Every time the market and economy changes, the nature of work also evolves and companies should be able to keep up with the trends. The following are seven small business marketing ideas that entrepreneurs and small business owners will need to watch closely starting this first quarter of 2019.
“Businesses that don’t have a plan, hate marketing.” Click To Tweet
1. Create a realistic marketing plan
A 12-month marketing plan should be first on your running small business checklist for growth so you avoid feeling lost and overwhelmed.
• What sales benchmarks do you need to hit and when?
• What does your sales funnel or product marketing flow look like?
• Do you have project plans to support each initiative?
• What distribution channels will make it successful?
• What, events and collaborations can increase brand awareness and sales?
• What holiday sales, limited-time offers, and seasonal items can you include in your promotions?
• Do you have other product launches in mind?
2. Increase your online visibility
• Create shareable and relevant content that sparks engagement with your customers.
• Be active on social media. Create conversations, but not overly sales oriented.
• Update your SEO strategies. This can be time-consuming and confusing that’s why you should invest in educating yourself first and use a marketing virtual assistant to carry out the necessary changes.
• Reduce high webpage bounce rates by providing exceptional user experience at all touch points.
• Make sure your website is optimized for mobile use.
• Repurpose your content and other evergreen images to create stimulating and share-worthy visuals.
• Test online ads and track your spending vs. conversion.
90% of consumers say their decisions are influenced by online reviews. Click To Tweet3. Offer competitive salary / compensation
Economists and industry analysts see a tight labor market in 2019, and this means that business owners will continue to compete with other employers for the best workers in their respective industries.
One key to attracting and retaining a more diverse workforce is to offer a compensation package based on what local and regional competitors are offering.
4. Remote workers are happier employees
The rise of outsourcing or remote employees is still one of the top small business marketing trends today. There has been an increasing demand to work whenever and wherever people want.
The use of laptops, smartphones and tablets has paved the way to increase our mobility, allowing us to work virtually from home or anywhere, giving us the much-needed relaxation. Even in some industries, having the option to work remotely on flexible schedules is now an employee requirement.
By 2020, nearly three-quarters of all employees are expected to be mobile employees. Click To Tweet5. Technology-driven customer service support
Companies are starting to make greater investment in offering customer service through automation and chat apps. With this, your audience is given a more customized experience as they inquire for details that bring them closer to what they want and need.
Another solution is to give your customers a way for them to rent or subscribe to your products, rather than purchasing them once. Read our post about marketing strategy that leverage your business this year for more tips on customer service support.
6. Clear and consistent team communication
Creating an up-to-date and easily accessible employee handbook will benefit both management and staff. This can include a summary of important workplace guidelines and procedures and information about state and federal labor law.
A handbook is a must-have for smaller companies to avoid any employee confusion through emails and/or in-person reminders throughout the year.
This 2019, businesses will continue to lean increasingly on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to give customer support to the places where their customers gather.
7. Greater focus on health benefits and wellness at work
Growing your business also means taking care of your employees. Personalized health and wellness benefits, next to salary, are more important than ever. Business owners will need to focus more on how they can nurture wellbeing in the workplace, combat stress, low-morale and mental illness.
As mentioned in tip #4, flexible working is an increasingly popular arrangement in many small businesses to help retain and hire the best talent for their workforce.
Different generations might have different preferences when it comes to medical options, such as chiropractic care, vision, dental and hearing services, mindfulness classes, weight loss programs, etc.
As you begin to align your overall online marketing strategy with your business goals, consider whether there are any processes or functions you can assign to remote staff via outsourcing to save money and free up time for other important things.
Hire virtual assistant services from us! We can help you find the best talent for your workforce. If you feel you’ve been ignoring your online marketing strategy and aren’t sure where to begin, feel free to reach out.
CALL US at 1-866-596-9041 for more in-depth information on digital marketing strategies and best practices. Discover how our highly qualified and trained virtual assistants can help in your everyday tasks and objectives.
Virtual Assistant Talent is a top-notch virtual assistant staffing agency helping professionals from different industries such as the real estate, insurance, small business, coaching/consulting, and executive leadership.
Reference:
www.usatoday.com
www.forbes.com
www.iol.co.za
www.lemonhearted.com
