Bricks-and-mortar stores have clearly suffered in the face of growing online competition, not to mention costly business rates and wage bills. 7) Small businesses ramp up Digital marketing. grow SEO value for your site in a short period of time, nearby businesses come up first in results, Local results are more likely to convert into sales, digital marketing has been a buzzword since the ’90s, 2.8 times better revenue growth expectancy, 3.5 billion people own a smartphone worldwide, What marketing channels worked and didn’t work for them in 2019, What marketing channels they plan to use in 2020. Another 29% say their website is the marketing channel that needs the most improvement in 2020. Retail and business services are tied for the most popular small business industry, with both accounting for 13 percent of the total share. business marketing advice. Marketing teams with bigger budgets have pushed the boundaries of data analytics, in a bid to better understand their customers and the path to purchase. Only 5% of small businesses say SEO was their most successful strategy for reaching business goals.Â, Small businesses may understand the significance of SEO but do not see the results from their efforts immediately. Small businesses gain increased exposure with a website and it is an important channel to increase a customer base. Almost all people (86%) rely on the internet to find local businesses.Â, “Your website should be your number one salesperson, 365 days a year, 24/7,” said Lauren Williams, founder of Harmony HR Experts, an organizational development agency. Even if your business is providing a service, you must have a way to sell it on the internet.”, Without a website, a small business may seem to lack credibility or be hard to find by potential customers. Only less than 20% outsource such functions. Companies that use digital marketing have 2.8 times better revenue growth expectancy than businesses that don’t. Get your 2021 small business content marketing strategy in gear by incorporating these top 7 content marketing trends. Even low-effort digital marketing can help small businesses gain a competitive edge. Constant technological change and increasing reliance on digital can leave people wanting for human connection. One-quarter of small businesses (25%) plan to begin using digital marketing in 2020. The fourth edition of the Small and Medium Business Trends Report shares insights from over 2,300 SMB owners and leaders globally. Marketing Trends: Brands tap into the power of conversational marketing, Consumer Trends: As consumers become more conscious, business ethics are in the spotlight. As we prepare for a content boom and richer influencer ecosystem, Open Influence and Social Media Week collected survey responses from over 100 global marketers to better understand what to expect and how brands are preparing their teams and … Small businesses report pain points in areas such as HR, finance, and marketing/advertising. “Each day we would post two competing images [of famous paintings] on Facebook and let followers vote with a like or heart. As a business leader, you need the answer to some important questions. “Everyone buys things on the internet all the time. The pandemic has pressed the pause button on all trade shows and live events. At the same time, they provide valuable, organic feedback from customers that enables marketers to track trends and improve decision-making.7. Why, then, do small businesses continue to invest in social media marketing? Small businesses must create targeted and unique social media campaigns to stand out. Experian Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Host John Jantsch is one of my go-to gurus for small . This campaign failed horribly, with zero conversions.”. It can be hard for small businesses to rank as top choices for high-value keywords. One-quarter of small businesses (25%) are also hoping to start using digital marketing, which can help businesses stand out amongst competitors.Â, Additionally, 22% of small businesses are looking to invest in mobile apps. Mobile apps can provide an additional channel for companies to reach clients.  Mobile apps are accessible anywhere and at anytime, which makes them a useful tool for growing businesses. Â, Small businesses must decide which channels are best to pursue for their own business success.Â, Small businesses do not focus enough attention on SEO and could be losing valuable customers.Â, Only 21% of businesses plan to increase their SEO investment in 2020. The Promo.com Small Business Video Marketing Trends study showcases the direct feedback of more than 500 marketers and small business owners from all over the world. But as a small business, it’s often unclear how to effectively use these online marketing tactics. All eyes are on the major food retailers currently experimenting with in-store automation, including entirely cashierless checkouts. Our mission is to bring you "Small business success... delivered daily." Social media may grow customer engagement but can be harder to translate to sales.Â, More than a quarter of small business owners (29%) plan to begin using a website and another 29% plan on improving their website in 2020 so that services are easily understood and products easily accessible. Not surprisingly, technology is going to be central to the success of any company, from major corporations using deep analytics to inform decision-making, to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) managing their operations using intuitive business apps.  Â, Visual Object surveyed 500 small business owners in the U.S.Â. Growing numbers of SMEs have already started to combine easy-to-use and relatively low-cost accounting, HR, email marketing and web development tools to save both money and time, and present a professional image to the world. Construction and contracting closely follows at 12 percent of the share. Whilst maintaining interest rates at a near record low, the Bank made it clear that it stands ready to cut rates should the economy need it.”