Small businesses have always played a vital role in economic growth because they are known for creating more jobs than their larger counterparts as SBA reports. But even though small businesses have seen an immense growth due to the introduction of the internet, it is quite difficult to properly market themselves. A report by the National Small Business Association states that a decrease in consumer spending, economic uncertainty, and cost of health insurance benefits are the reasons behind the failure of a business. That is where this article comes in. And I have taken the liberty of listing 18 small business trends that can help them do just that.

In 2017, expect artificial intelligence to become a reality in B2B marketing. Artificial intelligence involves the use of computer systems to perform all kinds of daily tasks that have traditionally required human intelligence. Some of its capabilities include decision-making, visual perception, speech recognition, and language translation. While artificial intelligence has been a staple in science-fiction movies, experts predict that artificial intelligence is about to come to life and have a major impact on the marketing efforts of B2B businesses over the next five years. Yet, too many B2B marketers admit that they are unwise to the ways of artificial intelligence and lack a strong understanding of the advanced technology.