Wouldn’t it be nice to have a crystal ball to tell you what trends you’ll see in 2010? I’ve found the next best thing…the article “Top 10 Trends in Small Business for 2010.” In his article, USA Today columnist Steven D. Strauss shares his predictions for the coming year. He notes that his top trend of this year, the economy, was right on the mark. Maybe he has a crystal ball after all.
A few of the small business trends Strauss foresees are:
1) The New Frugality…the upshot is that people are spending less, saving more, and are looking for bargains. In other words, cheap is good (for the consumer) while at the same time a challenge for any small business owner.
2) Welcome the Era of Hyper-Connectivity… the accelerating trend is towards using a variety of tools to create an e-interconnectedness. Cool. Now your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube and other online social media tools will need to play well together. Enter an update in Facebook and the rest will post the same update.
According to the study, the most important tool for small businesses to succeed in 2010 is search engine marketing, while email marketing, public relations and social media cited as crucial for success.
23.8% of all small businesses reported that search engine marketing was the tool most needed for their business to succeed in 2010.