What You Should Know About Consumers in 2016

Do you want to know how to better engage with your existing customers and reach new ones in 2016? Here are three consumer trends you should be aware of.

From one CEO to another, I often find that most business owners don’t really know today’s consumers. Finding the right channel to reach your perfect customer can be crucial to the growth of your business. Many industries and businesses still operate the way they did 10, 15 or 20 years ago. It can be important for all business owners, whether they’re running an ice cream parlor or a manufacturing plant, to realize that the way consumers behave is changing dramatically.

Here are the top three consumer behavior trends I would encourage every CEO to plan for in 2016.

Consumers Are Mobile

CEOs should be prepared to meet the needs of the new mobile consumer in 2016. While B2C businesses have already become accustomed to the fact that their customers are mobile, most B2B businesses still believe that consumers only research while at work or on their desktops. Many U.S. adults using smartphones or tablets more than PCs to do research for products or services. That means consumers as a whole are going mobile.

From making internal training materials to educational content for our clients and prospects, video is the new way to communicate to our target audience.

I’ve seen this in my own line of business. Clients want webcam meetings, apps and streamlined communication. I even have clients who want to text instead of going through formal emails!

Consumers Are Social

For 2016, going social is a must, not a choice, if you expect to reach potential customers. Today’s consumers seem to be looking for social proof. As a small-business owner, it can be important to join consumers in this move to social. Businesses have no choice but to adopt social media as another channel of information for consumers.

I must admit that social adoption can be challenging, especially if you’re running a business with limited resources. I know it took me a while to realize I was missing out by not being active on social platforms. Even today, drafting that perfect social strategy can still be a challenge, but we’ve come a long way and can now be at ease knowing that we’re doing a good job trying to reach and engage both current and prospective customers on our social channels.