Growing an SMB is not as easy as you might think, and marketing is the crucial ingredient in optimal growth. Traditional marketing tactics such as word of mouth, business cards, and flyers still have their place. Still, we live in a digital era, which means customers are not just walking around brick and mortar businesses. Today's customer is connected primarily through a company's website and shops 24/7, so SMBs must do their part in reaching out to customers where they are. Online marketing is where growth for your SMB will happen, and along with low-priced WordPress hosting, online marketing is a growing entity. Here are the following big things in marketing you can expect to see shortly.
Experimental Marketing
Sometimes, an SMB must do a little more than standard marketing options to achieve growth. Experimental marketing is becoming more of a valued entity in today's world. This tactic can be expensive for small to medium-sized businesses, but as people say, "It takes money to make money." Experimental marketing is still a new concept, but it has been implemented successfully by many business owners.
Essentially, it is a tactic that involves completely immersing the customer in a brand experience. Generally, with experimental marketing, the business owner takes on the expense of creating an entire world filled with their brand to provide the customer with an overload of the brand and make the event memorable.
AI
The world of Artificial Intelligence is not new. It has been a concept that has been theorized since the 1950s and implemented in the early 90s but has grown to new heights in this century. Already we have seen AI marketing tactics through chatbots. Still, shortly, we can expect these simulated assistants to become even more critical on websites and social media accounts.
Chatbots have become a key ingredient in communication without hiring an additional person to answer questions during off-hours. They answer simple questions and assist customers on a 24/7 basis, but expect soon these bots will be further enhanced with AI technology to provide more assistance to your valued customer.
One to One Marketing
Marketing is often a blanketed tactic that involves creating marketing materials and emails to encompass many people, but not everyone wants the same thing. Your customers want to feel valued, and even though it might seem adequate to cast a significant net to make some additional sales, in the coming years, we will see less of this marketing strategy in favour of a more targeted approach.
One-to-one marketing ensures that customers feel satisfied they receive what they want without additional information cluttering up their inbox and social media feed. One-to-one marketing has already taken over in some ways, with intuitive, predictive ads sent to customers based on their search history and what they invest their time in looking at. However, we can expect to see significant growth in this area as more companies embrace a personal touch in their emails and social media by an even more targeted approach. Email lists will soon be separated with intricate detail and marketing campaigns categorized by the individual rather than the masses.
AR Marketing
Augmented Reality is no longer just a pipe dream. It has become a significant part of the business. Programs allow virtual offices to be managed in real-time from one location and virtual meetings in a virtual environment such as a conference room. This form of AR is not just for virtual meetings but can be used for a potential boost to your marketing strategy.
Augmented Reality does not have to be a truly immersive experience to be effective. Although online shopping has become more popular these days than ever before, it still has not provided the same shopping experience in a brick-and-mortar store. However, with the use of AR, that can change. With sophisticated 3-dimensional programs, you can set up an online virtual store that allows customers to browse items just like they were in a physical location. Although few online entities have embraced this new age software, we expect to see much more from AR marketing shortly.
The world of marketing is forever evolving. Online stores are more than just about where to buy WordPress hosting or find Canada's best internet domain names. Today's SMB owners must be vigilant in their pursuits to attract and keep customers coming back for more. Keep in mind, consumers have already seen online marketing tactics of the past, but these new and improved versions are set to offer an even more immersive experience to the client and garner more profits for your business. Investing in these tactics now will give you a significant leg up on the competition.