Last year, no one could have predicted the effect that COVID-19 would have on small businesses. This year, business owners and managers must take stock of their current situations and devise the strategies needed to re-engage prospects and customers.
“As the world begins its slow pivot from managing the COVID-19 crisis to recovery and the reopening of economies, it’s clear that the period of lockdown has had a profound impact on how people live,” reports McKinsey & Company in How Covid-19 is Changing Consumer Behavior – Now and Forever.
Across all spheres of life – work, learning, communications, shopping, entertainment – consumers have dramatically changed the way they buy. In fact, McKinsey & Company data indicates that personal disposable income is not expected to recover to pre-crisis levels until Q2 2024. Moreover, consumer preference has shifted to brands that they deem as trustworthy or safe. While discretionary spending is down across all major sectors, consumers are spending more with the brands that they know and love.
What can your small business do to improve its relationship with prospects and consumers? How do you build a brand that consumers know, like, and trust? Typically, it starts with building marketing messages that align with your target audience’s unique wants and needs. And to disseminate your marketing messages, you’ll need to invest in the very best digital marketing solutions for small businesses.
5 Best Digital Marketing Solutions for Small Businesses in 2021
For many small business owners and managers, investing in digital marketing solutions might feel a bit overwhelming. How do you know which solution will deliver the most value to your business and your customers? It’s a bit of a loaded question, right?
As an industry-leading retail point of sale (POS) system provider, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with small businesses just like yours. During this time, we’ve heard from thousands of small businesses and managers. It’s this insider intelligence that has helped us to identify the most effective digital marketing solutions for small businesses.
If you haven’t already invested in social media marketing for your small business, you are behind the curve. It goes without saying that social media is one of the most effective methods for driving prospects to your business. And with more and more prospects adopting a digital-first approach to shopping, many social media platforms make it simple and easy to sell your products right on the digital application.
For example, Instagram Shopping enables growing businesses and e-commerce brands to sell products on Instagram. It looks and feels like a standard Instagram page, but prospects can simply tap-to-purchase without having to leave the application. To get started, you’ll need to ensure that your business meets the following criteria:
- Your business is located within a supported market
- You sell a physical and/or eligible product
- Your business complies with the platform’s merchant agreement
- You have a business profile
Related: 5 Ways to Build Your Small Business’ Online Presence
2. Email Marketing
Is email marketing dead? Not quite. According to recent data, the average order value of email marketing is 3x higher compared to social media. Moreover, 72 percent of customers prefer to receive sales promotions via email.
The fact is that email marketing is a tried and true method for generating increased awareness and conversions. There are a few types of email marketing promotions that work particularly well for small businesses, including sales promotions, new inventory alerts, brand story emails, email newsletters, and welcome emails. During the holidays, many business owners and managers take advantage of holiday email marketing to create a valuable external touchpoint with prospects and customers.
Related: Small Business Email Marketing for the Holidays
3. Website
Can a website really make your small business appear more professional?
A recent study indicates that 84 percent of consumers view businesses with a website as more credible than businesses without a website. To the uninitiated, starting a website might seem like a daunting task. And when you’re operating on a limited marketing budget, overspending on website development simply isn’t in the cards.
Fortunately, there are a variety of cost-effective solutions designed to help small business owners and managers create the website of their dreams. Additionally, there are several service providers that come with free options, too. Additionally, there are some services that even offer a free website builder.
“If you choose that path, however, your site will include branding from the provider, which necessarily makes your site less impressive to savvy surfers – and shoppers,” warns PCMag’s Jeffrey L. Wilson in The Best Website Builders for 2021.
4. Video Marketing
This year, a record number of small businesses will invest in video marketing – and for good reason! A recent study suggests that 52 percent of marketers believe that video helps to build trust and authority.
There are three types of videos that you should consider making for your small business, including a company story video, product video, and a customer testimonial video. When it comes to building a customer testimonial video, don’t complicate the process! Ask the customer if she/he would be willing to record a quick testimonial on their mobile phone. Once you have the recording, add some background music and insert your company’s logo – it’s that easy!
5. Print Marketing
Why did we include print marketing on our list of top digital marketing solutions? The answer is quite simple – pair print with digital to create a powerful and results-driven marketing strategy that’s guaranteed to drive customers to your business!
For example, you might consider adding a QR code to the back of your business cards. In this way, you can point prospects and customers to a product page on your website.
Additionally, many business owners and managers merge print and digital marketing to create high-value customer loyalty programs. Many of the most popular small business POS systems come equipped with robust customer loyalty features to automatically track buying patterns and create relevant sales promotions.
Related: What is the Best POS System for Small Business in 2021? 5 Top Vendors
POS Nation Powers Growing Small Businesses
Finding the right POS system for your business is easier said than done. With so many solutions providers available to small business owners and managers, it can be difficult to know which solution will deliver the most immediate results.
For many years, POS Nation has helped growing small businesses achieve amazing results. Whether you’re making your first POS system purchase or you're a seasoned veteran interested in switching POS providers, POS Nation will give you all the tools and resources needed to make an informed purchase.
What type of POS system does your business need? Complete our simple POS system builder below to identify the right system for your unique business.
