• As shoppers grapple with the high cost of living, 70% are more likely to shop during the BFCM weekend and upcoming peak sales moments to get more for their money.
• Despite a challenging economy, 63% of Australian shoppers plan to spend as much or more during the BFCM weekend this year compared to last year.
• Consumers are more intentional than ever as they look to make their money go further, with 53% planning to do the bulk of their holiday shopping during the BFCM weekend.

Black Friday Cyber Monday saw 52 million global shoppers spend $7.5 billion dollars with brands powered by Shopify last year. Ahead of this year’s event, Shopify surveyed 2,000 consumers and 350 businesses across Australia to learn what will motivate consumers and drive business performance over the upcoming holiday shopping period.

The study, conducted by Sapio Research, found that three-quarters (76%) of Australians have cut back on spending in recent months. Yet the vast majority of those who are planning to shop during BFCM (63%) intend to spend the same or more this year compared to last. In fact, the number of people planning to spend more (27%) is twice that of those who are planning to spend less (13%).

“Consumers are looking to make high-quality purchases that bring a sense of happiness or well being this year,” said Shaun Broughton, APAC Managing Director at Shopify. “While Australians are concerned about the rising cost of living, 80% still value high quality products that last. Retailers who strike a balance between price and quality are best placed to maximise sales throughout BFCM and other peak shopping periods.”

The prospect of finding great deals is a strong motivator for consumers, with 70% saying they will shop over BFCM weekend to get more value for their money. Brand loyalty could take a back seat throughout the sales period, however, as 84% of consumers say they will  compare prices to try and find the best deals and discounts possible.

“Customers are certainly being shrewder when parting with their money,” said Kelly Lavery, CEO, Strucket. “It’s up to us as retailers to validate the customer’s purchase as a need rather than a want, ensure that their purchase will make a positive impact on their life, and make them feel confident they spent with the right business. Essentially they are looking for value and trust.”

“Aussies respect retailers that offer regular discounts. Shopify’s research mirrors our own data, which shows that nine in ten respondents view those retailers as ‘value for money’ – a brand perception that is particularly important in today’s cost of living crisis,” said Matthew Herbert, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of brand tracking platform, Tracksuit.

“Retailers looking to capitalise on BFCM this year should remember that it’s not just transactional. By aligning your brand with the highly anticipated sales periods, you demonstrate empathy and support. It’s an opportunity to deliver value for money to consumers while boosting sales, and fostering longer term brand loyalty and trust. It’s a win-win scenario where both consumers and retailers stand to benefit.”

The research also revealed that technology has become a core part of the shopping experience — and there’s value in embracing technology for retailers as well. Close to 1 in 4 holiday shoppers are more likely to buy from brands with technology-enabled shopping experiences (24%). Another quarter expect brands to embed technology into the shopping experience (24%), while 23% are more likely to spend money with brands that offer tech-enabled shopping experiences.

In addition, consumers are excited about the possibilities that AI will bring as they hunt for the best deals this shopping season. More than two-thirds (69%) of shoppers believe AI will make it easier to discover new brands and products, while three-quarters (74%) believe it will help them find deals or special offers.

Interestingly, it is the biggest spenders who are most likely to adopt the latest shopping technology. Consumers planning to spend over $850 this BFCM, are also the most likely to make use of virtual fitting room services or smart mirrors (32%), use virtual assistants (31%), shop for things like furniture using spacial commerce (30%), and over a third (36%) engage with QR codes or digital display screens while shopping. In addition, big spenders are twice as likely to purchase products with personalisation, such as name monogramming, as those who are planning to spend the least.

Key findings from Shopify’s latest research also reveal:

Despite cutting discretionary spending, consumers are willing to pay for a great deal

• Consumers are more intentional than ever as they look to make their money go further, with 53% planning to do the bulk of their holiday shopping during the BFCM weekend.
• While 48% of shoppers still value quality, 67% are open to switching brands based on cost savings.

Retailers are looking to tech to help manage peak sales season

• To meet the demand for technology-driven shopping, 72% of Australian retailers surveyed said they plan to increase their investment in tech to prepare for the holiday sales season.

Online and offline commerce channels are both important

• Preferences towards browsing in a shop vs browsing on an online store are almost evenly split (42% vs 41%) as the top way for Australian consumers to make new product discoveries.
• More shoppers are open to making purchases through social media platforms, with nearly 37% willing to purchase products directly on Facebook, 35% willing to buy through Instagram, 31% willing to buy via YouTube, and 26% willing to buy via TikTok. Only 16% were willing to buy from X.
• Surprisingly, 25-34 year olds are the highest adopters of social shopping behaviours with 48% being willing to purchase products on Facebook, compared to 30% of Gen Z shoppers. In addition, 25-34 year olds were more likely than 18-24 year olds to message brands on social media platforms for customer support (26% vs 24%).
• Almost a third (30%) of businesses think that, out of all the available selling surfaces, social media platforms will provide the highest volume of sales for them by the end of the decade.

