5 compelling reasons your small business should digitise
One of the first and most important things for a business, whatever its size, is to have an online presence. This is not only a website but everything that comes with it.
A vast majority of businesses are online and because we regularly search the Internet for information, your business needs to be present to be found!
According to digital skills charity Go ON UK, only half of small businesses have a website. Those who don’t could put off potential customers, resulting in a loss of business as they give up and look elsewhere.
Setting up a storefront online is important for small businesses, as they compete against bigger ones. They don’t have the same status, so need to do everything they can to keep up, allowing them to eventually get ahead. Digitising your business is a simple but extremely efficient way to do this.
So, here are five reasons you need to go digital, to keep up with the fast-paced and ever-growing world of business:
Accessibility
A website will offer easily accessible information to everyone outside of business hours. Your phones may only be operated 9-5 Monday to Friday but access to the Internet is available 24/7. Not only could this be general information such as contact details, prices and services offered, but it could also include testimonials, online forms and more!
Alongside this, social media such as Twitter, Facebook and You Tube, are all opportunities to engage with current and potential customers. As well as getting your information out to a wider audience, helping to humanise your brand, grow trust and understanding.
It is easy and won’t break the bank!
The Internet provides access to all kinds of people across the world, and most of it doesn’t have to cost a penny. Websites can be set up for very little, a blog can be created for free on sites such as Wordpress, as can social media profiles on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
Many people use these online platforms outside of work so at a basic level they are very easy to get started with. Then, as your business progresses, you already have an online presence you can start to use on a more technical level.
Data to drive you forward
Through digitisation companies can gain access to all kinds of data and information they would have otherwise had no way of knowing. This information can then be used to grow and improve your business, allowing you to target the right information at the right people.
Can link with offline advertising
Any form of offline advertising can be linked back to your online advertising. For example, business cards can include the link to your website, blog and social media pages. This way people won’t forget it and can take a look at their own convenience.
Internal management
Digitisation of your business will also allow for a more organised company. You could, for example, use a service such as Kelly’s Document Scanning that allows you to create electronic versions of your documents. These are then available for instant access anywhere in the world 24/7 and you can throw out those filing cabinets.
It is so important for small businesses to ‘Do More Online’ that last year the Government actually launched a support campaign using that very name, to help them. This included £2 million of funding to 22 projects, through Local Enterprise Partnerships, to help small businesses increase their digital presence.
So what are you waiting for? Get your small business online today and watch it grow into a large one!