Social media is on the rise still and small businesses should not forget about that. Marketing through social media can help your business grow in ways you would not expect. We have listed out some of the predictions for marketing and social media this year.
- Multi-channel marketing will gain importance – Online marketing is quickly gaining popularity. Small business owners who have not exploited social channels should use it to create an online presence and also analyze customer behavior. They should, however, choose their social media network carefully. It does not make sense having a business page account in all the popular social networking channels if you cannot update the content on time and post quality updates.
- Online advertisements – Consumers have become choosy and the market has spoiled them by giving them a lot more choices. Internet shopping is the current trend. Therefore, business owners need to target their customers at the right time with the right message. Kenneth Wisnefski, founder of WebiMax, a SEO firm says that “Marketing will center around a move to low-cost online tactics such as paid search.” He goes on to tell that merchants and retailers who advertise on social networking channels are rewarded well during Thanksgiving weekend.
- Companies will analyze their social networking programs – Last year, social sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn where utilized by the small businesses to reach out to their customers. However, this year, companies will analyze their stats before integrating social networking programs to their marketing and advertising strategies. While many will increase the usage of social media, there will be other enterprising entrepreneurs who will be reluctant to use this method. There will still be many who will altogether abandon social media and go back to traditional media. In short, companies will scrutinize the role of social media in their business before making an investment.
- Quality website content – Business trend-watchers have forecasted that business owners will have to post catchy content to attract the attention of their target customers. The reason being, customers prefer to understand how your product/services will be useful to them before purchasing.
- Mobile advertising – Smart phones and tablets are used by many people today. Therefore, to be a successful business owner, create websites which are mobile friendly. Also get the help of online marketing experts to rank your product/services in searches. Though this form of advertising in still in the stage of infancy, it will be an up and coming trend this year.
- 2012 year of QR marketing – QR (Quick Response) codes are popping up almost everywhere. Spend time understanding what QR codes are and how it can change the flow of your business. Get advice from marketing experts who are familiar with QR codes. A potential customer can open the QR code that is embedded on the website or marketing leaflet by using mobile apps that scans the QR code. Therefore, invest time and money to develop quality digital content.
