Digitizing your small business

At present there is no where people can escape from the digital revolution, not just in the business world, but in society as a whole. The emphasis is enormous, and shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. The vast majority of business owners and entrepreneurs have to make sure that they are on board with this revolution. This varies from an individual with an idea who is yet to make their mark in the business world, or a business owner hoping to bring their product to market.

Times are changing and many are learning that they need to adapt, and fast! Your online presence speaks volumes. More and more money is being investing in an average SME’s digital strategy, and this fairly reflects the need for effective branding and increasing usability for clients and potential clients. Below you’ll find a series of ideas and aspects that we suspect here are fully beneficial to developing a business.

Invest in the right domain name

There are now masses of options available to choose from, and it’s imperative to select something which ties in with your brand and is applicable for the industry. This is likely not the top priority of every company; but if this is done correctly then a small investment will improve and simplify the process of the right customers be found. A company’s domain is one of the loudest forms of output of the companies branding; with it being about the first aspect of the business a customer will come into contact with.

Using the right tools to develop

There are various free tools that are available for users to develop their website, and typically small businesses in their infancy do not necessary have the capital available to invest. These services should always be researched, an example being WordPress. There may well come a point where this will need to be upgraded from free platforms, but this will give you time to find the ideal solution to help take the business forward.

Quality not quantity with content

A common issue for many small businesses is not having clear vision and branding guidelines when it comes to communicating to their target audience. Using website analytics is a great way of understanding exactly what content is effective and what users are specifically interested in. This can pinpoint where areas may need to be improved, and where it’s best to invest time and resource into developing.

Creating content is of course massively important, but often this is overdone and the value of what is being published can lose value. There needs to be a balance, with the engagement levels being particularly important. It should also be asked too, is your content easily accessible on other devices, and also is it user friendly on a mobile phone?

SEO – How visible are you?

In terms of content, you may think that everything is aligned up and ready to grow the business. However there needs to be visibility, and your website and other forms of communication has to connect the customer to the business effectively. Competition is always fierce, so any doubts and hesitations from a customer searching the business; and they can end up losing visibility and find a competitor instead.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a top digital marketing tool for many industries. This should be researched and considered, as there is much potential involved if conducted correctly.

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This post was written by Chris Beck