The post 2/3 Consumers plan to spend big during BFCM weekend, despite inflation appeared first on Small Business Connections.

Shoppers plan on spending an average of $189.59 during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. That a 31% reduction from 2021.

Finder research

Recent research from Finder reveals that shoppers plan to spend an average of $189.59 during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year – a 31% reduction from 2021.

However, don’t mistake this decrease in spending for a lack of interest. Consumers are still on the hunt for unbeatable deals; they’re merely operating on a tighter budget. To rise above the competition and secure those precious customer conversions, your marketing strategy must work smarter, not harder. That’s why we’ve compiled five simple yet powerful tips to help you emerge victorious during this year’s sales season.

1. Prioritize segmentation and personalization on Black Friday

First, let’s start by making sure you’re reaching the right people during this period. Segmentation leads to increased relevancy, increased revenue, and less wastage. Most of your customers and prospects will want messages and offers throughout the holiday season. Some won’t want them all, but we’ll touch on that a little later.

Triggered emails

Triggered emails can be incredibly powerful when it comes to engaging customers and increasing conversions during Black Friday. By automating your marketing efforts, you can create personalized emails triggered by specific customer behaviors, such as cart abandonment. These automated emails can help you save time during the busy Black Friday period, while still delivering a customized and effective message to your customers. So, be sure to take advantage of triggered emails this Black Friday to drive sales and engagement.

Abandoned browse and cart popover

It’s worth considering having an on-site popover for abandoned browse or cart. This will help to keep shoppers engaged by displaying popovers that are triggered only when they are about to leave your online store. Through the popover, shoppers can be offered more holiday goodies, and returning customers can easily pick up where they left off with welcome-back popovers.

Re-engage

Why not use the start of the holiday period as a reason to win people back? For those who genuinely have stopped engaging with your emails, using the excitement of the holiday period can be a great way to bring them back into the fold. In the retail world, you’ll have offers and holiday-themed merchandise to sell them.

Be mindful that some contacts may only be seasonal shoppers. Their lack of engagement doesn’t mean they’re not interested; it’s just not their preferred time of year to shop. By using eRFM (engagement recency, frequency, monetary) segmentation, you can identify these customers based on their past purchases and target them differently. Remind them of what they bought last year and suggest similar or complementary items that might pique their interest for this season’s shopping.

Amend your content and cadence

One thing we see with a lot of brands is that even though customers have filled out the preference center, thoroughly browsed your website, and even purchased; many of the brands still fail to recognize any of that behavior. Email marketing campaigns just keep coming and coming without any acknowledgment of a purchase or browsing activities. Some have even sent offers for products customers have already purchased.

One of the easiest things you can do to ‘recognize’ a recipient is to know whether they have purchased recently, how much they’ve spent, and what they’ve purchased. You can then change your mailing cadence and content accordingly. AI-powered product recommendations based on what has already been purchased really do help at this point.

2. Leverage data insights

During the Black Friday sales period, it’s important to leverage customer data insights efficiently. Before the big day, check your automation programs’ performance and optimize them with AI-enhanced algorithms to gain a competitive edge.

Examine the performance of your revenue-generating programs, such as eRFM persona, and identify customer segments that are ready for conversion. Tailor your messaging and offers specifically for highly engaged frequent shoppers and new customers.

You can also use AI-powered predictive analytics to refine your tactics in real time, adapting to your target audience’s evolving needs and desires. This forward-looking approach ensures you stay ahead of the curve, targeting potential customers with razor-sharp precision far beyond standard marketing efforts.

Lastly, focus on nurturing high-value customers with tailored and exclusive offers and messaging designed to deepen their loyalty and boost long-term retention. Look into your predicted customer lifetime value (CLV) metrics to inform your marketing strategy.

3. Implement back-in-stock emails

Products may go out of stock for several reasons. The effect can be highly frustrating for customers who expect to be able to purchase what they want when they want it.

The damage of stockouts extends beyond the direct consequence of a lost sale. There’s the possibility that the shopper will turn to a competitor to find the items in question. Then, there’s the long-term impact on customer satisfaction caused by the frustrating experience.

Using dynamic content and AI-driven suggestions in your back-in-stock emails helps provide clear and current information about product availability and updates. This is especially important for the season’s hottest products. It allows you to build brand buzz and encourage more visits.

4. Focus on a seamless customer experience

Imagine your potential customer, sitting at their computer on Black Friday, with dozens of tabs open, browsing through different websites, and deciding where to buy that perfect gift. What makes your online store stand out? It’s the seamless customer experience you offer. From fast and affordable shipping to hassle-free returns, it’s these small but vital details that can truly make or break a sale. Here are some simple tips for ensuring a smooth journey from browsing to checkout:

Accurate tracking and delivery times

During the Black Friday period, ecommerce businesses need to provide accurate tracking for your shipping. Studies show that in recent years, customers value estimated delivery dates (EDDs) over faster shipping alternatives. Surprisingly, a reliable EDD means not only “no later than” but also “no earlier than”.