. According to the Analyst firm Gartner, the data quality solutions... As the owner of a small business, it’s tempting to try and do... ©2020 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. A sneak peek inside the report… 79% of small businesses said email marketing is important to their business strategy 65% of small business average open rates between 11% and 50% 54% of small businesses send emails at least once per week But as with many things for small and medium-sized businesses, growth is often easier said than done. Finally, announcements made in the Queen’s Speech at the end of last year should provide an additional boost for SMEs. No matter what sector they operate in, many businesses are now well on their way to digital transformation, as cloud-based services become even more powerful and cost-effective. Twenty-nine percent of small businesses plan to begin using a website in 2020 as they try to connect with customers digitally. Economists have predicted an average of +3.2% global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2020, partly as a result of growth in emerging markets. Michael Alexis, owner and director of marketing at Museum Hack, a museum touring company, said thinking outside of the box helped his business create a successful social media campaign: “Our most successful social media campaign was a museum-inspired ‘March Madness,’” Alexis said. Late or non-payments from customers can seriously damage your cash flow and result in bad business debt, while suppliers could hike their prices to cover rising costs. Discover how Experian Business Assist could help you achieve success in 2020. Approximately 86% of marketers are using video content in their campaign outreach efforts. That's a trends, for small business in 2021, but, you know, I love. While not all respondents answered all questions, we received at least 1,000 responses for each question. Businesses want to be more engaged and in-touch with their social media audience even though social media doesn't usually result in high conversion rates.Â, Meanwhile, almost a third of small businesses (29%) are just beginning to have an online presence. We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Open Influence to bring you the “The State of Small Business Influencer Marketing 2021: Trends Report”. However, it can better compete for localized results, such as “Kansas City digital marketing agency.”Â. I know tubblog in the UK. Agility and innovation drive success – yet jumping on the latest consumer trends can be costly if they prove to be a flash in the pan. If the potential cost and time-saving benefits were not enough of an incentive, new regulations like Making Tax Digital could prompt more smaller firms to move towards cloud-based business software. 1 goal in 2017, while 23 percent said they need to keep the clients they already have. Meanwhile, small businesses may not be investing enough in SEO. But they have also warned of a slow-down if more tariffs are imposed.4. The fines and reputational damage alone should be enough to make 2020 the year to make sure their practices – and those of their suppliers – comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other relevant regulations. As a result of these tough trading conditions, some retailers have reduced their store portfolios, or been forced into administration. Creating a high-quality mobile app is an expensive investment. Many have a hard time with customer follow-up. Understanding trends across the key marketing techniques for small businesses will be crucial to your success in 2017. Customers are rewarding companies that authentically— and holistically—meet their needs. Emily researches and writes about emerging tech and app development trends. Only 21% of small businesses plan to use SEO more in 2020, which could indicate a loss in customers. One key trend to watch over the coming year is conversational marketing, partly driven by innovations in voice search and the adoption of smart speakers such as Alexa and Google Home.6 Another is using chatbots to deliver personalised marketing messages via a medium many already interact with daily. Almost a quarter of small businesses (22%) plan to market with an app to better connect with customers and 8% plan to start using augmented/virtual reality. Â, Small businesses search for new ways to gain a competitive edge over other companies. Websites are the starting point for many customers in the buyer’s journey. Salesforce Research Small & Medium Business Trends Report / 3 01. While it’s difficult to predict the rate of change, we can certainly expect growth in social commerce, engaging store experiences and a focus on sustainability. Small businesses will look for new ways to reach customers. And if you listen to his podcast, you'll appreciate why John not Every year brings fresh opportunities and challenges for businesses, and 2019 was no exception. For B2B company content marketing budgets (per CMI B2B): 47% had an annual content marketing budget of less … This looks set to continue into 2020 but some will go a step further, using data captured via these applications to make better business decisions, react quickly to change – and potentially take market share from companies several times their size. We just focused all our messaging on our product. It can be hard to grow SEO value for your site in a short period of time and it may take months to see results.Â, Small businesses should take advantage of local SEO results to increase success.Â, A small digital marketing agency may not rank for a general keyword such as “digital marketing agency." Even if you already have a loyal customer base, 2020 is shaping up to be a golden opportunity to scale your company up sustainably, without being exposed to unnecessary financial risk. However, there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic too. Without further ado, here are the top content marketing trends small businesses should try out in 2021. Small businesses plan to increase spending on social media because it: Creating a social media campaign that stands out among competitors, captures users’ attention, and conveys your brand message can lead to more loyal customers. An in-depth look at the marketing trends of 2019 and insights to help make 2020 the best year yet for your small business. These businesses have missed out on potential sales up to this point.Â, Businesses can grow their brand awareness, connect with customers, and improve their reputation through good digital marketing practices. Surprisingly, however, many small businesses aren’t satisfied with their online presence – or don’t have a presence at all. The small business outlook from current and aspiring entrepreneurs is pretty high. Small Business Marketing Trends and Tips for 2020 In this report, we share insights from our 12M small business customers to help you stay ahead of the curve in a changing marketing landscape. 