HUMAN CONNECTION IS CRUCIAL TO ENSURE LONG-

TERM CUSTOMER LOYALTY .

ARKETING IS A crucial part of an SME ’ s business plan but they tend not to have a big budget to carry out their marketing strategy .

So , how can they ensure that they reach the right people and boost their sales and growth ?

Experts in this section suggest the most costeffective ways to do this . The most important aspect is targeting the right people – those who are genuinely interested in your product . And they also explore which marketing channels are a good option for SMEs .

Every month , we pose industry experts a question pertinent to the issues of the day . This month . . . .

Kyle Wong , Chief Strategy Officer , Emplifi and Founder , Pixlee TurnTo , said : “ For SMEs , customer loyalty is the most critical factor driving revenue . It sounds simple , but human connection is vital to ensuring long-term loyalty . Costly and segmented B2B and B2C marketing strategies are no longer effective . Instead , SME brands should focus on all customer touchpoints with a B2H strategy – that ’ s business to human .

“ Human connection is crucial to ensure long-term customer loyalty . One way to create this connection is through social media . Customers now take their questions and concerns straight to social channels , expecting near-immediate responses and gratification . The modern consumer is opting to communicate with brands via social media more than any other channel . More than half ( 52 %) of consumers now expect to receive a response within one hour .

“ To meet these expectations , SMEs should consider a social listening and management solution that can automatically flag and route high-priority posts and messages to the most

Kyle Wong , Chief Strategy Officer , Emplifi and Founder , Pixlee TurnTo

appropriate team member , accompanied by data-driven context so they can address the issue quickly and effectively .

“ Ultimately , these B2H capabilities will be a competitive differentiator for SMEs in 2023 and key to building long-term , profitable customer relationships .

“ Cost-effective marketing is a necessity for any SME . Social media and word of mouth marketing are two of the most cost-effective marketing channels for SMEs to find and attract new customers .”

20 intelligent

. tech

Intelligent SME . tech