Building a small business from scratch is tough no matter which way you look at it. That being said never has there been more immediately available resources for small business owners than are available today. Technology has finally allowed smaller businesses to compete with larger entities as the more and more individuals are connected through less traditional means. With that in mind here are 5 tips to use technology to jettison your business into the 21’st century:
- Social Media
For Pete’s sake USE IT. Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, these programs are all free and absolutely invaluable for any business looking to increase communication with their customer base (which should be every business.) The primary focus of any social media campaign, big or small, should be generating content that other users want to share, these outlets SHOULD NOT be used for advertising alone. A Twitter or Facebook feed filled with nothing but advertisements for products and services is a boring feed, and one that will most likely see little to no community involvement. So get creative and remember to actively interact! Otherwise what’s the point?
- Cloud Storage
When is the last time that you pulled out a physical file or spreadsheet to reference? Chances are it’s been awhile. Why then do businesses continue to insist on wasting time and space by keeping physical records? Put everything in the cloud! Besides the saved physical space, cloud storage also allows for a contingency in the unlikely but possible scenario involving catastrophic loss of data. Saving information to either Google or Apple’s cloud storage takes little to no time at all and can save you massive headaches in the long run.
- Conferencing Software
Intercompany communication is integral to the success of any new business, small or large. Owners and managers need to be able to effectively communicate company goals and interests to their team, traditionally this was accomplished through time costly staff meetings but with the amount of affordable conferencing software available at the click of a mouse these time wasters are becoming less and less necessary. So hit up google download one of the many free or affordable conferencing software programs and get down to business. But please people, keep your coworkers in mind, don’t be one of these guys.
- Remove Any Costly POS System
If your business deals in the type of commerce that handles physical transactions at your location the necessity of an expensive POS (Point Of Sale) system is a thing of the past. Programs such as Square have allowed business owners to handle transactions through simple smartphones or tablets. This removes another obstacle separating the business owner from the consumer allowing for more choice and freedom for both parties involved.
- Use Inexpensive Web Tools in Place of More Costly Programs
Often a large expense for small businesses has been expensive office and reporting programs such as accounting and management office software. Thankfully the internet has allowed for cheaper but still similarly effective programs to take off and hold up surprisingly well against their more costly counterparts. Programs such as Freshbooks offers accounting and invoicing services for a fraction of the cost of similarly advertised, and previously more widely used programs.