30-second summary:
- Through all of the turmoil, key marketing trends emerged that will impact the way small businesses operate in 2021.
- From catalyzed digital transformation and conversational marketing to AI’s application and data privacy emphasis, these are some themes that will serve as pillars for marketing success.
- Five predictions for how these trends will play out this year.
In 2020, small businesses were forced to be nimble to grow and survive. As a result, more small businesses accelerated their digital transformation efforts to quickly and effectively reach customers online.
Through all of the turmoil, key marketing trends emerged that will impact the way small businesses operate in 2021. Here are my predictions for how these trends will play out this year:
1. Small businesses put their foot on the gas to digitally transform
According to the Small and Medium Business Trend Report[1] from Salesforce Research, one in three small business leaders said that the pandemic has accelerated their digitization initiatives, and more than half of growing small businesses said technology drives their customer interactions. Brick and mortar small businesses that once depended on a physical presence adapted to the times and pivoted to ecommerce. Even farming businesses that never established an online presence set up integrated payment systems and chat services to better serve customers.
This year, small businesses will continue their path to digitalization and invest in building and maintaining an online presence. There will be a greater emphasis on tracking the entire customer lifecycle journey online and using data to inform decision making. This will open up more opportunities for small businesses to compete with larger businesses that operate in the same markets.
2. Conversational marketing takes center stage
During the pandemic, internet traffic has skyrocketed and more consumers are engaging[2] in conversations with brands online. While this presents an opportunity for marketers, it also has created a