The Face of Small Business in 2013

13 may be generally regarded as a horrendously unlucky number, but it does not necessarily mean that 2013 is going to be a bad year for everyone. Especially for small businesses, the New Year comes with the promise of great new trends, but not forgetting of course the threat of new problems and disasters business owners may be faced with. So what are entrepreneurs and businesses faced with for 2013? What are the different trends to be excited about as well as issues to prepare for in order to ensure a productive and successful in this year of the snake? Let’s look at a few of them.

Resilience.

 Image from http://cognitive-edge.com/blog/entry/5873/cynefin-strategy-building-resilience/

Living in a disaster prone area can show you the many horror stories of small businesses literally crumbling down into failure. A building can be destroyed in a matter of hours, if not minutes, and that’s really just about how long it takes for your small business dreams to be destroyed as well. In the wake of horrible disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis, entrepreneurs are striving to make their businesses more resilient so that they could bounce back from almost any dilemma that they face. It is, after all, the more agreeable alternative to rebuilding over and over again every time the weather turns for the worse.  2013 is for more resilient businesses.

Mastery of social media.

Learning how to navigate through social media sites is not hard, not in the least. Even 8-year-olds can set up an account and start cruising through Facebook and Twitter without as much as a batted eyelid. It starts to get hard when you start using these sites for marketing, because then you start considering factors such as post quality, schedule, and many others. Currently, there is something akin to a race going on, a competition for the mastery of social media, and whoever manages to rise above the random tweets and successfully bring together their social media efforts would have a lot to celebrate about for 2013.

Onshoring.

Image from http://www.transportationinsight.com/transportation/index.cfm/blog/the-return-of-manufacturing-is-onshoring-in-your-plans-should-it-be/

Through the years, it has become normal to outsource manufacturing as well as services to other shores. However, the winds have shifted once again and manufacturing is increasingly being reclaimed back into U.S. factories. A lot of factors have come together to bring about this trend, including rising costs of labor overseas as well as rising costs of fuel. Small businesses are at the forefront of this “onshoring” as it is called, especially since they make up a good portion of U.S. manufacturing. 

Booming unskilled workforce?

Image from http://newdeal.feri.org/library/c13.htm

It is harder than ever gathering together a team with advanced skills in certain areas, especially since a slight move away from specialization towards being a “jack of all trades”. This brain drain is definitely one big issue faced by small businesses in 2013 as the struggle to find qualified personnel becomes more of a challenge. Only time will tell whether the demand for skill would slow down enough so that people can have a chance training and learning to fill the vacant positions for skilled personnel.

That’s only four of the different trends in small business for 2013. What do you think your own business would be faced with for this year?

Small Business Marketing: Connecting With Customers

Whether you are standing behind a counter helping customers choose what to buy or sitting at your home office monitoring online sales and shipping, interacting with customers is an inevitable part of business. And for small business, this is doubly crucial, because with your limited reach and influence you would need to exert extra effort in order to keep your old customers as well as to attract new ones. Connecting with customers can be in many different forms; what you choose to use depends on your judgment, so long as you make sure to break down any walls that hinder good communication between you and your client.

Perks of good customer-business interaction. 

Image from http://ericrosen.net/tag/eric-rosen/

·         Generating ideas. One interesting thing about creating great ideas for your products and marketing is that you shouldn’t think like an entrepreneur. When you can connect with customers and share their ideas—and therefore think like your customers—you’d find it much easier to answer all those questions about what customers want, what they like and hate about your business, etc.

·         Addressing customer complaints. Don’t get so detached from your customers that the very first indication you get that people are not pleased is a steep drop in sales. Keep in touch using any of the many methods available to you and be quick to address any issues and concerns. People love quick service, so be sure to give it to them. 

·         Spreading the word. When you take the time to talk to just one customer, you are actually setting the stage for a much bigger customer base because your customer can tell his friends, who can in turn tell their friends, and on and on about your business. Don’t underestimate the power of one pleased customer, and take the time to attend to everyone.

Tools to use.

·         Videos. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a 15-second video cannot effectively help you connect with customers. It’s all about knowing what to share as well as giving the customers a chance to give their feedback and start discussions. You don’t need long, elaborate commercials to market. A few seconds will do.

·         Social media. While the first one may technically fall into the social media category, this is broad and diverse enough that there are still so many aspects to explore. Post shout outs to your friends in Facebook; tweet and retweet clever sayings in Twitter; and even post daily peeks in Instagram. There’s practically an entire world at your disposal, and the best part is you can take it anywhere you want.

·         Conversation. Nothing can ever replace personal interactions between you and a customer. Knowing how to talk to your customers is an important skill, something which many business owners unfortunately do not have. This is all the more important for small businesses, because the relationships you forget between customers at this level is very strong.

Infographic from http://www.powerretail.com.au/multichannel/businesses-using-social-media/