4 Small Business Trends to Work Into Your Plans for 2018

By: Andrew Sauveur

So, for most of us, this week will be the first week of work in 2018.

Even if you were in the office/workplace last week, let’s be honest… it wasn’t THAT productive, was it? It’s at this point that we should put together a solid plan for 2018. Perhaps you’ve already done that last year, and if you did Kudos keener! You’re ahead of the pack. For many of us however, we will start this week by laying out our plans for the first quarter, and then for the rest of the year.

Here are a few trends for small business in 2018, hopefully they can help you put together a plan of attack for this year. As Benjamin Franklin said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”.

4 Small Business Trends to work into your plans for 2018

1.) Merging Online and Offline Customer Experience
You can’t be just a brick and mortar location, you have to combine online and offline marketing efforts, whether you have a storefront or not, by reaching out to the community around you. If you do own a storefront, create online incentives to bring people into your location. Using twitter and facebook to create some attention. If you have an upcoming craftshow for example, promote the event and create a reason for people to come out and see you, and give you a chance to sell product or services.

2.) Alternative Marketing Concepts

Traditional ONLY marketing is difficult to afford for a small business, try augmenting traditional media by using it to promote an event you’re sponsoring, traditional media can work in multiple ways for you. By combining a traditional ad, with online promotion, and sponsoring an event you can get a far better reach for you marketing dollars.

3.) Hire a Millennial

It’s not a scary word, Millennials became the largest generation in the workforce in 2015. By 2025, they will represent 75% of the workforce. By hiring a Millennial, you are not only ensuring the longevity of your workforce, but also tapping into a knowledge base that will help your business succeed. Millennials see ongoing training as a big part of their future success, so foster their growth, as that will help your business down the road. As Jeffrey Hazlett, a global business expert said in an article for Entrepreneur Magazine, “Give your young employees the tools to lead now, instead of waiting for a void to fill in the future”.

4.) Get Chatty
Artificial Intelligence has arrived! Chatbots on facebook messenger, on websites, etc. Chatbots can be used to garner useful info about visitors, and help you to keep in touch with new prospects. Utilize them as a necessary part of a well thought out contact strategy to ensure that no one slips through the cracks!

This is only skimming the surface of course, if you’d like more information, and templates to help with a business plan, contact me at Drew@905business.com and let’s connect!