The Importance of CRM for Small and Medium Businesses in 2020

The small and medium sized businesses have seen a whole new lease of life in the past decade or so, thanks to the growth of all things digital. When you put your business on the digital map, you do not need as many resources in order to make yourself heard and seen. You can actually reach out to a multiple audience at one time with amplification of your reach thanks to tools and techniques like SEO, email marketing, social media as well as CRM software and much more.

Yet, at the same time, there is also stiff competition that faces the small and medium sized businesses since it is easy to catch the attention of your ideal customer, and just as easy to lose the attention to other businesses that may be doing the same thing very well too. This is where differentiators step in, regarding the way you position yourself online. Let us cast a glance at what these differentiators are, and how they can set you apart to hold the attention of your ideal customer:

• Content: Before we look at anything else, we need to consider the fact that content truly is king. This is the biggest differentiator that can set you apart and make you blend in as well. The more unique your content is, the higher the chances of brand recall will become in the chaotic world of all things digital. In fact, investing in good content and an even better content writer is what is sure to get you to rise above the competition and become a part of the elite list in your niche. Content is what will power your CRM software as well as the other efforts including SEO and social media among various other things.

• Automation: This is a key feature that will help you engage with your audience by taking care of repetitive and time-consuming tasks. With the explosion of resources, many businesses have also realized that they are short on time when it comes to creating relevant and engaging narratives, interactions, and content that go towards closing the gaps between the sales pipeline and the final conversion. Sales enablement platforms like Pitcher automate tasks for your sales reps, which reduces distractions and overall complexity thanks to less administrative work. Thus, allowing sales reps to concentrate on closing sales. Automation refers to the scheduling of posts, emails, and the management of contacts and leads. This includes your small business CRM among other things.

• SEO: SEO or search engine optimization is a necessary function that can also be included in the CRM for small businesses. This is one of the main functions that makes your content and your presence even more efficient so that you can reach higher rankings and bring in the leads that you can nurture. With SEO, you get to insert keywords, backlinks and a number of other tools that can send out positive signals that would help you build your audience as well.

• Lead Management: One of the most important things that should come out of your digital effort is the lead management aspect which includes the journey from lead generation to lead nurturing and finally, conversions. This is also known as the sales pipeline that a team would follow. Lead generation and lead nurturing includes a number of tasks that will require CRM for small businesses since many of these tasks need to be automated in order for your team to be able to function properly and fulfill these functions towards successful sales closure.

These are just a few of the elements included in the digital gamut that your small or medium business would need to follow. As you can see in the above discussion, the word CRM or customer relationship management has come up several times. This points at the fact that CRM software is one of the most important things to consider when you are looking to make a success out of your small and medium sized business in the online world. Here are the things that make CRM for small businesses important, especially in the year 2020:

1. Optimization: When you bring in small business CRM systems, you will manage to optimize your efforts since the same functions will be repeated enough number of times to send out a consistent roster of signals on a regular basis when it comes to appeasing your customers and leads alike. This culture of optimization can spread to your website, your landing pages, your blog, your social media pages and a number of other platforms where you and your brand may exist. It is important to consider all these aspects with great care when you choose a platform for your CRM and other related needs.
2. Customer Experience: This is one of the most important things when you are looking to create automation with the CRM software that you choose for your small and medium sized business. With an amplification of signals and reach online, you will also reach a stage where there will be amplification of interactions as well. Therefore, it is important to maintain records of all interactions as well as the contact information so that further interactions like notifications and emails can be automated and your team can then focus on the other aspects and tasks within the sales pipeline.
3. Leverage Data: We are in the age of big data and it is crucial for us to make good use of all this data. Yet, without an automated system like CRM, this would be virtually impossible. With the right CRM software for small and medium sized businesses, you will be able to filter and use all the information properly for your social media campaigns as well as your email marketing efforts. Hence, it is all the more important to make use of automation that comes in the form of the CRM software that you choose to make use of in your business growth journey.