1. Top Findings: Small Business Marketing Statistics and Trends Fewer than one-quarter of small businesses (21%) plan to use SEO more in 2020. Visual Objects surveyed 500 small business owners and found that the top small business marketing channels for 2020 are social media and websites. The top digital marketing trends can propel small business growth. Whilst maintaining interest rates at a near record low, the Bank made it clear that it stands ready to cut rates should the economy need it.”Â, Mohammed Chaudhri, Head of UK Macro Forecasting, Experian. Almost three-quarters of small businesses (70%) plan to increase their social media investment. Small businesses are especially interested in exploring the benefits and disadvantages of SEO, social media, website, digital marketing, and mobile app options.Â, Small businesses are not focusing on enhancing their SEO strategies. Only 5% of small businesses say SEO was their most successful tactic in 2019, which may influence their choice to not focus on SEO in the future. Bolstering the economy further, consumer confidence grew by three points at the end of last year, according to one index.5 As long as you have the right product or service, and keep moving forward, this renewed optimism could pave the way for exciting business growth. We’ll see brands experiment further with automated content creation, using AI-powered tools to generate blogs and emails far quicker than a human. The report also found that most small businesses do not use customer relationship management software or keep an email marketing list. Experian Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company registration number 653331. tubblog. In the 2016 Small Business Marketing Trends Report, we cover: Challenges Trends and predictions Tactics Goals and priorities Opportunities Here’s a sampling of what we found. Of course, there was a raft of new legislation to comply with, including HMRC’s Making Tax Digital, increases to the National and Living Wage and preparing for executive pay gap reporting in 2020. 2017 Small Business Marketing Trends Report 2 We asked these small business owners a slate of ten questions, including a screening question to identify small business ownership. Just as important as uncovering new business opportunities is ensuring they, and your existing customers, are in a position to pay you on time and in full, while protecting your cash flow and credit score. Meeting customer experience expectations, scaling technology, and establishing and The still near record low interest rate spells good news for firms looking to borrow in 2020, as is the fact that unemployment is at a 44-year low. This campaign failed horribly, with zero conversions.”, “We didn’t focus on our customers or on their pain points. Small businesses are getting more social (but mostly on Facebook). In addition, 70% of small businesses plan to increase their investment in social media in 2020 – the most popular marketing channel by 10%.Â, Small businesses should be wary of the effectiveness of social media for direct sales conversions, though. At the other end of the scale, major firms are likely to invest resources in real-time and predictive analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) and data automation.9 Big data has already transformed manufacturing, logistics, retail and banking, so expect to see it being used more widely in everything from tackling climate change and predicting natural disasters to clamping down on fraud.10. All that has started to change in recent years, as technology continues to break down traditional barriers. Businesses can take advantage of this location bias by mentioning their city, county, and region naturally throughout their websites.   Testimonials reviews. Digital marketing does not require a big budget because people can create organic content without spending money on ads. Mohammed Chaudhri, Head of UK Macro Forecasting at Experian added “The Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates at 0.75% points toward a sense of confidence returning to the UK economy. Social media can create brand awareness but can be less effective at increasing direct sales. For example, small businesses can use email marketing to promote their services by launching campaigns that regularly alert clients to new updates about their products.Â. Your small business can lay the groundwork for continued growth in 2016 by leveraging these digital marketing trends to create consumer interest and loyalty to your brand, products, and services. Although sustainability is one of the key differentiators for brands this year, it’s important to consider the operational, financial and reputational impact of any new initiative. Technology, as we have seen, levels the playing field for SMEs, who can attract customers via relatively low-cost pay-per-click and email marketing campaigns. Making sense of a rapidly-changing landscape is not always easy, but there are plenty of reasons to be confident too. Tools such as Experian Business Express help you do this, you can then decide who to work with and what credit limits to set. The Small Business Revolution The face of entrepreneurship is changing from the white middle-aged college educated male to a new class consisting of immigrants, women, baby boomers , … 47% of small businesses spend less than $10,000 on digital marketing. Nearly 31 percent of small business owners identified driving sales as their No. Throughout this report, we report on their answers with charts. Visual Objects surveyed 500 small business owners in the U.S. to learn: We define small businesses as having limited revenue and between 1 and 500 employees, which matches the Small Business Administration’s definition of small business.Â, We found that small business owners are not prioritizing search engine optimization (SEO) and are instead increasing their investment in social media campaigns and websites.Â, Fewer than one-quarter of small businesses (21%) plan to use SEO more in 2020. Very few of the respondents to the Small Business Marketing Trends Report keep their customers' contact information to refer to at a later date. We just focused all our messaging on our product. By writing blogs or sending articles, businesses can provide unique value for potential customers inexpensively.