Most organizations I work with come under the SME banner- they are small, have medium-ish teams, are struggling with money (or so they say!) and have big dreams.
However, each looks for ways to keep their customers and bank balances happy.
Today, I wanted to touch upon some ongoing trends small teams can ‘bank’ upon. They are easy to use; some may already be familiar to you.
Let’s get rolling.
User-generated content is your friend
If you aren’t familiar with the term, user-generated content or UGC is content generated by users of your service or product.
It differs from influencer content in that the creator does not own the content they produce; its sole purpose is to advance the brand’s agenda. Influencers, on the other hand, own their content, audience and work hard to change consumption patterns.
For small businesses, UGC is a godsend. Compared to proper photography channels, the cost of getting videos and pictures of products is low. Plus, if you get the strategy right, the videos can look like testimonials.
UGC doesn’t have to be your only marketing channel. But it can be one where you get branded content made for cheap.
Collaboration with other small wonders
Brand collaborations start with coffee meetings and networking events. They can end up in co-hosting webinars and Facebook events, running joint online store promos, swapping blog content, and a lot more.
Essentially, it is a collaboration between two or more brands to achieve a mutual goal. Each brand brings its resources, which complement the expertise of the other brands in the mix to create innovative offerings.
However, none of this happens without clear communication and an intimate understanding of what everyone wants from the partnership. Therefore, open lines of communication and understanding are crucial for this to work.
Start a social community
Your social community can be on any social media platform—Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, or you could even start a podcast. The idea is to build a loyal following with paid or organic reach. A social community is also an excellent way to increase engagement.
You can also do this with email newsletters. While social media platforms offer interactive many-to-many interactions, email newsletters are one-to-many interactions. Hence, they create a different kind of relationship within the community.
| Social Community | Email Newsletters |
| Builds a lively forum of customers and prospectives | Builds personalized relationships with customers |
| Builds brand loyalty over time | Helps retain old customers |
| Expands online reach | Increases customer engagement |
| Introduces your brand to new people | Builds relationships with new customers |
You can decide on either or both routes. However, make sure you assign resources to build the route consistently.
Work with micro-influencers
For small businesses, money can become a real hurdle where marketing departments usually take on the biggest cut.
Your solution: micro-influencers charge less and deliver results with a highly engaged following.
The result: better sales within a targeted group.
However, working with micro-influencers requires upfront work. Look for influencers who align closely with your brand values, mission, and campaign objectives. Partner with a sufficient number of them to run different campaigns, such as product reviews or giveaways.
In the end: add to your business
You get to decide what free platform your small business will market from, what SEO and business strategy to use, and how to scale content.
The above trends can work with your existing strategy and platforms, giving you an edge in creating content and distributing it without mighty overheads.