Where are the small business opportunities for 2012?
How can you get ahead of the pack and attract, serve and delight more of your clients and customers?
Get started, now, by using these first 5 trends to set the stage for your success in the New Year!
Technology disruption accelerates: Web-based or "cloud" computing, mobile commerce and social-media marketing are three fast-growing mega trends that are reinforcing each other at the same time. The cost of software will drop dramatically as the same functions become available cheaper or even free online.Is there an opportunity to leverage these three technology areas, to reach more of your ideal clients? If you're unsure, do a quick survey of your list and clients to see if it matters to them. If it doesn't…don't invest a lot of time in this area, yet.
Segmentation picks up steam: As marketing dollars remain tight, and more small businesses move to digital, mobile, social media and other methods, targeting specific customer "segments" becomes both easier and more compelling. Small businesses should analyze existing customers as well as target markets to identify as precisely as possible those that are most profitable.Investing time, money and effort by focusing on a segment or niche is far more profitable, but one of THE MOST painful things for entrepreneurs to do. However, would you rather throw money down the drain or direct it for an easier follow of money into your business?
More and more mobile: Ownership and usage of Smartphone's and other mobile devices is skyrocketing, and research firms have been stunned by how fast some small businesses have moved to tap into mobile commerce. Widespread adoption of mobile technology has occurred more rapidly than for any technology of the last 100 years, including radio, television and the Internet.
Bottom line: Your business must be visible on mobile. Mobile searches on Google have quadrupled in the last two years alone. And despite tremendous growth, the upside remains huge. Once again, is this a viable option that your clients and customers are using and paying attention to. Certainly, if you are considering an investment in ad space using mobile marketing you want to do your research to ensure this is a distinct advantage that pays for itself!
A co-marketing comeback: In years past, businesses with complementary products and services often teamed up to market themselves - a movie theater and restaurant, for example. In a slow-growth, value-seeking market, such partnerships can help businesses squeeze more out of their marketing dollars while delivering value-added service to customers. If you haven't created partnerships or strategic alliances in the past, what the heck are you waiting for? Begin now. You will reach more potential customers, maximize your time and marketing investment and of course create more revenue and profit.
Social soars: Any debate about social media's staying power is over. Social is now part of the day-to-day marketing fabric of just about any business, from large to local. If you haven't done so already, getting up to speed on social media from a business standpoint is critical. A great place to learn is a site called ShopTalk: Social Media (www.DexSocial.com), which offers social-media-marketing advice. If you refer back to the earlier point about segmentation and use that as part of your social media strategy, you can become a ROCK STAR. Trust me, spending time talking to everyone may be fun, but not profitable. "Social" is powerful, "social" with a strategy is moneymaker!
Excerpt from ARIZONA BUSINESS GAZETTE, Nov. 10, 2011 and Dan Kehrer at www.bizbest.com.
I hope you enjoyed the first 5 small business trends for 2012! We pick up the next 5 in our next issue. I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on these "forecasts!"
Do you think the trends are right on? Will they impact your business? What will you do differently now?
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Chris Makell, creator the "6-Figure Small Business Incubator guides entrepreneurs to be in the truth of their business so that they experience "real" freedom, with ease. Get your complimentary list of time saving tools at http://www.chrismakell.com/resources-2/top-10-resources/
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