Thoughts
Advancements in AI and emerging technologies within Web 3 are creating exciting opportunities and challenges in this dynamic environment.
Businesses must adapt and generate fresh ideas to remain competitive. The traditional methods of growth are no longer as effective. Ultimately, it means that to get ahead in the market it is crucial for businesses to evolve in order to succeed.
Like many, we’re grappling with the urgency of this transformation. With so much information out there we are finding it difficult to summarise our thinking into an actionable roadmap.
Until now…
Below we’ve highlighted a few achievable ways to unlock new possibilities and drive sustainable growth for 2024. The goal should be to not only survive, but to thrive in this era of constant change.
Small and medium-sized businesses are having trouble with limited resources and budgets in the digital age. This makes it difficult for them to invest in technology and talent to remain competitive. Conversely, big companies are using AI and data analytics to improve their operations and customer experiences. Therefore, small businesses must adapt and innovate to avoid getting left behind.
PwC's CEO Survey underscores the urgency for SMEs to make bold decisions in response to these challenges. The survey emphasises the critical importance of embracing innovation and digital transformation to remain relevant and competitive in today's rapidly evolving business environment.
Small businesses should invest in AI, digital technology, and talent development to grow and succeed in the digital age. By focusing on these areas they can stay competitive and adapt to the changing market.
With that comes the compounding pressures of consumer preferences continuing to evolve as digital channels become the primary mode of engagement. Therefore SMEs must also pivot their marketing and sales strategies to meet changing demands effectively.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can embrace innovation in several ways to stay competitive and foster growth that doesn’t require significant amounts of time and/or money. Here are just a few ways we’re helping our clients' embrace innovation to help them thrive in 2024.
Leverage The Right Technology
Embracing digital tools and platforms goes hand in hand with other technological advancements that can streamline operations, improve efficiency and enhance customer experience.
Investing in a quality website should still be a priority and there are loads of platform options out there. Our two main picks at the moment are Craft CMS and Webflow.
Craft CMS and Webflow are both modern website content management systems (CMS) designed to manage website content, collect customer feedback and enable desired customer interactions. However, they do so very differently in their approach and features.
Craft CMS offers extensive flexibility and control over development. For the client it means we can design and build a tailored experience specific to project requirements, with the added ability to create complex functionality and web page templates from scratch. This level of website is ideal for medium to large businesses that require a highly capable web platform that potentially integrates with other 3rd party software.
Our Craft customers love the CMS because no matter how complex the code is, the user interface for content editing is extremely user friendly and simple to use. This is ideal for content editors who need to frequently update content in the CMS, however, don’t necessarily have technical expertise. With a large global network of loyal customers, the dev support network is also alive and well, which means you won’t need to worry about it becoming extinct anytime soon.
On the other hand, Webflow provides an all-in-one solution with hosting included, making it more accessible and user-friendly out of the box for both desktop and mobile devices. It offers a visual development environment where users can design and build websites without needing to write code, although it may have limitations compared to Craft CMS in terms of deep customisation and complex functionality.
Webflow's emphasis on visual design and ease of use appeals to users who require simplicity and efficiency in website creation, with pricing options that make it a great option for smaller businesses that just need a slick online presence without all the bells and whistles. That being said, it’s ideal for creating blog posts, case studies adn landing pages.
If you are looking for mobile app technology, look no further than progressive web apps (PWA’s), which we still think are incredible bang for buck compared to native apps methods of developing a mobile-specific experience.
A PWA is a type of web application that utilises modern web technologies to provide a user experience similar to that of native mobile apps. PWAs are designed to work across all devices and platforms, offering features such as offline access, push notifications, and home screen installation.
The progressive web apps we’ve built for our clients' have been highly successful from a longevity POV, which says more about the technology being here to stay than anything else. If you’re interested to learn more about how we determine the right website or app platform for your requirements, we’re always up for a chat.
Cultivate Curiosity
Experimenting with new technology when trying to quickly fill a void can be a daunting task. However, doing so before actually requiring it can be empowering.
At Dream Config, we’ve begun experimenting with various AI tools in anticipation of them becoming mainstream. Even if the particular tool ceases to exist in a few years, the underlying tech is what we’re excited to learn more about.
By adopting and testing different tools without the pressure of actually needing them is how we recommend picking up on the general technology trends we’ll continue to see in the AI revolution and beyond.
Collaborate with External Partners
Collaboration is often one of the most overlooked areas of innovation we come across. If you’re a believer of the saying “greater than the sum of its parts” this can’t be more true when describing brands that are winning on the digital transformation battlefield. One of the ways we’re collaborating this year is with guest blogging.
Guest blogging involves individuals or companies writing and publishing articles on other blogs or websites, benefiting both the guest author and the host blog by providing exposure to new audiences, fresh content, and opportunities for networking. It can also positively impact search engine optimisation (SEO) by providing backlinks from reputable sites and improving the overall quality and diversity of a website's content, leading to better search engine rankings.
