Let's look at the Key Marketing trends for Small Business in 2017...
As we are about to farewell this working year, with just a few days to go until Christmas, what better time to have a look at what is coming at us in 2017! As technology keeps moving at warp speed we love the challenge of keeping on top of the latest, so here’s our little sneak preview of the key marketing trends for 2017.
Digital Transformation
The buzzwords around digital have transformed through the last decade as fast as technology has changed. First it was the internet, then mobile, SEO, remarketing, adwords… and many small businesses are still catching up. The fact is that technology will continue to evolve as fast as businesses get the hang of the latest tools, and digital transformation is how we leverage those tech advancements to impact our business the most.
Virtual Reality is one area of digital that is completely changing the face of the consumer market. Customers are now able to do everything from trying on clothes in a virtual world, to shopping and purchasing using just their eyes in a Virtual Reality headset. In Australia earlier this year, New Balance did just that with their new Heidi Klum range launch in Australia, with shoppers being able to try on clothes ‘virtually’, in front of an interactive screen. These virtual change rooms were developed by Val Morgan and allowed customers to try on the entire range interactively, with no changing required, and created a fun and engaging retail experience for shoppers that many had never seen before.
So be brave and dip your toes in the digital and social realms, and remember - the key to effective digital transformation is to be disruptive. Continually challenge the status quo of how you communicate to your customers and use innovative and inventive ways to touch people.
Consumer Centricity
Consumers have far greater choice than ever before, as well as all the information right at their fingertips. So it’s imperative for business to make the transaction with the customer as pain free as possible and use all technology at your disposal to ensure that transaction is a happy one. Many businesses have tried to embrace technology but failed to modify their marketing strategy to match the buying habits of their customers. And even fewer know that moving to digital is far more than just tacking “online” as an addition to their existing activities.
Being Consumer Centric is more than just providing good customer service, it means you need to:
- Have relevant and educational content that speaks directly to your audience;
- Provide the most positive customer experience you can manage at the point of sale and beyond;
- Ensure that every touch point a customer has with your business is part of a considered, strategic plan that is created with the customer experience in mind.
Nurture leads through technology
Wouldn’t it be great to know if a customer had found you, chosen a product they really liked, then gone all the way to the shopping cart stage before something has stopped them from following through with the purchase? It could be they got busy, the internet dropped out, or a myriad of other reasons - and could do with a follow up reminder to not miss out on their purchase. Technology now enables you to send a follow up email 24 hours later to see if they’d still like to purchase.
This happened to me recently on the www.camilla.com.au website, and it’s a sign that progressive companies are using technology well to nurture their leads (and believe me, a customer at checkout stage is a strong lead!)
Remarketing is another example of technology that nurtures your leads, and is used by many business to keep their brand in front of potential customers who have visited their website. You know those ads that seem to follow you around the internet, promoting that jewellery store you visited online yesterday?? With today’s technology, remarketing is an inexpensive tool that allows your brand to have an ongoing presence on your potential customers’ screen and keep you top of mind in a crowded market. It’s a good place to start.
So what are you waiting for?
If you could use some navigating the digital world in 2017, we are here to help! We can show you what’s possible and help implement fantastic, consumer centric campaigns for you, providing as little or as much help as you need. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.to see what we can do to help drive your business!
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comments ( 15 )
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21 Jan 2017I think retail stores are feeling the pressure to compete with online stores and forums in a number of ways. Customers are now highly capable of researching and finding out product information for themselves through technology and the internet, and subsequently this changes the role of a sales assistant, and the overall running of the business. I think as we progress, retail stores will have to integrate technology into the shopping experience for their customers in order to compete with the evolution and innovation of technology, as well as embrace the fact that consumers are becoming more knowledgeable....it will be interesting to see how the shopping community changes and develops further with the use of technology.
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