marketing efforts.
1. AI for Automation
AI is the new buzzword, and it’s not going away anytime soon. With artificial intelligence, businesses of all sizes can automate repetitive tasks and save time on mundane tasks that would otherwise take up valuable resources. By automating some of your work through AI, your business can free up its resources to focus on other areas that need attention, such as customer service or product development.
2. Chatbots
Chatbots help businesses engage with customers by providing timely information to questions and inquiries. You can also use chatbots to get customers’ feedback about their experience with your products or services, which will help improve those experiences in the future. In addition, the automation saves you from hiring a team of customer service experts.
3. Personalized Customer Relationships
Personalized messages are essential when dealing with customers because they personalize each communication based on previous interactions. This is unlike generic emails, which feel like spam when received by someone who has never contacted a business before. This results in a lower bounce rate due to feeling acknowledged for the customer’s specific needs.
4. Emphasis on Video Content
Video content is a great way to engage customers, and it’s more likely to be shared than text content. Video lends itself perfectly to the small business market because it’s easy for you to create and share, making it much more likely that your potential customers will view your videos because of the unique nature and feel of your content.
5. User Generated Content
User-Generated Content (UGC) is a great way to engage with customers and build a community. UGC includes comments, reviews, photos, videos, and other content that your audience creates on their own. It’s one of the best ways to get feedback from your audience because they are the ones doing the talking and a beneficial digital marketing trend for SMEs.
6. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach your target audience, but it can be challenging to find the right influencers for your brand. You want to find an influencer in your niche market with followers aligned with your target audience. A single post by a powerful influencer exposes your brand to way more leads than other marketing trends for SMEs.
7. Everything is Mobile Ready
You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating: Everything is mobile-friendly now. In fact, if you have a site that isn’t mobile-ready, you’re at a disadvantage in the market. If your website isn’t responsive or optimized for mobile users, you could lose out on potential customers searching for businesses like yours on their smartphones and tablets.
8. SEO and Negative Keywords
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a technique that helps your website’s ranking in search engines like Google. The idea behind it is that if your website appears higher on search results pages, more people will visit your site and visit more often. Negative keywords are those related phrases or words that might mislead your market. A company named “Firehouse Pizza” wouldn’t want to appear in a search of “local fire department services.”
9. Local Services Ads
Google and other search engines are placing great importance on local keywords. Things like “best pizza near me” or “best pizza in New York” are frequently used search terms. Including your physical location or service area will boost your page rank and lead generation.
10. Optimized for Voice Search
As voice search grows in popularity, small businesses should be ready to optimize their website for it. While this means adjusting the content on your site, it also requires some technical changes to ensure that customers find what they’re looking for when they ask a question.
Conclusion
Although many of these marketing trends for SMEs may seem daunting, they all have significant benefits for small businesses looking to scale their marketing and grow their reach. With so many new tools available, it is crucial that you start making changes now and give yourself a competitive edge.
There are several ways in which these new technologies can help your business improve the way you work with your customers, build trust and loyalty, and deliver more value than ever before. We at Griffon Webstudios can walk you through each step to ensure a vibrant and healthy lead generation ecosystem for your business.