Some reasons, understandably, include not being home at the time of delivery and fear of packages sitting outside falling prey to pesky “porch pirates”. So, as part of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) checklist, be sure to review your shipping methods and integrations, delivery date accuracy, and communication methods to ensure your EDD is communicated clearly and as accurately as possible.

Additionally, as we get closer to Christmas, consider telling your customers about shipping deadlines for each method you offer. This transparency helps create realistic expectations and fosters exceptional customer service. This will allow your customers to plan for the last date they need to purchase to be delivered before Christmas. Clear and accurate shipping and delivery communication will go a long way this holiday season for you and your customers.

Easy-to-find return policy

The better your return policy is, the more confident customers will be when purchasing from your online store. Craft a simple, easy-to-understand return policy and ensure it is readily accessible on your website. This openness will reassure shoppers that they’re making the right choice, increasing the likelihood that they’ll click that “Add to Cart” button.

Streamlined checkout process

Don’t be the online store that loses customers at the last hurdle – the checkout stage. Implement a clean, user-friendly, and safe checkout process to minimize cart abandonment. Offer multiple payment options and mark security logos clearly to provide a sense of safety. Guest checkout options also help hesitant shoppers, who may not want to commit to creating a full account but are willing to give your store a try.

Provide outstanding customer support

Great customer support can tip the balance in your favor when shoppers are trying to decide between your store and another. Make sure it’s easy for customers to contact you with their questions or worries through options like live chat, email, or social media. And remember to teach your customer service team to handle any Black Friday-related concerns with friendliness and understanding.

5. Create a sense of urgency

Creating a sense of urgency in your emails can increase sales by over 300%. But how do you go about creating a sense of urgency, we hear you ask. Following these simple copywriting tips can help you write a sales-driving email marketing campaign.

Use compelling language

Utilizing limited-time language in your email subject line and calls to action (CTAs) is a smart way to create urgency and increase sales. Mirror this language with an action-based tone to create a seamless experience. Make sure your CTAs leave no doubt about what you’re offering and what the recipient should do next to get the offer.

FOMO (fear of missing out)

It might sound cheesy but it’s a powerful marketing tactic that you can draw on through your use of language. Use phrases like ‘biggest sale of the year’ or ‘best prices of the season’ in your Black Friday marketing to encourage recipients to shop before it’s too late.

Abandoned cart emails

There will always be some shoppers who don’t complete their purchases. It’s essential to ensure your abandoned cart automation program is in place before Black Friday. It becomes an even more important tactic for ecommerce businesses to win back these potential customers. Offering discounts and other promotions are the most effective way to bring shoppers back but don’t forget that Black Friday entails a much tighter window of opportunity than usual. Make sure to amend the timing of your abandoned cart emails accordingly.

Use Artificial intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized digital marketing, and Black Friday campaigns are no exception. With Dotdigital’s Winston AI, you can offer your customers real-time recommendations during the Black Friday sales period. In addition, Winston AI can help you craft captivating subject lines, ensuring your subscribers are drawn to and engaged with your Black Friday promotions.

The post 5 Simple tips for a winning Black Friday marketing campaign appeared first on Small Business Connections.

For example, if you’re a restaurant owner, your website should allow customers to make reservations, view your menu, and see your hours of operation. If you’re an ecommerce business, your website should facilitate a seamless browsing and purchasing experience.

There are certain questions you should consider before building your website. Who is your target audience? What are their needs, interests, and pain points? What are they looking for when they visit your website? Once you understand your target audience, you can identify the key functionalities that are likely to engage them.

Let’s take a look at the functionalities every business website needs in order to be effective.

1. Seamless navigation

Navigation is a crucial aspect of web design. It enhances user experience by allowing visitors to browse your content and offerings seamlessly. A well-designed navigation menu typically includes the main categories of the website and submenus that break down these categories into more specific sub-topics, so it’s easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.

Some important pages a website should include are:

• Homepage: This is usually the first page a visitor sees, and it should give an overview of the business and its purpose.
• Pricing page: This page helps potential customers understand your pricing structure, so they can compare their options and make informed decisions.
• Contact Us page: This page provides visitors with a way to connect with you. It should include your contact information, such as phone number, email address, and physical address. You could also include a Contact Us form and list your operating hours on this page.

Some additional pages that may be relevant to you are:

• Products/Services: Here, you should include information about your product or service, such as its features, benefits, and pricing.
• About Us: Use this page to provide more information about your business’ history, mission, and team. This is a great place to add personality to your website.
• Landing pages: These pages should be focused and goal-oriented. Aim to capture visitors’ attention and encourage them to take a particular action.
• Blog page: This page is a great way to share news, updates, and tips with your visitors. It can also help you improve your website’s SEO.
• FAQs page: Here’s where you can give your visitors quick answers to common questions, streamlining their experience and eliminating the need for them to contact your support team.

