10 Digital Trends SMBs Need to Focus On #smlondon

• Updated on: 2018-09-05
• Read original article here

Everyone in business goes through the same process – they see all the latest articles about the latest digital trends and they are told it will help transform their business. It’s about time we took a step back to review if all the latest trends will really help your business. What does the SMB owner whose head is spinning from all the new digital trends really need to know?

We’ll begin with the ones you don’t really need to worry about. What about Snapchat? You probably keep hearing about how businesses are using it to ‘engage’ with their customers, but in truth, there is very little evidence that its use results in an increased ROI for a business. If you’re busy – don’t worry too much about this one!

One thing to keep in mind is the Global Vs Local debate. It doesn’t matter where you’re based and thinking globally instead of local is always worth keeping in mind. Of course, you will have to analyse the stage your business is at and decide whether it is the right time to push forward to a global audience.

Another important thing to remember is that the website you designed in 2010 is probably very dated now and it may not be optimised for mobile. The majority of people will check your website on their phone now and 75% of Facebook’s revenues come from mobile advertising. Make sure everything on your website is 2016 ready because if it’s not consumers will go elsewhere!

We also need to discuss apps here and depending on your type of business there could be an opportunity for you to take advantage. For example, Vivino is a massively popular wine label scanning app with over 14 million users. Think about your business and ask yourself if an app version is suitable.

For most businesses things like virtual reality won’t be relevant to you yet but it’s still worth keeping up to date on the latest developments. It will help you to be more ready if virtual reality becomes a more prominent digital trend. Only time will tell if it does!

In essence, the focus for all businesses should be on omni-channel marketing. There shouldn’t be one person working as a marketing manager and another person working as a digital marketing manager – because their roles have now merged. One person or a team of people working on all marketing functions together will result in a more focussed approach.

There is no need to make changes for every digital trend people are talking about. We’re sure there will be other one’s next year, expected to be ‘the next big thing’. However, it is important to keep up to date, so you can analyse its effectiveness for your business. If you find it’s of no use then that’s fine, but at least you will analysed it properly rather than simply ignoring its development. You can find out more in this infographic from The Cube. Enjoy!

Author: Steve Hashman is Director at Exponential Solutions (The CUBE) Marketing.