How to harness technology to grow your small business
December 16, 2020 10:06 am Leave your thoughts
With a wide array of technology available to organizations both large and small, it can feel daunting when it comes to identifying which tools will help your business grow versus those that will drain your time and money in the long run. However, Deloitte has found that small businesses that take advantage of the increasingly advanced — and affordable — technology available to them experienced almost four times the growth over previous years.
Rather than spending resources on services that may not be relevant to your business, the following marketing technology can be useful in achieving both your long and short-term objectives as a business owner, no matter the size of your organization.
Online reviews and word-of-mouth marketing
Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools in the modern business owner's arsenal, as 89% of online shoppers surveyed by TrustPilot consider a product's reviews to be an important factor in their purchasing decision, according to Oberlo. While positive reviews can be used to sway the opinions of customers you may never meet, negative ones can present an even greater opportunity. Not only can you utilize these posts to identify gaps in your service or ways to improve existing products, but it also allows you to have a chance to capture a customer who would otherwise be lost.
Rather than making an excuse for a customer's bad experience, take the time to not only apologize, but also try to identify a way to correct the situation to repair the relationship between this customer and your business. Taking the time to claim your company's page on sites such as Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google not only allows you to engage with your customers directly, but can also give you powerful insights into your consumers' demographics and purchasing behaviors.
Be proactive and encourage your brand advocates, customers who have routinely visited and enjoyed working with your business, to leave reviews, as ReviewTrackers found customers who have a bad experience are 21% more likely to leave a review than those who have a positive one, turning away other potential customers
Localized and targeted advertising
Facebook continues to be one of the leading channels when it comes to connecting with customers — BroadbrandSearch states that Americans spend, on average, nearly an hour each day on the site. In recent years, Facebook and Instagram have begun to offer increasingly targeted advertising services to small businesses, including those based on consumer demographics such as gender, age and even geographic proximity. Imagine your ideal customer and utilize the data you have likely already collected through your existing business operations to build the profile of a consumer who is most likely to enjoy your products.
This powerful information can not only help you to craft the right message in your business's next ad, but by targeting based on consumer profiles, you can ensure that message is delivered to the right customer too.
Search Engine Optimization
One of the most affordable and effective techniques for businesses that already have an online presence is to refresh their website and older content with a new focus on SEO, or search engine optimization.
Search engines such as Google can drive traffic to your website by directing users who have a relevant search query to your website. To lead these users to you, it's crucial to identify your audience and what topics your potential customers may be searching for to utilize the right keywords. Pulling from consumer data gathered on your own or by gauging the success of targeted ads can help to guide this process, and you can also measure fluctuations in your site's traffic and lead conversion as you experiment with varying topics and keywords.
As you consider your business objectives into the new year and beyond, identifying news ways to employ tools such as word-of-mouth marketing, targeted ads and search engine optimization can help you grow your organization and better serve your current and future customers. In need of further advice as a small-business owner? The Law Offices of Donald W. Hudspeth, P.C. assists businesses with corporate matters and various other types of legal concerns. Call 866-696-2033 or contact the firm online to make an appointment.
Categorised in: Starting a Business in Arizona
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