The order in which these pages appear on your website can vary depending on your website’s purpose and goals. Consider your budget and business size when determining the best approach for incorporating these sections into your website. You can either integrate them into the homepage or create dedicated pages linked to the top menu or footer. Choose the option you feel provides the best user experience and aligns with your available resources.

Once you’re confident in the pages you’ve created, consider building a sitemap. A sitemap is a hierarchical and visual representation of your website’s structure. It provides a comprehensive list of your website’s pages and serves as a navigational tool for both website visitors and search engine bots.

Before you go live, make sure you’ve incorporated clear and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your website, prompting visitors to take desired actions, such as purchasing, signing up for a newsletter, or requesting a consultation. Use contrasting colours, concise language, and strategic placement to make your CTAs stand out.

2. Search engine optimisation (SEO)

SEO involves implementing strategies and techniques to optimise your website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). There are several techniques you can use to optimise your website for text, voice, and local searches in order to improve your website’s ranking.

Voice SEO focuses on drawing voice-activated search assistants, such as Siri or Alexa, to your website’s content. Local search SEO requires you to include your address on your website and aims to attract those looking for products or services in your area. This is particularly important if you operate exclusively in specific geographical regions.

SEO best practices include developing a content strategy, incorporating specific key words into you webpages and blog posts, using descriptive alt text for images and videos, and ensuring your content is formatted and structured for readability. These practices can help your website rank higher in search engine results pages and even appear as the featured snippet.

3. Social media integration

It’s often easier for people to connect and engage with brands on social media. Integrating social media links, share buttons, and widgets with your website and blog can encourage visitors to engage with you on social platforms and increase your brand’s visibility.

It is important to choose the appropriate social channels to showcase your brand, based on your target audience and goals. For example, a B2C brand might do well on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, while a B2B company may find LinkedIn and Twitter more effective. If you’re targeting a younger audience, TikTok might be your preferred channel. Integrating social media channels that align with your brand’s goals and target audience can help improve conversions.

4. Mobile optimisation

Most internet traffic now comes from mobile devices. You can optimise your website for mobile devices by using a responsive design that adjusts your layout and content to fit the viewer’s device. Depending on your business model, incorporating mobile apps and accelerated mobile pages (AMPs) may also help you reach a broader audience and provide a more streamlined user experience. AMP enhances loading speeds, allowing users to access information almost instantly. This makes it a great choice for organisations like news websites, which rapidly push out new content for readers.

Zoho offers mobile apps for almost all of its products, because we see mobile functionality, such as push notifications and offline access, as essential for a good user experience.

Your website is the face of your brand in the digital world. By investing in its functionality and user experience, you can make a lasting impression on your visitors. Whether you’re a business owner or a web developer, we hope these tips and strategies help you create a website that meets your business goals and delivers a seamless and enjoyable user experience!

Source: Zoho

The post Tips for SMEs: creating a website that engages appeared first on Small Business Connections.

Why it’s important to measure your shopping cart abandonment rate

Your shopping cart abandonment rate can provide valuable insights into your customers’ purchasing journeys. This data can help you identify specific ways to improve your website or checkout process, eventually leading to better conversion rates.

In 2022, Baymard Institute examined data from 48 studies on ecommerce shopping cart abandonment. Its findings revealed that, on average, about 69.99% of people abandon their carts. While cart abandonment rates can vary based on industry and seasonal demand, this statistic can give you a general idea of what to expect in terms of the cart abandonment rate for your business.

To determine your exact shopping cart abandonment rate, you can follow these steps:

1. Calculate the cart conversion rate by dividing the number of completed purchases by the total number of shopping carts created.

2. Subtract the cart conversion rate from the number 1.

3. Multiply the result by 100 to obtain a percentage value.

Let’s say you run an ecommerce store that sells eyeglasses. In one month, a total of 1,000 shopping carts were created by website visitors. However, out of those 1,000 shopping carts, only 150 were converted into purchases.

In this case, your cart abandonment rate = (1 – Cart Conversion Rate) x 100

= (1 – 150 / 1,000) x 100

= 0.85 x 100

= 85%

In this particular example, your shopping cart abandonment rate would be 85%. This indicates that many potential customers are not completing their purchases, pointing to a high rate of cart abandonment in your eyeglasses store. To reduce this percentage, it’s important to study and understand your customers’ behaviour and implement effective strategies to give them a smooth buying experience.

Here are a few steps you can take to reduce shopping cart abandonment for your business:

Enable guest checkout

When someone on your website is ready to make a purchase, the process should be as streamlined as possible. If you compel shoppers to create an account and provide extensive details, you risk causing frustration and driving them away from the transaction. Remember, not everyone wants to go through the hassle of creating yet another account, remembering another username, and managing an additional password.

When you offer the option to check out as a guest, you make it quick and easy for customers to finish their purchases. While account creation can help you build your marketing database and foster long-term customer relationships, it should never come at the cost of a potential sale. Prioritising customer convenience can help you build revenue and a positive brand image.

