As we still struggle through this global pandemic, many businesses are in doubt about the future, especially the micro, small medium businesses (MSMBs) out there. Businesses around the world is another major topic of discussion, but regarding India, as we go forward into the year and with minimal success with the covid19, spikes and clusters of covid 19 cases again being felt by the population, the business community has hardly recovered from last year. In these very uncertain times, the need for businesses to open is unquestionable, but how and what are the ways forward to businesses amongst covid times!
Here are some takes on that as to what is a must by all businesses especially the micro, small medium business community.
- Digital transformation
- Conversational marketing to rise
- Data privacy
- Machine Learning ( ML ) and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) along with marketing automation
- All-in-one digital marketing platforms
- Digital transformation
The transformation of all brick-and-mortar businesses into digital is a must! As we struggle with the various precautions to be taken such as physical distancing, masking up at all public places, minimum interactions with others, the society as we knew it is changing very slowly, and as far as these covid times are concerned, one simply needs to put their health first, which means one needs a way to interact with their customers so as to maintain all the precautions stated above. DIGITALLY! Hence one will spike in the use of digital tools for businesses, period. The faster one adopts, adapts to these digital-ways of doing businesses, one will secure one’s business-life, so to speak.2
2. Conversational marketing to rise
Another interesting take on these times is that it is going to be teaching all of us to emphasize on conversational marketing. That is the more organic way of interacting with our customers through various tools out there, namely chatbots, messages, WhatsApp etc. The more the integration of such tools in your businesses-processes, the more the chances of you connecting with your potential customers and building a long-term relationship, hence eventually increasing your conversions, hence your profits.
3. Data privacy
Having taken care of all the things mentioned above, it also involves a lot of sensitive information while seeing countless transactions happen on your website, which in turn means having a lot of personal information of people, clients. All these information need to be stored somewhere. It is high time, one needs to think about them on a serious note, since it is the trust that you are gaining of your clients and potential clients. Data privacy today has become a BIG topic with ever increasing issues with data leaks. Hence it is even more imperative for smaller businesses to take care of the data privacy within their organization, hence giving it the highest priority at the stage of constructing one’s business and if not achieved already, it must be looked into.
4. Machine Learning ( ML ) and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) along with marketing automation
The latest to hit the business landscape which is also proving to be very valuable is the use of marketing automation platforms, but that is with the help of artificial intelligence (AI ) and machine language (ML). As AI and ML are becoming more and more sophisticated as per the user intent, that means being able to read the true intent of the user, with the help of AI and ML, the chatbots for example are becoming more and more sophisticated, being able to hold a rich two-way communication. Which is hence adding to the bottom dollar for companies by increasing their conversions. As the landscape being more and more accessible, the small businesses are also already being able capitalize on such technology. The adoption and adaptation of AI, ML and marketing automation in every aspect of the business is the next BIG thing to look out for. The businesses which are able to use these to their needs, within their budget, will surely be able to change the landscape as per their needs, pretty quickly and smoothly.
5. All-in-one digital marketing platforms
That gets us to the last point- the invention of marketing automation platforms out there! Having several aspects of businesses, done humanly by several individuals, today, can be handled single handedly by an individual with the help of marketing automation. The big idea for any business should be to integrate an all-in-one digital marketing platform, making the whole process of doing business simple, less cumbersome, in real time and of course consistent! Thank god, marketing automation is here to stay. The integration of various aspects of businesses is inevitable, simply a matter of time, so the ones who adopt it early on, would of course be in a comfortable position later on, saving all that mullah, which would have gone on investing in those aspects of running the business. In short, look out for any of the marketing automation platforms and believe in them. Give it a good look before making any judgements J
In conclusion, the ones who believe in the process, adapt to the current environment which is of course is not waiting for anyone, but at the same time, is out there for anyone to experience and test, before they become the new normal and more complex, we suggest get on board now! In case, you want some help, reach out and we can collaborate in looking for digital solutions together!
Wishing you a happy digital journey!