As any business professional will know, to stay relevant in today’s economy you must be able to market yourself successfully. In today’s digital economy, marketing trends are changing faster than ever before. Here are some tips on how to promote your business in 2016?.
Websites
Like with meeting people face to face; the first impression of your business is everything. In today’s market your customers first impression will likely be your website. It is crucial that you have an appropriate, user friendly, and attractive website to represent your business. Building a website was once a frightening and potentially expensive prospect for any business but is now a much more manageable solution thanks to the current trend of website builders. Website builders allow you or your marketing team to create a website that suites your business’s style and user requirements without the expensive and time consuming process of learning code or hiring developers. Companies such as Wix, offer full-featured web templates and little or no costs, with features such as mobile optimization, drag and drop designs, and customizable apps. Wix also supplies the domain name and hosting, so it is possible to get your website up and running in one place, without searching around the internet trying to decode acronyms, secure hosting, and purchase domains. Today website builders allow you to provide the best possible experience for reaching your customers without the time and expenses you were expecting. Putting your business’s best foot forward requires having a modern website and a website builder such as Wix is an effective, quick, and low cost way to do it.
Social Media
Social media is everything when it comes to marketing your business in 2016. But what social media means today, is not what it meant two years ago. With new apps such as Snap Chat and Vine allowing your business to directly interact with customers in ways you never though possible. Using today’s social media your business message is in the pocket of your consumers,and your best advertisers are you followers. By developing content for Vine, Snap Chat, Facebook, or Twitter that consumers actually want to see, you will garner your business followers who are engaged with brand, which is what every marketer wants. Also, with new apps changing the game, remember you can’t neglect what is now considered “traditional” social media; Facebook and Twitter are still essential to marketing your business but make sure you are using their latest and greatest such as Facebook’s newest “Live Feed” feature which allows you to stream video live to audience. So keep in mind when marketing your business in 2016, “in with the new” doesn’t necessarily mean “out with old;” embrace all aspects of social media.
Get Physical
With all things digital these days it easy to neglect to marketing power of the physical but in a sea of online marketing a tangible piece of marketing can stand out from the crowd. Social interactions (think 2012’s flash mob trend) offer an interesting and engaging opportunity for marketing your business. In recent years 3-dimensional sidewalk chalk art has moved from a street art to a viable marketing campaign, for relatively cheap you can create an eye catching sidewalk installation that will leave a lasting impact on your customers. Along the same lines, sculpture installments such as a shampoo company’s giant combs in a mess of power lines has given marketers a new and more memorable way to reach clients as oppose to the traditional billboards. While direct mail seems like a highly dated approach in this day and age, if you send your potential client an interesting piece of merchandise or a well designed trendy postcard through the mail it may be noticed due to it’s distinctness. Physical mail can seem earnest and even “retro hip” today. Make sure you tie your physical advertising into your social media and web presence, in hopes that one unique piece of street art or one-of-kind stunt will turn into a viral campaign spreading the word on your business and linking to your website.
Follow these tips and you should have success marketing your business in 2016. As technology constantly changes it is crucial you and your business keep up with the latest trends but it also important to remember the fundamentals, stay true to your brand, create and maintain a professional website, develop genuine content that your customers will believe, know your market, and don’t blindly follow every trend. Remember if you are stuck, you can always take inspiration from the pros. Good luck with your marketing in the new year.