Are you sales ready for 2016? Do you have sales and marketing plans? As 2015 comes to an end, if your business has not had an entirely successful year, or if you’re looking to boost sales further next year, then these tips are for you.
New technology brings new trends, but also we will see changes in some of the classic marketing strategies that we all know and love.
1. Video is king
Not so long ago, content was king. Now the marketing channel with the most potential to shake up the marketing scene is video. Video is already on the rise, but 2016 looks like the year it will become the dominant form of content online – with video ads becoming more popular and Google owning YouTube then the possibilities are endless.
73% of B2B marketers say that video positively impacts marketing ROI (Return on Investment), and 2016 will see more companies starting to use video for things like ‘How To’ videos, interviews with industry leaders and autoplay ads that capture your audience’s attention straight away. And by encouraging people to stay on your website longer, video will have a positive impact on your website’s performance, too.
2. Mobile apps
Apps can do everything a website can do, and with more and more internet users going mobile, apps are more accessible and convenient for someone on the go. 2016 will be the year business owners realise the potential of this and the advantages of their company developing an app. For the construction industry, this could mean having a specification tool close to hand, or a mobile CRM system. Now that app content is indexable by Google, apps can now appear in the search results. There is still a long way to go before Apps take over actual websites but 2016 should see an increase.
3. Social media
Social media marketing is looking likely to double in budget over the next 5 years. Social media in the construction industry already increased substantially in 2015, with 83.3% of construction professionals increasing their use of social media. As well as more video posts, expect to see more engagement between companies and customers through interaction on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. For home improvement companies, social networks like Pinterest is likely to grow as a place to show examples of a company’s work to an audience already interested in home improvements. People are more likely to buy from a company if they have an impressive social media presence – so now’s the time to start!
4. Invest in quality data
If you’re marketing without using data, you might as well be throwing your money down the drain. You need to know that you’re targeting the right companies, key decision makers in the business and reaching them on multiple platforms – and you can only do this with a comprehensive data set and a CRM system. Using the most up-to-date data gives you the opportunity to produce a flawless marketing strategy that targets the right people at the right time – giving you marketing results up to 400% better than your competitors.
5. Email marketing
A trend that is always going to be around, email is the main communication tool between businesses and it is very unlikely anything will replace it soon. Having a big database full of thousands of email addresses gives you the opportunity to target more potential customers. Email marketing with social sharing links increases click through rate by 158%, meaning if you utilise data and your social media in the right way you will see an increase in sales!
6. Personalised drop cards
Personalised drop cards are ideal for promoting your business to customers in a targeted area, especially for B2C companies. You can even personalise what you are sending so that it is relevant to the area, for example: “We are building a conservatory for one of your neighbours”. Customers will always like something that is personalised and has been thought about, rather than just a generic message. Personalisation is key to grabbing the attention of prospects, which is why having correct data is so vital.
7. Virtual reality and wearable technology
This will be the beginning of a change in marketing. With the Apple Watch last year and more wearable technology becoming available, you’ll start to see companies to take advantage of this new advertising platform. Also, with the release of Oculus Rift & Microsoft HoloLens there is the opportunity for immersive marketing webinars. Virtual reality could just be a craze, but there’s billions of pounds worth of investment saying otherwise. Imagine a HoloLens CRM where you can see every bit of data!
We hope that with these tips, you can have a successful 2016!