Avoid last minute surprises

When shoppers browse through products and add items to their carts, they develop an expectation of the total cost based on the displayed prices. When you introduce additional costs or charges at a later stage, you’re likely to cause disappointment.

In the same Baymard study, high extra costs were a major contributing factor to people abandoning their shopping carts. Unexpected costs can make customers feel deceived and may prompt them to explore alternate options. If you want people to complete their purchases, you need to maintain transparency throughout the shopping experience. You can easily do this by providing a clear breakdown of estimated fees on the product/cart page.

Send abandoned cart emails

Abandoned cart emails are automated messages sent to shoppers who have added items to their shopping carts but have yet to complete the purchase. They are typically sent to customers who have shared their email addresses during the checkout process or for marketing communication. Abandoned cart emails can help you re-engage shoppers and remind them of the items they left behind. To make your abandoned cart emails effective, it’s crucial to personalise the content based on the customer’s behaviour and activity. You should also incorporate strong call-to-action buttons that create a sense of urgency. Be strategic about the timing of your emails, ideally sending them shortly after the cart abandonment or the following day. Experimenting with different timing options can help you find the ideal window for maximising your conversion rates.

Offer multiple payment options

Customers appreciate flexibility, particularly when it comes to how they pay for their purchases. Whether it’s a debit card, prepaid card, cash on delivery, or popular digital wallet (like PayPal or Apple Pay), people prefer using payment methods they are familiar with or that give them specific benefits or rewards. When you give them a range of payment options to choose from, you increase the likelihood of customers completing their purchases. On the other hand, when you give them limited payment options, they may refuse to proceed and second-guess their decision to do business with you.

Minimise distractions on your checkout page

Elements like pop-ups, hyperlinks, or related product suggestions on your checkout page can divert your customers’ attention and stop them from completing their purchases. That’s why it’s important to have a clutter-free checkout page without any distractions. Although it always helps to upsell your products, it’s better to do it before or after customers reach the checkout page. This way, they can focus on completing their orders before exploring additional options. This approach can help significantly improve conversions and reduce shopping cart abandonment.

We hope this blog post helps you take practical steps to reduce your business’ shopping cart abandonment rate. Do you have any other strategies you’d like to suggest? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Zoho

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What motivated you to start your business?

I was born in one of the poorest towns in Vietnam, and I was born with a cleft lip. For thirty years of my life, I felt like I didn’t belong, feeling faulty. I spent years running in circles trying to figure out what my life purpose and passion were and my place in the world. Then I discovered marketing while working as a bookkeeper at a blind manufacturing company.

I love marketing. To me, marketing is kind, and marketing is the best way for me to help people. I was an in-house marketer for four years, but deep down, I think there has always been a call for me to help not just one business but many.

Then I saw a gap in the market. There aren’t enough marketing agencies that fully understand what coaches and business owners need to do as a whole to get clients and grow their businesses.

How did you come up with the marketing strategies that won you the Excellence in Marketing Award?

I’ve been fortunate from my very early days of entering the marketing world to start with organic marketing: social media and email marketing. So, I never believed that paid Facebook and Google advertising is the only way businesses can get new leads and clients.

Through my years of experience in organic marketing, I’ve dedicated my time and effort to finding out how small businesses can get the same, if not more, results from social media.

Branding with authenticity is very important. We craft social media content that reflects our clients’ unique voices, helping them genuinely connect with their audience. We spend time and effort to truly get to know each of our clients and their stories. And it has proven to work. And lastly, we want to make sure our clients’ content is in front of the right people at the right time. So, we’ve studied the algorithm as we build our clients’ social media networks.

What do you think sets your marketing strategies apart from your competitors?

The average marketing agency churn rate is 30 per cent. Meanwhile, 100 per cent of our clients have stayed with us in the last six months. A lot of our clients came to us, having been burnt in the past, having invested thousands and thousands of dollars into marketing and not getting anything in return.

It doesn’t mean that other agencies haven’t done a good job. Most agencies focus on acquiring new customers, due to the high turnover. We focus on results and the bigger picture with our clients.

How did you overcome the challenges of starting your own business?

I put myself out there and told literally everyone I spoke with that I was starting a new business. It’s incredible how simply asking for help can put your business at the forefront of people’s minds. I got four new clients on retainer in my first month from referrals.

I also invested in a high-quality mentor. I don’t believe in doing everything alone. Having a mentor allowed me to take the exact steps I needed to succeed…but faster. Also, I surrounded myself with successful business owners for community support.

Finally, taking breaks is important. I hired my first virtual assistant and booked a three-month trip to Europe. I put myself in a position where I had no other choice but to make my dream of travelling and running a business at the same time a reality. I forced myself to find ways to systemise, hire and train teams, minimise bottlenecks and work things out quickly, so I can have it all.

By: Alyssa Herr, Editor

The post Award-winning marketing agency helping SMEs grow with authentic storytelling appeared first on Small Business Connections.

