Small business owners, perhaps more than others, need to stay abreast of tech news and innovations and continue to integrate relevant strategies into their business models. With many of the recent technological advances, the small business owner can leverage their expertise to leap frog over the competition and maintain a cutting edge. Check out the helpful strategies below to learn more about how you can stay one step ahead of the competition.
TECHNOLOGY IS THE LIFE BLOOD OF SMALL BUSINESS
One way that small business owners can level the playing field is through technology. The tools available for digital marketing and maintaining an online presence can create a strong brand awareness and identity that would have been economically out of reach not too long ago. Most importantly, technology and software advances can vastly improve the customer experience from start to finish. Take the time to conduct a quality review of the buyer’s experience with a keen eye for where improvements may be made.
FOLLOW THE MOST RELEVANT TECH NEWS
Perhaps one of the most exciting tech enhancement for small business owners is the ability to generate strong leads for a reasonable cost level. Direct email campaigns are much more successful when built upon qualified lead data. Another great enhancement is the many improvement modules available to small business owners. Productivity and time management software is another great way to optimize your business model. Use a news aggregator to compile everything that is relevant to you.
DOES YOUR BIZ HAVE PHONE APPS?
As the mobile purchasing phenomenon continues to advance, having an app makes absolute sense. Enabling customers to purchase via mobile devices is essential and mobile apps that facilitate the transaction tend to be much more streamlined and secure. Having a phone app will also elevate your online profile and appeal to early adopters. Apps are the future of e-commerce according to many well-respected small business advisors. Any aspect of your business that is interactive can be app-ified and it makes sense to do so. Allow your customer base to communicate with you in real time and let them know that a high level of responsiveness is an important part of your small business’s buying experience.
JOIN THE APP STORE
Having a presence in the app store will help you to maintain a presence in the digital age that shows that your business is forward thinking and definitely not complacent. The app store is another great way to monitor the online profile of your competitive market and gauge your presence against that of your competitors. If you are seeing that many businesses in your niche market are active in ways that you are not, it is past time to get moving! One of the most important things that you need to ask yourself is if you have an active presence on all social media platforms and are they all fully integrated? Additionally, are using all of the apps that can be helpful to you such as Shopify and other online sales platforms? If you are in a hyper growth phase, have you looked at crowdfunding sources or platforms such as AngelList to secure capital? You can also learn more about small business loans here.
YOUR iPHONE REALLY IS A SMARTPHONE
Utilizing all of the capabilities of your iPhone, especially while on the go, can keep you in touch with everything that you need to know. Many platforms allow you to add new products, make changes to prices, and follow inventory in real time via mobile devices. Big data analytics have proven their usefulness and small business owners that utilize this info will set themselves apart.
Owning a small business can be an exciting venture, and keeping up with all of the latest technology is a great way to stay engaged with your industry. A vibrant company is constantly updating its offerings and bringing the very latest tech enhancements to their clients and customers. Implement these five dynamic ways to stay ahead of the technological curve and you will continue to delight your client base!