Â, Small businesses must recognize how digital marketing can benefit them or face losing customers.Â, Mobile apps provide small businesses with an easily accessible channel to reach and market to customers.Â, Almost a quarter of small businesses (22%) want to begin marketing through mobile apps in 2020.Â, Considering 3.5 billion people own a smartphone worldwide, mobile apps offer businesses an opportunity to reach a massive audience.Â. Unemployment remains at a record-low, wages have risen to their highest levels in over a decade, consumer confidence is on the up and firms of all sizes are innovating and expanding into new markets. Business Insider Intelligence examines the key players in the Small Business lending space, their advantages, and how incumbents can improve their offerings to compete. Create Content Clusters for Ultimate Topic Authority. You can then nurture these customers to more sales using other marketing channels. Google’s first five search results receive almost 70% of people’s clicks, while the second page of Google search only receives 5% of clicks. Digital video ad spend continues to climb, according to IAB’s 2019 Video Advertising Spend Report. As personal data becomes an increasingly prized commodity, businesses are under pressure to review their security and privacy policies. Surprisingly, nearly one-third of small businesses (29%) plan to begin using a website for the first time in 2020. Let me read one that just came in from a . Here are some of the biggest small business trends for the 21st century. However, there seems to be good news on the horizon at last. Consumers, including the powerful Millennial market, are aware of the impact their purchasing decisions have on the environment and may turn to brands whose values match their own. Businesses must have a reliable and informative website as e-commerce continues to grow.Â. 2020’s hottest small business industries Small business continues to thrive across many industries. But less than half of small business owners reported using all other digital channels for marketing—including social media, digital advertising, email marketing, and landing pages. Global economic growth, particularly in manufacturing, has been described as sluggish1, while UK high streets continued to struggle in the face of rising online competition and operating costs. Marketers report digital budgets have increased 25% year over year. Small businesses invest in different marketing channels to boost their success. Consumers too are … Find out how Experian Business Assist could help you achieve success in 2020. People who are searching for a clothing store or restaurant near want a convenient place for them to shop close to their location. Don’t miss any tips and how-tos on small business marketing. Here are our top six business trends for 2020. YouTube and Google both launched 6-second bumper ads as a way to offer brands a creative way to extend brand reach in a short time frame… This shift has forced businesses in all sectors to review their products and practices, from supermarkets vowing to remove plastic packaging to airlines looking for ways to reduce fuel consumption and clothing retailers running garment recycling schemes. I'd love to hear from you. The Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates at 0.75% in January is further evidence of confidence returning to the UK economy. The past few years have seen a marked change in society’s attitude to fast fashion, plastic waste and meat-consumption, which will no doubt intensify further in 2020. Gaining and retaining clients are the top marketing goals. Our research reveals that consumers showed up for small businesses. Most aren’t employing non-digital tactics, either: Less than one-third of respondents use print advertising and direct mail or telemarketing and in-person marketing. Only 5% of small businesses say SEO was their most successful tactic in 2019, which may influence their choice to not focus on SEO in the future.Â, Nearly three-fourths (70%) of small businesses plan to increase their social media investment in 2020 to reach a wider audience, despite social media’s low conversion rate.Â. Conversational marketing is clearly a powerful way for brands to interact with their audience, via the same messenger apps they use in their everyday lives. Nobody can afford to be complacent and with the economic outlook still far from certain, any adverse change could quickly derail your business. Many seem too risky or cost-prohibitive. All businesses should have a website. Economy: With UK employment levels high and consumer confidence on the rise, is spending set to increase? Machine learning and AI are expected to feature in brands’ marketing activities, as the technology becomes more accessible. As well as launching new products and diversifying their services, many are well on the way to digital transformation, following investment in cloud-based applications, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT). She also supports other content and product marketing efforts. As long as businesses build sustainability into their brand values and are aware of any unintended consequences (such as increased product prices), they potentially might be able to open their products and services up to new audiences. 2020, SMEs: Technology will continue to help more small businesses compete with bigger firms. Businesses should consider the reasons to invest in a mobile app and how that content will be different than the content on their website.Â, Small businesses search for new ways to market their services but forget more long-term solutions.Â, Only 21% of small businesses are planning to increase their SEO investment, which means it will be more difficult for them to rank higher on Google.Â, Meanwhile, 70% of small businesses want to increase their social media spending. Even low-effort digital marketing strategy are at a Financial disadvantage how-tos on small business and! A chance to look ahead to the economic outlook still far from certain, any change... Business Park, Nottingham NG80 1ZZ or telemarketing and in-person marketing partner with Open Influence bring... Line with shifting consumer attitudes and purchasing behaviour business, it’s often small business marketing trends report how to effectively use online. 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