Any small business owner knows that developing and maintaining a smart marketing strategy is an essential part of the growth and development of their organisation. However, where things often fall down is treating that strategy as a static document, rather than recognizing that it needs to be something dynamic which changes and develops as your business does, and responds to shifting trends in the marketplace and the wider macroenvironment.
Marketing methods and channel mixes are changing all the time and become more intelligent to consumer needs and keeping pace with your own activity is absolutely vital. Reevaluating what you are doing and being able to make the necessary changes is about making you stand out from the competition and turn your customers into advocates. So, how do you make sure that what you’re doing stays innovative and fresh?
Take Note Of Trends
Times change very quickly in these fast-paced super connected days – and as soon as a technology becomes available in one part of the web, customers expect it in another. If you don’t keep up with the pace of change, it’s easy for your business to become obsolete as customers move on to a competitor that has been more adaptable
Understanding the latest trends in marketing means both looking at your competitors and monitoring what they are doing, but also looking outside your sector for best-of-class marketing tactics elsewhere that you can adapt and use in your own field.
Using tools such as AnswerThePublic can help you visualise what your potential customers are actually searching for, while Google Trends will give you a broader picture of current patterns. Make sure that you keep up to date with blogs, industry journals and other sources of information as a matter of course, and this will give you pointers of where your marketing needs to evolve.
Opt For Automation
Small businesses are very often a one-man band, trying to do it all on a limited budget and limited time resources. Don’t be afraid to fully embrace the power of automated marketing processes and let that take some of the burden. There’s no reason that you can’t create a blog roll of evergreen content pieces that are surfaced on different channels at different times.
Use tools like Hootsuite and Later to pre-schedule social media content to keep your posting regular and engaging, and find things such as a convertkit alternative to keep your email marketing rolling. That way, you can focus your limited time on responding, creating conversations and monitoring key topics, knowing that the content wagon will keep on rolling in the background.
Use The Power Of Networking
Networks give you a wider reach and amplify your voice far beyond your own circles. Use every opportunity to get the word out – from finding local networking events where you can meet others in person or maybe even give a presentation, to using LinkedIn Groups to position your business as a thought leader in your field. If your message is good, people will talk and you can also layer in working with influencers to benefit for their own networks and expertise.