When it comes to thinking about types of content within your wider content strategy, guest blogging is ideal for not only building quality backlinks with reputable sources, but also for helping potential customers better understand how they can associate your brand with other similar offerings.
Another way we’re collaborating is through podcasts, which we’re all familiar with but may not fully understand its potential. The benefits of podcasting include building a loyal audience through regular episodes, establishing a personal connection with listeners through voice and storytelling and taking advantage of the growing popularity of audio content consumption.
Appearing as a guest on a podcast can provide valuable backlinks and mentions, particularly if the podcast has a dedicated website or blog where episodes are transcribed or summarised. These backlinks contribute to the guest's website authority, potentially improving their search engine rankings. For example, the podcast we were featured on (NZ Business Owners) ended up being a top ranking referral link, which shows the power of podcasts in action.
In addition to great backlinks, podcasting exposes guests to a new audience of listeners who may not have encountered them otherwise, allowing them to showcase their expertise, share insights, and build credibility within their industry or niche.
If you want to learn how we leverage guest blogging as part of our wider SEO strategies for our clients', don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Listen To Your Customers
Customer feedback can be extracted in many forms, and there is arguably nothing more impactful than leveraging customer insights to identify opportunities for innovation and develop your products or services around it to address their specific challenges or desires.
Being a technology-centric business, we typically use data and analytics to dissect user behaviour and provide our clients' with clearer understanding of how they can improve their overall customer experience.
Using data for gathering customer insights offers numerous advantages over other forms of feedback, such as objective insights into customer behaviour and preferences, data-driven metrics for measuring performance and the ability to analyse feedback at a large scale.
Additionally, data can be collected and analysed in real-time, enabling businesses to make agile adjustments and predictions about future trends. Leveraging data for customer feedback is cost-effective, as it reduces the need for manual effort and resources associated with traditional feedback methods.
If you’re interested to learn more about how we use data to create tailored customer experiences based on individual preferences and behaviour we’d look forward to the chat.
Invest in Training & Development
Goes without saying, but investing in training programs to enhance skills in times like these should be a given. There are numerous paid courses out there, but we often hear from our clients' that they lose out on the investment if/when the person leaves the business and takes that knowledge into their next role.
In order to help fill the void, as part of our ongoing programme management we provide tailored training and support to enhance their expertise in critical types of digital marketing. By investing time into building capabilities, systems and processes internally, we not only strengthen our clients' skill set but also cultivate valuable intellectual property that will endure beyond individual staff members.
This strategic approach ensures that they will retain essential IP within their organisation, providing a solid foundation for future hires and more sustainable growth moving forward. If you’re interested to learn more about how that could work within your own organisation, get in touch.
Plan of Action
In our view, the most important strategy for growing your brand online in 2024 is having a clear plan of action. If you lack the clarity around your business goals with the current digital assets and capabilities to drive them, several consequences can arise. Firstly, you risk operating in a reactive rather than proactive manner, which is the majority of SME businesses in a nutshell. Some of the typical signs of this are scattered efforts, wasted resources, and missed opportunities for growth.
Additionally, without clear objectives and strategies in place, decision-making becomes more difficult, often resulting in indecision or pursuing ineffective tactics. Furthermore, a lack of direction can lead to inconsistent messaging and branding, confusing your audience and diluting your brand's identity.
As the years have gone by, we’ve developed a proven methodology we call Dream Growth. It’s an essential starting point for our clients' when they come to us wanting help navigating the complexities of their digital landscape.
Dream Growth offers a comprehensive approach that begins with in-depth discovery sessions to uncover critical insights about audience, competition, and goals. This strategic foundation guides the development of tailored execution plans, ensuring that every digital initiative is aligned with business objectives.
Moreover, Dream Growth's commitment to ongoing program management facilitates continuous improvement through regular WIP sessions, comprehensive reporting, and structured frameworks. This approach not only maximises ROI and efficiency but also empowers businesses to stay agile and responsive in an ever-evolving digital environment, ultimately driving sustained growth and success.
"We love Dream Config's strategic approach to each project. Also their understanding for the need and focus to create ROI on every project is refreshing in the website design and development space."
If something like Dream Growth sounds interesting for your business, join us for a no obligation assessment.
With Dream Growth in place, businesses can unlock a host of benefits and outcomes. From increased brand visibility to higher conversion rates, our model is designed to drive measurable results, so you can realise your full potential across the entire digital landscape.
In conclusion, growing your brand online in 2024 requires a combination of strategic planning, innovative thinking, and a commitment to learning new ways of doing things.
At Dream Config, we're here to support you every step of the way. Whether it's optimising for search engines, harnessing the power of websites, or embracing the latest web design trends we're committed to turning your 2024 dreams into a digital reality.
