If I have to describe the current environment of small businesses in a single word, my word of choice will be “change.” Yes, small businesses are going through lots of changes lately, thanks to the hi-tech advancements in the field of communication, marketing, IT and other related fields.
And then the pandemic has taken a massive role in changing the entire small business industry.
In here, I have listed a few definite trends in small businesses that are currently on the rise. Take a peek.
- Getting a presence on social media
This has ceased to be a luxury anymore. Having a social media presence has become part of the necessity these days.
Most businesses starting from the smallest restaurant joints to the largest e-commerce firms have a definite presence on social networking platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Google plus etc.).
Previously the trend was limited to website. Every business, be it big or small was advised to have at least an online presence through a simple website. But now it has expanded to social networking platforms.
Even the smallest businesses of the lot are paying a lot of attention to this trend. They are taking appropriate steps to get a social media presence for promotional purposes. They are also taking apt steps to manage their individual social networking accounts periodically ranging from regular posts to customer interactions.
It’s a trend that’s believed to have high ROI (return on investment).
What your action plan should be based on this trend
- If you don’t have any social media presence, stop procrastinating and get an account ASAP. Do a bit of research as to what account suits you the best. My suggestion will be twitter in terms of easy accessibility and relevance if you are fairly new to this.
- If you are already on social media, you should review your objectives for which you are there. Are you fulfilling those goals? Evaluate and reflect on the results. Take appropriate actions on basis of that.
- If you aren’t satisfied with results, a social media expert can help you in this aspect.
- Going clean and green
Environmental issues are a big concern of the general population. It’s a good thing that small businesses are paying special attention to things like these in recent times.
With concerns rising over sensitive issues like global warming, flora and fauna extinction, pollution, climate changes etc., businesses have invested greatly in going green to capitalize on their consumers’ environmental concerns.
This involves things like cutting down on packaging paper and plastic; thereby, making their service appear more environmental friendly in the best possible way.
What your action plan should be based on this trend
- Review your services/products from an eco-friendly point of view. Do you need to make some changes? If they are feasible enough, don’t hesitate to go for the changes.
- Start providing services/products that have several environmental benefits. Once you inculcate such services/products in your business, make sure you mention their eco-friendly benefits individually in your marketing campaigns.
- Primary focus on customer support
Currently, you’ll notice that many small businesses are focusing strongly on their individual customer support platforms. In fact, strong customer support was one of the main reasons for which many small businesses survived in the past. It was considered a privilege in the past; not anymore.With the inculcation of chatbot technology, customer support has become easier, convenient and more efficient.
What your action plan should be based on this trend
- In simpler words, ask yourself this question. Do you have a chatbot? If your answer’s “negative,” get a chatbot ASAP.
- To have a Storefront or not, that is the question
Small businesses have become quite divergent in recent years. While the big giants have the power to do many things to improve their business revenues such as merging with this and that, small businesses on the other hand have strived hard to get smaller from the physical point of view.
With the advancement of mobile technology, most businesses are flourishing successfully on the internet.
What your action plan should be based on this trend
- If you have a physical storefront, review your business and find out whether that physical storefront is necessary or not. In most cases of small businesses, it becomes unnecessary.
- If you have a physical storefront on one hand and no online presence on the other, get online ASAP. Get a website. A Columbia web design company can easily help you with that at a very reasonable cost. You do want to extend your customer reach; don’t you? The internet is the best place to do that.
Getting your business involved in one of the four listed trends up above will definitely benefit you in the long run. What do you reckon? Feel free to drop your feedbacks below. Ciao!
