The 2020 Pandemic has caused a significant change in the way that companies and their customers do business. Changes that were already underway were accelerated and people were forced to adapt to a new business environment overnight.
Many of those changes are here to stay, so you must be prepared for the small business marketing trends that are shaping up for 2021 and beyond.
Here are the small business marketing trends in Texas to prepare for in 2021:
Pop Up Shops - #1 Small Business Marketing Trend
Even if you are not selling a physical product, pop up shops have become an integral part of the local marketplace. While permanent physical retail stores have been on the decline for decades now, the role of a physical retail store is not dying out.
Retail stores have simply shifted their role in the marketplace.
In 2019, according to a survey (by the Statista Research Department) over half of the survey respondents in the United States shopped at pop-up shops. Why? They wanted to find unique products and enjoy the unique experience of a pop-up shop!
Many people said they went to pop-up shops because they were curious and wanted to support local and independent businesses.
The 2020 Statista Research Department survey aligns with an older survey (by PopUp Republic) on pop-up shop customers from 2014 that showed that pop-up shoppers are looking for:
Unique services/products (39%);
Localized assortments (36%);
Optimal pricing (34%);
Convenience (33%); and
A fun experience (30%).
With six years between the two surveys, the results have remained pretty consistent. That likely indicates that pop-up shops are here to stay.
If you have not joined a pop-up shop event (digitally or in-person), or reserved a booth for a few weeks at local farmer's markets, then you are likely missing out on an incredible opportunity to create brand awareness and make a few sales.
In order for people to be able to buy from you, they must first know that you exist. A pop-up shop is a fantastic way to get in front of your customers whether you sell a physical product or a service.
Cross-Platform Marketing
Another small business marketing trend that was accelerated in 2021 was the ability to market and sell in dozens of places at once.
Prior to 2021, you had social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), marketing and advertising platforms (Google, Bing, Billboards, Ad Blocks), and you had sales platforms (Amazon, Shopify, eBay, FB Marketplace).
These days, the lines between the platforms and their purposes have blurred. You can sell straight from your Instagram account. Your customers can buy products right on your Facebook business page. You can ship products to customers via the Facebook Marketplace (you could only sell locally up until recently). And more changes are on the way.
Now, you can:
Create a single product/service listing and syndicate it to Amazon, Shopify, eBay, etc.
Create a ton of marketing content and syndicate it to all of the various social media platforms.
Use technology to affordably achieve a street level, boots-on-the-ground marketing with things like "geofencing" advertisements.
This has given small business owners marketing superpowers at the click of a button. The various ways that you can use the concept of cross-platform marketing is a significant and rapidly developing marketing trend to learn and implement in 2021 and beyond.
Content Experiences
Your customers live in a world where the individuals content experience is framed around what they like and want. Think about the platforms that you've been on (e.g. Netflix, Prime Video), where you are given recommendations based on things you've already purchased, watched, etc.
The technology behind learning what a customer wants (sometimes before they even know they want it) has become more advanced every year.
Now it's being implemented on everyday, normal business websites that create a content experience that is unique to the customer.
While this may seem daunting to someone with little to no technical skills, do not fret! It can something as simple as installing an app on a Shopify store that "recommends" products to someone based on products they already have in their shopping cart.
Even more simply put, the idea behind the technology is that everybody wants to be catered to.
So the key is to provide a personalized experience of any kind. One where the customers wants and needs genuinely become central to the conversation and the end result is a highly satisfied customer who will come back time and time again.
This coincides with the return of the focus on "personal brands" that no longer hide behind a corporate name or a cold business entity. Especially after the pandemic, people will long for a personal connection. Those who provide that experience will be better off for it.
BONUS: Small Business Marketing Trend #4
BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) options are taking the market by storm, and many companies in the financial industry are taking notice.
It's easier for consumers to make larger purchases in installments in an economy where:
People are not great at saving or delayed gratification
People's income has dropped off precipitously
The job market remains slow to recover
Because people have become more comfortable with these payment options, the adoption of BNPL platforms by consumers has accelerated in 2020.
If you're not offering it yet, you should consider integrating Buy Now, Pay Later options into your business sooner, rather than later.
Conclusion: Is your business prepared for 2021?
2021 will cause these trends to become even more popular than they are today. Pop-up shops, cross-platform marketing and a personalized (or content) experience will be trends to watch over the next year. Is your business prepared?