The research found that despite the economic upheaval most SMBs are feeling optimistic about their marketing budgets, with the average yearly marketing investment in Australia currently sitting at nearly one quarter (23.5%) of annual business revenue. On top of this, just a small 5% plan to reduce their marketing budgets in the next 12 months.

What LinkedIn’s SMB research tells us about the current attitudes of SBDM towards their marketing:

• Seven in 10 (71%) of SMBs are investing in marketing-tech tools such as marketing automation (46%), ChatGPT/AI (32%), creating a TikTok account (29%), measurement tools (26%) and podcasting (19%) as ways to make the most out of their marketing budgets during the current economic conditions.
• Over a third (34%) have shifted their marketing spend towards more digital solutions, compared to five years ago, while three in ten (30%) agree that creative solutions are very important to their marketing strategy and a quarter (26%) agree that investing in building their brand will help ensure long term growth.
• AI tools such as ChatGPT are becoming of greater interest to SMBs, with over 3 in 5 (69%) believing that ChatGPT could help their business with marketing. Meanwhile those who have not/will not invest in such tools are likely driven by unfamiliarity with ChatGPT/AI, as three quarters (76%) of those SBDMs say they do not know enough about ChatGPT.
• When looking at ways of applications of AI tools such as ChatGPT, top mentions are efficiency improvement (47%), creativity enhancement (41%) and support with audience research (37%), followed by creating written content (36%), freeing up staff for more complex work (34%) and community management (31%).
• Brand building and brand awareness remain at the forefront of SMBs’ marketing strategies for differentiating themselves in market, with majority of surveyed SBDMs (88%) confident that they have successfully built brand awareness through their marketing.
• The top priorities of businesses for the rest of 2023 are to expand their customer base (40%), nurture existing customer relationships (39%), build brand loyalty and increase business revenue and market share (30% respectively).

With the help of AI and highly accessible marketing automation tools such as LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, businesses can effectively deploy creative marketing, optimise ROIs, and meet preferred objectives even during times of rising costs and uncertainty.

Also read: 3 Free AI tools to improve your SME’s copywriting

The post Aussie SMEs turning to marketing-tech and AI for creativity amidst economic uncertainty appeared first on Small Business Connections.

When you consider all of the written touchpoints that your prospective customers may have with you – from a blog article to a website landing page to a cold email – you need all the help you can get to ensure that your message is on point, concise, and easy to understand. This instalment looks at three free tools to help you improve your copywriting.

Free Copywriting Tool 1 – Quillbot

What is it:

Quillbot is an AI-powered paraphrasing tool that improves text fluency while ensuring appropriate vocabulary, tone, and style for the situation. Simply enter the text into the input box, and the AI will recommend the best way to rewrite it.

What’s great about it:

Its user interface is extremely simple;  write or paste your original text and then hit ‘paraphrase’; the text appears in the window opposite, ready for use. Under the free plan, you can select one of two ‘modes’ depending on what you want to focus on (ie readability, maintaining meaning etc). The paraphrasing is usually quite quick, taking only a few seconds for the text you enter.

What are the limitations:

This will be a common thread throughout all of the tools on this list; the AI is decent, but I wouldn’t rely on it completely; double-check that the rewritten text makes sense to you before publishing it anywhere. Furthermore, on the free plan, you can only paraphrase 125 words at a time, so for a blog post like this, you must do it paragraph by paragraph, which is annoying but not time intensive.

Pricing model:

Decent Free Plan. Their free plan has some limitations, such as the word count mentioned above and only two paraphrasing options (Standard and Fluency).

Free Copywriting Tool 2 – Hemingway Editor

What is it:

Hemingway Editor is an excellent tool for ensuring that your writing is bold and clear, highlighting areas where your writing is too dense and making suggestions on where to improve your writing to make it easier to read.

What’s great about it:

It is very simple to use, but it also has a really cool added feature that assesses your text’s readability rating or “grade level” using the Automated Readability Index – a reliable algorithm used since the days of electronic typewriters. This is a very useful feature to ensure that your writing is easily understood by your audience – you should aim for Grade 9 or lower – so that your message is not overly complex.

What are the limitations:

The most significant limitation is that, unlike other AI tools, Hemingway Editor will not auto-correct or suggest ways to improve your text; instead, it will simply highlight areas where your writing can be improved.

Pricing model:

Genuinely free to use. There is a desktop version available for purchase, but the online version is completely free to use.

Free Copywriting Tool 3 – Copy AI

What is it:

Copy AI is a true artificial intelligence-powered copywriting tool. This means you enter some basic information about what you’re trying to write about, such as the purpose and audience, and it generates the text for you. A versatile tool that has proven to be extremely useful in overcoming writer’s block.

What’s great about it:

There are numerous text purposes that can be used in the platform, including blog content, ad content, eCommerce copy, social media content, and website content. This is a tool that can handle almost all of your copywriting needs while also providing useful guidance on what your blog posts, should cover.

