5 Ways To Use Technology In Your Small Business

Growing a business is a time-dependent process. Efforts made do not necessarily reflect instantly. As a small business owner, it requires you to stay in touch with fresh ways of doing things. Technology, for instance, can help automate management and marketing functions.

In the long run, such automations allow more space for you to stay creative. Technology use does not stop at that, as you can source talent with its help too. You need to find the solutions that best match your type of business. 

Here are some ways through which you can incorporate technology in your small business.

1. Digital Marketing

Digital marketing provides the opportunity to reach out to a wide pool of customers. With increasing online presence, a business can easily reach out to multitudes. You can leverage social media, have a website, or make use of agencies to accomplish your goals.

Digital marketing works for all kinds of businesses. You just need to group your customers into personas and tailor information accordingly. 

Say, for instance, you want to send out newsletters as part of your email marketing strategy. Sending out customized versions to various groups would have a higher impact. A general newsletter is easier to send out but lacks the all-important personal touch.

There are various forms of digital marketing and new ones come up often. Here are some brief explanations to some common ones.

• Search engine optimization (SEO): It is the process of optimizing websites to rank on search engines. The higher a page ranks, the higher the number of organic traffic driven to that site. 

• Pay Per Click (PPC): This is a paid method of increasing website traffic. Each time people click on your ad, you pay a fee to the ad hosting company. Examples include Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and sponsored messages on LinkedIn among others.

• Marketing automation: Involves software that automates repetitive marketing tasks. Such tasks include email newsletters, campaign tracking and reporting plus social media post scheduling.

• Online PR: Borrowing from traditional PR, online PR seeks to place your small business strategically online. It is accomplished through comments on posts, web reviews, and reaching out to online reporters.

• Sponsored content: One well-known form of this is influencer marketing. Whereby, you get an authority in a certain field to promote your work.

2. Remote Work

Nowadays, it is quite easy for businesses to source for talent. You can easily get professionals in various fields - all at a fraction of the time and cost spent in the past. As an added advantage, your business need not have a traditional office set up. Save for storage and logistics where needed.

There are plenty of companies that ease the process of setting remote work environments. Right from hiring all the way to communication and time management. Software is available to help businesses manage teams affordably. 

Should teams ever need to come together, there are co-working spaces sprouting all over.

Conference rooms have now moved online. Software such as Skype, Zoom, and Google meetings allow for remote meetups. Participants can easily make presentations and share documents instantly. Feedback to questions is instant, and professionals can be brought on board within brief notice.

Here are the top advantages of remote work: 

• Most of the work is paperless, which contributes positively to the environment. More online meetings means fewer cars on the roads. This translates to lower carbon emissions, which is good for the environment.

• Workers get to work from the comfort of their homes, which is often their favorite creative space.

• Businesses get to cut the costs previously spent on hiring processes and running offices. Employees can therefore enjoy better pay.

3. VoIP For Your Small Business

If your business will make a lot of international calls, VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol is a solution you need. It also helps if you have remote workers or some of them being constantly in the field. As your sales department grows, you get to understand its importance all the more. 

Business efficiency dictates the amount of profit you make. Thus, making proper management a key ingredient. VoIP adds value into management as it is easy to track and communicate decisions. Most solutions have inbuilt data reporting and analysis tools. This makes it easier for business owners to trail information and decision flow.

Why VoIP?

VoIP cloud solutions are scalable, efficient and flexible - All factors being beneficial for your small business. People are ditching traditional communication methods as internet based communication grows at a fast pace. As of 2015, the number of small businesses using VoIP was past a third and it keeps growing. Here are some reasons:

• Call analysis: VoIP works over a data network, making it easy to record and analyze data. With the system in place, one can record frequency, locations, quality and costs. Leveraging on such information, you can then improve on productivity.

• Multiple extensions: Since VoIP operates virtually, you can route many calls to various people. It also comes with the option of recording messages for response to callers when you are away.

• Multiple contacts: Say one of your customers has many numbers. VoIP allows you to call all of them instantaneously; hence, saving time and getting to reach out to the number in current use.

• Total control: VoIP allows you to control what numbers can call and when. It is like call screening on traditional phones, but at an advanced level.

4. Harnessing The Power of The Cloud

Cloud solutions aid businesses in data storage. Unlike local servers, you are sure your information will always be safe and available. Cloud servers have multiple redundancies that help keep your data safe against any loss. 

Integrating The Cloud

Cloud services offer small businesses the opportunity to integrate services safely across multiple devices. Any data shared is automatically synced across all platforms. This is done under high-grade business security protocols. Thus, saving you cost and time otherwise spent in coming up with such systems locally.

Using The Cloud in Your Small Business

The cloud is all about centralized data storage. That comes with several usages and advantages as expounded below.

• Future growth: The cloud’s scalability aids in projecting growth. You can start small today but increase functionalities at a later date. With a cloud service properly set up, you might even do away with an in-house IT team. Thus, reducing operational costs.

• Information sharing and storage: Sharing information on the cloud is as easy as sending a link. The data shared is also synced and backed up to ensure eternal access.

5. Video Walls For Small Businesses

In case you still hold an offline space, you can make use of technology to display business information. Instead of using traditional banners and posters, video walls are versatile and change-friendly.

Choosing the Right Fit

Because of increasing demand, video walls now come in all sizes and varying designs. They are eye catching, so customers will hardly miss them. The HD display also works well in outdoor settings, making it scalable to larger audiences.

Advantages of Video Walls

• Content manipulation: On the video wall backend, business owners get full control. The software is user-friendly. Hence, you can easily change what is on display. Most even come with the option of presets, which you change at the touch of a button.

• Little maintenance needed: LEDs used in the displays have a lifespan of about 50000hrs. Unlike traditional displays that need constant repair, video walls run smoothly. Maintenance boils down to tasks as simple as wiping dust off the displays. 

• Quality images: Owing the backlit technology, LED and LCD displays have quality images. Even in the presence of sunshine, your customers will still see images clearly.

• Multiple signal sources: Through the video wall controller, one can display from many signal sources. This makes display switching seamless and well coordinated. 

Summary

Running a small business is a learning and exciting venture. Incorporating technology makes it even more fulfilling. Technology use will automate most of the processes, saving time as a result. Other costs involved will be minimized too or scrapped altogether.