Small Business Trends for 2011

The small business trends for 2011 are a natural evolution of what we experienced this year, and not surprisingly, the focus is once again on our relationship with customers.

The Last Twelve Months

During the past year, I had the pleasure of speaking to thousands of small business owners on the topics of social media networking and small business marketing.  In every single presentation we explored the 2010 small business trends that I wrote about last year.

They are just as relevant today as they were a year ago.  While I fine-tuned the descriptions, the trends never changed, which is why I now consider them to be foundational principles for being a relevant business in this new economy.

Here they are:

No. 1:  Human-Centric Businesses

Business used to be about brands and companies.  Now its about people.

No. 2:  Collaborative Markets 

Markets are no longer about selling to buyers.  Not it is about collaborating and sharing to develop better solutions.

No. 3:  Sustainable Communities

Communities are the new markets.  Businesses are now engaging with communities to develop mutually beneficial relationships that sustain what everyone wants to do.

The Year Ahead

2011 will be a year of personalization.  One reason for this is it will be a breakout year for social search. There will be less noise as marketers seek more personalized interaction with consumers.

Fresh and creative methods of social marketing that encourage engagement will be the norm – along with a noticeable decrease in traditional brand marketing.  Social media will be used for what it does best, with the result that business will become profoundly social.

That said, here are the small business trends you'll notice in 2011, with all of them being strongly influenced by technology and social media.

1. More Personalization

Consumers will expect businesses to take the time to personalize for them.

2. Greater Accessibility

Prospects and customers will expect easy and open access to businesses. 

3. Increased Relevance

Successful business will have to stay current – and bring their customers along with them. 

Personalization Takes Time

You can see that 2011 will be a year of taking what we learned in 2010 to the next level.  The stepping off point for all of us began by indeed recognizing that business has become more about collaborating WITH customers, as opposed to the traditional model of selling to buyers.

As social media goes mainstream, more personalization will be expected. That's the next level. Consumers know that technology gives you the capabilities to learn a great deal about them, so they will expect you to have done your homework.  

The mantra for 2011 will be one of working harder (or smarter if you prefer).  However you do it, the truth is customers expect more.  What got you here won't get you to the next level.  The game is changing.

I work with associations in quite a few industries, and without exception what I'm hearing is that times are still challenging. Nevertheless, what is interesting is there is always a quiet group in every one of these industries that are actually doing quite well.

And their secret is … well, there isn't one. They are all simply working harder at doing more for their customers. They are using the tools and practices that we share on this blog, as well as many others, and going about their business.

Personalization has to start with acknowledging the fact that your customers have just as much to say about how you run your businesses as you do.  Use the social networks to engage with them and participate in those conversations.

You have to really make that shift in your marketing to something you do WITH your customers.  Like it or not, they are your new business partners. 

Overall, personalization comes down to understanding your business, your industry (and how it is changing), and of course, your customer.

That's personalization.

Here's an example of how I am personalizing for my customers. It's one of those things from my debrief of 2010 that worked well in my work as a professional speaker:  Show up early and leave late.  

Simple, isn't it?  And it works.  It means taking the 8:00 flight home so I can participate in the social hour or the closing ceremonies instead of running for the door after my work is done. It means showing up early to sit through three other speakers to notice how the audience responds.

It means learning and understanding first, so that I can then personalize.

I'll cover accessibility and relevance over the next two days.

Until then, consider what personalization means for you and your business in 2011.

Feel free to share this with your friends by clicking on the Facebook Like button below, leave a comment, or considering subscribing to the feed. 

Until tomorrow,  Jeff 

Photo Credit: Alaskan Dude