Small companies are started as a result of a founder’s enthusiasm or a brilliant concept for a solution or item. But to establish a successful business, you need to take more than just these first steps.
Small business entrepreneurs have many hats to wear, including promoting their brands in the contemporary digital environment. It’s possible that 2022 threw some curveballs your way, but it’s time to start over and concentrate on more ambitious objectives to make up for lost time. Utilizing small company digital marketing methods, in the opinion of SmartSites, is a fantastic place to start in order to boost website traffic, produce worthwhile leads, boost sales, open the door to upsell opportunities, and enhance client retention. Discover the top small business marketing trends 2023 now!
Email Marketing will Continue to be Effective in 2023
Email marketing has aged like a fine wine, but it continues to be one of the most compelling digital marketing trends. Sending email newsletters is the preferred method for brand promotion and consumer retention. In addition to allowing small business owners to reach a large audience, email marketing campaigns also enable them to demonstrate industry expertise and highlight their social responsibility initiatives.
Modern email marketing software allows business owners to evaluate the efficacy of their campaigns, which is a priceless data source. Improve their online marketing strategies by learning what works and what does not. Last but not least, emails are excellent channels for communicating directly with consumers without being restricted by filters.
Influencer Marketing on Instagram and TikTok is Growing in Popularity
Influencer marketing has evolved into a successful digital marketing strategy for small businesses. This trend is anticipated to continue in 2023, and it pertains to both minor and medium-sized enterprises. Marketing professionals, industry thought leaders, and influencers are cooperating more and more to gain supporters, increase brand advocacy, and boost sales conversions.
If you cannot afford to employ prominent influencers, you may want to consider working with microinfluencers. The latter is comprised of social media promoters with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers. Despite the fact that micro-influencers have small fan bases, their posts are still highly engaging. This sort of influencer is well-versed in their industry and is regarded as “everyday” individuals. Their adherents are consequently more likely to trust their recommendations and opinions.
Live Streaming and Short-Form Vertical Videos Remain Invaluable
Small business proprietors stream on YouTube and Facebook primarily due to the fact that it is free. In addition, these platforms enable them to generate excitement and anticipation and interact directly with their audience. Similar to how purchasing channels on television operate, live stream shopping features brand ambassadors and influencers promoting products that can be purchased immediately by viewers.
In 2019, Instagram debuted its Reels feature for the first time. However, users could only post Reels up to 15 seconds in length. In order to compete with TikTok, Instagram Reels can now be up to 90 seconds in length. In 2022, short-form vertical videos became a digital marketing necessity and will continue to do so in 2023. They can feature company-specific footage or the most recent product information. In addition to bringing a brand to life, these videos can be repurposed across multiple platforms with minimal alteration.
User-Generated Content Becomes Standard
Also known as user-generated content, this term alludes to online materials created by individuals who are not official brand representatives. These individuals can be brand devotees, consumers, or anyone else. User-generated content can include both the history of a brand and consumer ratings and evaluations. Other examples of UGC include:
- Exhaustive case studies
- Videos of unboxing products
- Written or videotaped product/service evaluations
- Newsletter or blog commentaries
- Participation in live broadcasts and events
User-generated content demonstrates not only the positive attributes of a brand, but also its authenticity. To get the most out of your UGC efforts, proactively solicit reviews, engage with customers on social media, and prepare potential customers for content creation opportunities when you encounter them. To comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), business proprietors are advised to develop a compliant interview procedure.
Using AI Chatbots to Evade Mundane Tasks
Small businesses have been able to keep up with digital transformation thanks to AI chatbots, particularly during the pandemic. These live chat solutions have enabled the automation of repetitive duties that would ordinarily require human intervention. In addition to serving their primary function, AI chatbots performed a crucial role in gathering pertinent user data. Using these interactive communication tools, marketers could monitor website traffic and allocate the appropriate amount of resources to enhance the website and end-user experiences.
Offering Customer Service via a Small Business’s Social Media Account
Utilizing a company’s social media accounts as customer service instruments is acquiring popularity rapidly. Increasingly, Millennial and Gen Z consumers communicate with businesses and marketers via direct messages (DMs), and vice versa. Facebook and Instagram are expanding their eCommerce capabilities, making it more essential than ever to provide exceptional customer service on these platforms.
Utilizing a Conversational Method
To provide consumers with a more welcoming experience, businesses are employing a conversational tone in their messaging. Consumers may feel alienated, uninviting, and bored by a company’s overly formal tone. Therefore, it is anticipated that more modest businesses will incorporate levity into their messaging.
Business proprietors can rest easy knowing they do not have to sacrifice professionalism in order to remain relevant. Being humorous and amusing can help your business stand out from the competition by highlighting its unique personality. To produce content with a less formal tone, you can:
- Express more feeling in your writing
- Use contractions (such as it’s rather than it is)
- Use straightforward language and briefer sentences
- Use “I” and “You” rather than a third-person voice.
- Tell a story
- Ask your audiences questions
The primary objective is to sound more human and less mechanical. Write as if you were conversing with a friend.
Small business proprietors and their digital marketing teams will need to examine a variety of industry-driving trends with an open mind in order to navigate the unique challenges that 2023 will undoubtedly present. The New Year is an excellent time to make room for novel methods of thinking, conducting online business, and communicating with consumers in the fast-paced digital age.
It is equally essential how companies implement these small business marketing trends as it is what they choose to implement. Introduce a conversational tone into the marketing campaign for your brand. In your next email marketing campaign, highlight the finest and most pertinent user-generated content.
