Today’s consumers have a wealth of technology at their fingertips, able to chat, share and shop on the go. While traditional methods such as word-of-mouth, passing trade and leaflet drops can still generate results for businesses, there’s a risk that those who don’t keep up with digital developments and cater for tech-savvy consumers could be left behind.

In this artilce, I will explain how independent retailers can close the gap and keep up with big business:

1: Experiment with text message marketing

Text message marketing can give the smallest of businesses a corporate image, using a simple prompt to generate a huge potential impact on the bottom line.

Use them to let customers know about new deals, offers or even appointment reminders. How about, ‘It’s been six weeks since your last hair appointment – time for a trim?

This direct customer contact is vital when it comes to staying at the front of the customer’s mind. Research has even shown that two thirds of consumers subscribed to mobile marketing have made a purchase as a direct result of receiving a highly relevant mobile message.

2: Sign up to social media

Social media is increasingly the first port of call for consumers who want to find out more about, or get in touch with, a business. Set your brand up on the most relevant social media channels for your business to ensure you are seen as forward-thinking and transparent.

  • Save time by using tools such as Hootsuite to schedule social media posts in advance
  • Engage with your audience as often as possible - if someone tweets you tweet them back
  • Make your posts interesting and relevant to your target market
  • Increase your activity on picture sharing sites like Instagram or Pinterest

Offer engaging, useful content on these channels and, regardless of the size of your business, it will be shared and liked.

3: Reach a mobile audience with a business app

The benefits of reaching online adults, 80 per cent of whom own a smartphone, are second to none for businesses looking to take things up a notch.

Take a quiet weeknight when you have no restaurant bookings. If it’s looking like a quiet night, act quickly and use your app to send a push notification. The right timing and a special offer, like a free bottle of wine with every meal that night, could see your empty restaurant fully booked the same day.

The same goes for geo-messaging, allowing businesses to send notifications to people in a specific area, like a busy shopping street.

Combine this with automatic loyalty cards, up-to-date menus, price lists and opening times all in one place and the benefits of a small business app are endless. The key to staying afloat for all businesses is happy customers, especially when acquiring new customers can cost five times more than retaining your existing client base.

4: Become an expert with your very own blog

It can take time to create and maintain, but an active business blog is guaranteed to make small enterprise look professional and established.

Blogging not only provides a platform for building brand identity, but also stands to boost search engine rankings, attract new customers and establish your business as an industry leader. Try writing about key industry events or giving your opinion on industry news. Appeal to your reader’s human interests by commenting on everyday news that’s relevant to your business, such as how to mirror a celebrity look if you are a hair stylist, or a guide to the best coffee flavours from your barista.

Today’s ever-changing digital landscape is the perfect setting for small businesses to take the plunge and reap the benefits of new technologies, levelling out the playing field between the David and Goliaths of the business world.

 

By Nick Barnett, CEO at Appsme.com. 

PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the website.

comments powered by Disqus