What are the limitations:

Similar to Quillbot, but to a greater extent, AI is writing your copy for you, which sounds fantastic in theory. In reality, if you read the content as is, you will most likely encounter some readability issues and errors. Unfortunately, this is not a substitute for subject matter expertise. I find that I use this as a tool to help me put together a first draft and then do manual edits based on the results.

Pricing model:

Decent Free Plan. With a strict word limit (2000 generated words) in place for the free plan, you may find yourself going over this if you produce more than 3 or 4 articles per month, which is still quite reasonable. Their paid plans begin at $49 per month for 40,000 words, so there is a significant price difference between the free and paid plans.

Source: SBAA

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Promote your trading hours

A large portion of Australians are unsure about the availability and operational hours of businesses during public holidays. Make sure your customers are well informed by marketing your trading hours in advance. Easter tends to be a high-spending time for Australian’s so don’t miss out on this opportunity to boost your sales. There are multiple ways to communicate your business hours including on your website, via social posts, flyers with Easter trading hours and posters.

Do your research

Take advantage of the holiday trading period by researching frequently used keywords and incorporating them into your digital and SEO marketing strategy. Incorporating holiday-related keywords (where appropriate), will ensure your business is easier to find for new customers.

Run promotions

Get creative and plan out fun promotional activities to engage customers, like an Easter egg hunt, be it in-store or on your website where customers can be in to win or receive promotional discount codes. This will not only introduce new customers to your business it will demonstrate your appreciation for your current customers too. While making your Easter product plans, think about grouping certain items together to encourage buyers to buy more and boost your sales.

Decorate and set the scene

Incorporating Easter themed decorations on your company website can be a great way to pull customers in and explore what your business has to offer. Customers may also be inspired to engage with your business on seeing an eye-catching window display using window decals and shop floor using floor decals. Posters and staff t shirts can also prove eye catching and are an easy way to get into the Easter spirit.

Level up your packaging

Why not fully embrace the easter season by levelling up your packaging? Either with a limited edition easter sticker which can be applied to your products during the holiday period, or a branded tote bag, tissue paper or labels which can also be used to show your festive spirit.

Collaborate and prepare giveaways

Brand collaborations and giveaways are often an easy and low-cost way to generate engagement with your customers. If you run giveaways quite often, why not take a new approach and rally local vendors to create a higher value giveaway which will also see you can reach new customers – a social giveaway is often the way to go as all businesses involved can tag each other in content which opens you up to a new customer base and social following.

Giveaways also have a strong call to action for customers to engage with your business – whether that’s through following your business account, liking a post or sharing with their friends. A giveaway may also give your business and edge during a busy time of year and set you apart from competitors.

My tip: if you have budget to put behind your giveaway post, do it – this will see your post reach even more potential customers.

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Free Tool 1 – Freeicons.io

What is it: 

Freeicons.io is a fantastic collection of icons and illustrators that you can access, edit, and download for use on your website, print materials, apps, and social media. A team of in-house designers carefully creates and curates the icons and illustrations, which are then made available to the public.

What’s great about it:

The team at Freeicons.io has compiled a massive collection of icons. A large portion of them are free to use, which is fantastic. Also, if you create a free account, you can change the colours of the icon to match your brand’s style. This provides an excellent free alternative to the collection of icons included with Microsoft Office

What are the limitations:

The most significant limitation is the requirement for attribution with each icon; while you can use the icons for personal and commercial purposes, you must attribute them to their author – the suggested attribution is “Icon made by [author link] from www.freeicons.io.” More information on attribution for various media can be found here.

Pricing model: 

Decent Free Plan. As previously stated, the majority of the icons on the site are free (with attribution). There are a number of premium icons available for purchase, but I haven’t found a reason to use them because I’ve found free icons that meet my needs.

Free Tool 2 – Pixabay

What is it:

Pixabay has over 2.6 million royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, music, sound effects, and GIFs. Their extensive collection can be accessed via their home page’s main keyword search bar and then download the asset after you’ve found it. The majority of the assets are free for commercial use and do not require attribution, so you can use them for whatever you want!

What’s great about it:

There are a lot of really high-quality stock photos that I use almost every week, and some of the illustrations have also been useful. The search engine is very useful, and the ability to download the asset in various sizes makes life a lot easier when looking for web optimised images.

What are the limitations:

Two irritants more than limitations: when you search, you are presented with both free and paid options… Sometimes the paid options are not clearly marked, so you might think you’ve found the perfect asset only to discover you have to pay. The second issue is that some of the illustrations are cartoony, which I don’t need. To date, I’ve only used Pixabay for images, not videos, music, or other media.

Pricing model: 

Decent Free Plan.A large portion of the results are freely available, with the majority of the paid options being presented via third-party advertisements from companies such as iStock. So far, I haven’t had to pay for an asset.

Free Tool 3 – Storyset

What is it: 

Storyset is a really cool website that offers a variety of awesome, free, customisable illustrations that you can download and use in whatever format you require. Simply search for an illustration that meets your requirements, customise as needed, and download for free. Keep in mind that you must provide attribution for the illustration wherever it is used.

