How SMEs Can Enhance their Digital Marketing Strategy

The past few years have brought about substantial change for small business owners who have taken time to adopt new and unique methods of thinking that are actually transforming their entire business strategy. This includes the implementation of digital marketing strategies and tools that are helping them to build their customer engagement as well as actually rival the larger businesses.

Learning how to do this is often the biggest challenge that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) face. While all of the traditional tactics for marketing have changes, the actual objectives are ultimately the same. This includes allowing the SMEs to be able to sell more as well as save more, and then improve ROI as a result.

The actual amount of money that is being spent on digital marketing jobs by clients is growing at a steady rate of 10.8 percent. Still, there are some small businesses that have been slow to join in and jump on the bandwagon for digital marketing.

Competing with the Big Fish

There are still many SMEs that feel uneasy and ill-prepared to actually compete with the big boys. But, when it comes down to digital marketing, the fact remains that bigger does not always mean better.

You should not think that you have to take the time to build up your company’s authority prior to communicating the creditable content to your target audience. This is not a true, due to the fact that the size of your company could in fact be the biggest advantage that you have.

The truth is that the actual process of interacting with your target audience through the use of new generation media is a factor that many major players will shy away from. This is usually because they feel they will lose control of the brand they represent.

Working within an SME, you do not have to worry about putting your corporate reputation at risk, which means that you do not have to be overcautious of scaring off your prospects or current customers.

Bigger businesses typically have to keep rigid communication guidelines that do not provide the flexibility that small businesses possess. As a small business you can take advantage of this fact by utilizing innovative or quirky strategies that other big players would never imagine using.

While there are many SMEs that are worried about the cost associated with a full-scale digital marketing strategy, there are options that can keep costs down. For example, businesses can try out their new tactics and ideas by utilizing skilled freelancers, which will prevent them from having to hire a permanent staff for the work.

Find Others who Understand Your Business Objective(s)

When you decide that it would be beneficial to collaborate or partner with various external professionals, you should ensure that you only team up with others who truly comprehend the business objectives that you have.

If you are outsourcing the written content for your site, you need to ensure that you find individuals that will understand the message that you are trying to promote and be able to present it in a tone that fits the style of your business.

This means that it is important to take time to view someone’s past experience with this type of work and view the other projects that have been completed for previous clients. Keep in mind, the grammar they have will play a large role in the quality of content that is produced.

When they take the initiative to develop new nimble ways of promoting and marketing, any SME is able to stay a full step ahead of all of the big players. This includes taking the time to fully embrace all of the new social driven aspects of the digital marketing campaign that they have. This should be a natural extension of the methods that have always been used to expand their company in an offline realm, which includes finding prospects and contacts with the use of active networking. 

What’s your “big picture” idea on the current course of digital marketing? Are the smaller, independently owned businesses holding an advantage, or will they struggle in this fast-paced environment? Leave a comment with your thought