With so much of our time spent online nowadays, any small business that neglects to take advantage of the variety of digital tools available is losing money before they even make it. If you ever want to grow to compete with established businesses, then investing in the best digital tools for small businesses is crucial.
These tools make your life easier as well as your client’s and customer’s lives, too. They streamline processes, make everything easily accessible, and create a business operation that is more comfortable than what they are used to. So where are the key areas you need to focus on?
Never Miss a Phone Call
A small business often does not have the personpower to handle the potential for vast and sometimes long phone calls coming in from clients, customers, investors, and curious people who have stumbled on your website. This can lead to lost business and customer frustration, and some frustration for you, too. However, with tools such as the Virtual HQ, you never need to miss a phone call again.
Through this service, anyone who needs to get in touch with you can do just that, and instead of them hanging up angrily following the endless ringing of the phone, they can leave a message that’s sent directly to you, so you know who called, when they called, and most importantly why. From here, you can get back in touch with them and increase business and customer satisfaction.
Always Up and Running
Another significant problem small businesses encounter is the upkeep of their digital systems. This upkeep involves everything from servers to cybersecurity to ensuring the correct information is logged into the database without any mistakes.
Managed IT services are the solution to this. These services monitor your servers and act as soon as they recognise something is not quite right, and they are also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Through this, you never enter the office on Monday morning faced with catastrophe and can carry on your operations just as usual.
Targeting the Right People
You might already have a marketing system in place, and you might also have a small department of employees who are tirelessly pouring over this marketing data. This takes a long time, though, and the time could be better spent working on fresh and creative marketing ideas.
Wouldn’t it be superb, then, if there was an analytical software that could show you who accesses your site, how long they stay there, where they came from, and if they ever come back? There is. Google Ads is a spectacular service that is relatively easy to use and can also help you determine which areas of your marketing strategy you need to adapt. From here, you can adjust campaigns and target different customers in unique ways to increase conversion.
Spread the Word
Along with Google Ads, you can use services such as Mailchimp to spread the word about deals, discounts, or simple regular news regarding your business or industry. When it comes to marketing MailChimp is one of the best digital tools for small businesses. By creating a segmented mailing list, you can tailor your emails to appeal to the variety of customers you have to encourage them to use your service again and also pass on the message to friends.
You don’t need to bombard them with emails daily, but a steady stream of content will keep them engaged and ensure they don’t forget about you. This helps retain customers without them feeling like you are spamming them and, in fact, offer them the best deals around.
Creative Content
If you are going to share original content with those on your mailing list or anyone who visits your website, it needs to be high-quality, error-free, and valuable. There’s no point in spouting a bunch of blog posts covering old news that’s full of spelling mistakes and glaring grammar mishaps, so a grammar checker is crucial, even if you outsource to a team of creative copywriters.
Options include Grammarly and Pro Writing Aid, which can catch a variety of errors (unlike spell check) and help your writers improve their content to make it engaging and enjoyable. The basic services are free, but it’s absolutely worth it to purchase a Premium subscription.
Growth in the New Year?
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to remain as a small business. However, you want to make sure you are not neglecting to embrace and utilise the finest and most effective tools at your disposal. Discovering the best digital tools for small businesses can be trial and error, but these five are a great place to start. They’re easy to use and will make your life easier and reaching out to your customers simpler.
“Starting small doesn’t mean thinking small.”
Marie Forleo
The Fabulous Times