What’s great about it:

While there are some cool customization options available, such as adding/removing layers, changing colours, and styling the background. The best feature of Storyset is the ability to easily animate your illustration; with a few clicks, you can add basic animation to any of the elements in the illustration to really bring it to life. You can then export it as an animated.GIF/video or get the HTML code to add it to your website.

What are the limitations:

The animation feature is really cool, but the animation options are limited to how the element enters the screen and then what it does on screen – this isn’t a video animation tool, but they look really cool. The only other restriction is that you must give credit when using them for personal or commercial purposes.

Pricing model:

Genuinely free to use. You never have to pay anything as long as attribution is provided where it is used!

The post 3 Free online tools for non-designers to create marketing images appeared first on Small Business Connections.

Consumers are enthusiastically buying into the convenience of online shopping, but on the flip side, they are facing the challenge of a limited understanding of their purchase through a lack of product visibility online.

Today there are an estimated 24 million e-commerce sites across the globe, and it is forecasted that by 2040 nearly 95% of all purchases globally will be made online or through a digital platform.

Business owners find themselves in a situation where competition is increasing faster than the market is expanding, and drop-shipping is gaining huge traction. It is now more and more difficult to stand out in an overly saturated market.

This change in buying behaviour along with the rising demand for short-form video has revealed that marketing tactics need to be redefined to be about immersive, customer-centric content, not just disruptive messages.

TikTok’s monumental success can be attributed to its ability to allow brands to inspire their fans in authentic and entertaining ways, and that’s what consumers want—genuine connections with authentic brands.

“The writing is on the wall and it’s telling us that to stay front-of-mind in audiences of the future, brands need to up their game in terms of creative storytelling and the representation of their ethos.

The globally minded audiences of tomorrow demand more complexity, more authenticity, and more transparency,” said co-founder and CEO of market-leading video-based platform, Tolstoy, Dov Kaufmann.

“Marketing tactics like interactive and shoppable videos can channel the desire for authenticity and help businesses build the valuable connections they need to succeed and stand out from their competitors,” said Dov. “Marketing in 2023 is poised to be about making the shopping experience more fun, convenient, and meaningful.”

So, what marketing tactics can we expect to see in 2023?

Shoppable Videos

With over 82% of all consumer online traffic spent viewing video content, businesses are realising the tremendous potential of this incredibly effective tool. Shoppable video is rapidly transforming the e-commerce storefront by capturing an audience’s attention with an experience as immersive as TikTok, with eye-catching product videos to show how their products look in real life, on real people. Videos can be embedded in e-commerce sites, sent via SMS and email, or displayed as stories, a Carousel or Widget, enabling users to scroll through videos to view products and buy directly from the videos with “add to cart” or “shop now” buttons.

Interactive Videos

Shoppers of all ages now turn to their devices to make purchases. Interactive videos are a highly effective marketing tool that allows brands to send users on a unique journey where there’s more of a person-to-person conversation or personal experience. This allows brands to share their recommendations or founder story, announce a new collection, and gain their audience’s attention, interest, and overall, their trust. It also offers viewers the opportunity to ask questions or see and interact with the products they’re interested in. This not only saves brands in costs and time, but it provides them with more targeted leads.

Product Demonstrations

Interactive product demonstrations allow potential customers to experience a product and all its features through a self-guided, clickable process. By providing each customer with the opportunity of a personalised demonstration, they’re able to view the product in a way that interests them, thus avoiding unnecessary information and potentially boring the customer. A product demonstration can be as complex as allowing a customer to explore the intricacies of an engine, or as simple as displaying different clothing items on different models with different body types.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) marketing incorporates the full immersion of a customer into a virtual world. This can connect a customer with a brand or product by engaging a variety of the customer’s senses, encouraging more interaction. VR allows brands to create and imbed memorable experiences, as well as bring an entertainment factor to advertising. This is more immersive than a customer scrolling down a static catalogue and encourages visitors to spend more time viewing the products, interacting with the brand, and ultimately increasing the chance of sales.

Competitions & Games

Competitions and games are prize-driven strategies that encourage people to participate and engage with a brand in the hopes of a reward. This marketing tactic can help a business obtain multiple goals such as increasing brand awareness, encouraging customer loyalty, increasing sales, and obtaining customer information with little effort. Not only are people more than willing to share their details when it comes to entering competitions and playing games, but they will also share achievements around social platforms which can further boost awareness.

With more and more people spending time at home and working remotely, the demand for and consumption of authentic storytelling and genuine connections with brands has—and will continue—to accelerate. Brands are optimally positioned to embrace technology like shoppable videos to meet their customers’ need for an immersive, personalised online experience.

By Dov Kaufman, co-founder of Tolstoy

The post Top 5 marketing strategies for 2023: why authentic storytelling is key appeared first on Small Business Connections.