Another year is off and running, and it’s time to look ahead to some trends that could impact how you market your small business in 2015. As an entrepreneur, it can be difficult trying to keep up with all of the trends, but it is important to know what is out there because there might be something that can have a significant impact on your marketing and sales efforts for the coming year. Here are three small business marketing trends that you should keep on your radar and try to incorporate into your plans:
- A Website Alone Just Isn’t Enough: Congratulations if you have actually managed to get yourself online with a search engine optimized website that drives sales leads to your business. Unfortunately, you can’t stop there. It’s time to take your online marketing efforts to the next level. In the same way, it’s not enough to just have a Facebook page or a Twitter account. The trend now is to have a wide online presence where all of the components are interconnected. When you update your website or write a blog, that will need to be posted on your social media sites as well. Your social media sites must be updated on a consistent basis, with the goal of driving traffic to your website.
- You Must Get Mobile: Again, congratulations if you have a website, but have you actually looked at it on a mobile device? You need to do that because that is how the vast majority of your prospects will get their first impression of your business. If it’s slow to load, difficult to read, or too complicated to follow, they will simply move on to the next opportunity without giving your business another thought. As of September 2014, over 172 million Americans have a smartphone they use on a daily basis. We may even be reaching the point where mobile overtakes and outpaces the desktop marketing model. Just last January, there were more people using tablet apps and smartphones to access the internet than PCs.
- Smile, You’re Going to Be on Camera: Sounds uncomfortable, doesn’t it? But video is one huge and upcoming trend online. With all of the ways of producing and editing a video now available, it’s almost impossible not to take advantage of this opportunity. Don’t just limit your video to your website. It’s great to have a YouTube page of your own, but videos on Facebook are the up and coming marketing tool for 2015. The image shows up nice and large in the viewer’s news feed, and Facebook denizens are likely to spend a minute or two with you if you’ve got an interesting enough topic.
Don’t be afraid of change. You’ve already taken a major chance by just becoming a small business entrepreneur. Now take the next step, do your research, and catch up on the marketing trends that are going to help propel your business to the next level of success.