Technology has transformed the way small businesses operate, and making full use of the tools that are available can mean all the difference between success and failure in the competitive business environment of today.
Here are four tools that every small business owner should make full use of to transform how they do business.
Video
Video has been proven to increase conversions, enhance customer trust, add personality to a brand, and educate consumers about your products and services.
In addition, the use of video on your website can appeal to the Google search algorithms and significantly improve your chances of ranking well for a given keyword or phrase. Using a video in your local Google or Google Maps listing can also provide a huge boost to your online presence.
Social media
More and more small businesses are turning to digital marketing via social media sites to attract new customers. In addition, social media provides you with an opportunity to communicate directly with your clients and establish a solid relationship that enhances customer loyalty.
In more recent times, customers have started to demonstrate a propensity to use social media platforms to get in touch with businesses as a means of getting a response to their customer service issues.
As such, if you do establish a social media presence, you should ensure that it is monitored on a regular basis so that any customer queries do not go unanswered.
Online payment services
More and more customers are using their mobile phones to conduct online transactions. To tap into this potential, you need to ensure that you give customers an opportunity to use various payment mechanisms and channels.
More payment choices equal more sales. Electronic payments are particularly important, so make sure you make provisions for this payment channel in the future.
Email marketing
Email marketing can be hugely successful if you regularly communicate meaningful information with your customer base.
You can use well-written emails to establish your credibility, keep customers informed about developments to your products or services, and to maintain ongoing discourse with your potential and existing customers.
Running a small business has never been an easy task. Small business owners wear many hats and invest long hours in keeping everything up and running and profitable. Making use of the technologies that are out there can help to enhance your productivity, find new customers, improve your relationships with your existing customers, and make your operational processes more efficient.