Technology has changed both the face and the pace of small businesses over the last several years. The proper use of technology can keep small businesses connected to their customers and improve communication within the company, streamlining operations such as marketing and managing a team. If you aren’t sure how technology can help your small business, take a look at these 7 tips so you can better your business starting now.
Credit Management.
If you have poor credit, you aren’t doomed. It is never too late to find ways to build strong business credit. It’s smart to use a credit-monitoring service to monitor your credit to ensure you don’t lose money to fraudulent activity. Make sure to open your credit statements as soon as they come in the mail and review the statement carefully. Most small business owners aren’t accountants and often fail to realize how important managing business credit is to the success of their business.
Social media and blogging.
Social media sites are the perfect place to showcase your business, products and services. It’s also the place where brands and customers can have meaningful conversations and build a real relationship, which leads to customer loyalty.
Blogging is the ideal way to speak to and engage with your target audience. It gives you the unique opportunity to inject your personality into your blog posts and provide valuable insight to prove yourself as a thought leader in your industry. These actions will help your business acquire more customers.
Customer service.
More customers than ever are turning to social media to get their customers service requests answered. Make sure someone checks your accounts regularly – your consumers expect you to be able to help them promptly when they have questions or problems related to your products or services. Remember that today, customer service is more important than pricing. Customer service needs to be at the heart of your business model if you want to be successful.
Invoicing software.
Track time, request online payments, and create recurring invoices with invoicing software. Save yourself time and effort and ensure invoicing is done correctly every single time. Nothing looks as unprofessional as bad invoicing – and it’s essential to come across as a professional at every touchpoint so you don’t lose your customers.
Online payment services.
It was reported that 66 percent of mobile users carried out at least one form of transaction in 2015. By giving customers the choice to pay in a way other than cash, check and credit card, you can capture more sales. Electronic payments can make the process of getting paid convenient for both the small business owner and the customer. This form is payment is one that will be big in the future due to the convenience and security of the method.
Email marketing.
Email marketing is a great way to send people the content that they want. You can use email marketing to build credibility and strengthen relationships – people prefer to do business with those they like, know and trust. Email marketing is also a great way to get in touch with people on any device – something that is crucial now that more than half of all emails are being opened on a mobile device.
Video.
Video humanizes your brand and builds trust. There are countless tips to use video for your business if you aren’t sure where to begin. Video boosts conversions and sales and shows great return on investment. Plus, Google loves videos – your business is 53 times more likely to show up first in Google if you have a video embedded on your website.
Running a small business is no easy feat – it’s often you and a few trusted members of your team working diligently around the clock. Turn to technology to help you build your business, take better care of your customers and streamline your operations.