Are you interested in seeing how technology could make your business grow but unsure whether it’s worth taking the plunge? While it’s true you need to budget carefully for some options, with the way things are changing in the business world, those who don’t embrace technology will soon be left behind. Here are some tech-oriented investments that you can’t afford to overlook.
Boost your presence
Competition in business is fierce, and these days, it’s no longer enough to simply have a presence on the web. If you want to see your small business grow and succeed, some experts feel a high-quality website is a must-have. Websites should be informative, flexible, and offer testimonials to demonstrate your trustworthiness to customers and prospective customers.
If your website could use some sprucing up, or if you have yet to invest in a website, it’s prime time. Consider hiring a PHP developer to bring things up to speed. PHP is basically a language used behind-the-scenes to build websites on platforms such as WordPress. An adept developer can not only build a flexible, powerful website for you, they can set it up in a way you can make changes to it yourself.
For many small business owners, computer coding, design, and terminology is outside their comfort zone, and finding the right developer can be daunting. Be aware freelance web developer skills and abilities come in all shapes and sizes, as do their fees. Do some exploring to find someone whose knowledge and pricing fit your budget. Upwork provides some criteria to help you with your search and notes PHP developers should be proficient in frameworks like Laravel and Zend and database technologies like MySQL and Oracle, and be fully-versed in web fundamentals JavaScript, HTML and CSS. You also want a candidate who comes highly recommended and has a portfolio to back up their experience.
Stay in their scroll
Chances are the vast majority of your customers are using social media. In fact, Entrepreneur notes by the year 2021, some studies indicate a third of the world’s population will be using social media.
With so many potential customers surfing social media, why not take that connection and use it to build your brand? For instance, you can use posts to funnel traffic back to your website through contests and giveaways. Sharing videos and live events can keep your audience engaged, and the more you give them to share, the more your customer base grows. Icing on the cake, the more you engage, the more your brand stays in their newsfeed.
You might be thinking, “Hey! I have a business to run – I can’t sit on social media all day!” Small Business Trends explains there are social media tools aplenty to help you automate the bulk of the work. From crossposting on various channels to managing marketing campaigns to streamlining your responses to customers, you can lighten the social media workload by investing in well-chosen tech.
Become a familiar face
Creating content that engages your customers can keep them coming back for more, both on your website and on social media. While many small business owners might feel taking a starring role is both unnecessary and uncomfortable, HubSpot points out there is a bit of psychology showing that it not only can work, it can be ideal.
When creating videos, tell your story in a way that gives people warm fuzzies, be transparent so they know they can believe what you’re telling them, and be sure to start off with a bang, since viewers often tune out if you don’t catch their interest in the first few seconds.
Quality videos require investing some time, money, and creativity, but it can be worth it to have content your customers love. By becoming a familiar face, you can keep your viewers interested, faithful, and spreading the word about what you offer. Vlogging, webinars, and live feed on social media are just a few avenues that can stem from your recordings.
Tech-oriented investments hold ample promise for small businesses. Consider improving your website, engaging through social media, and creating terrific videos that let customers get to know you. These simple investments can help your small business bloom.