By now, it’s clear how important it is for small businesses to digitize.
Over the past two years, it’s been proven that the companies that have been able to adapt to the changing digital landscape and consumer behaviors are the ones that have survived and started to thrive.
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to start digitizing your business. There are many solutions and a lack of clarity on which ones are best. That continues to be an ongoing challenge for business owners, especially first-time entrepreneurs. We’ve put together some tips that will simplify the digitizing process so you can focus on what really matters: growing your business. Check out these three tips to learn more.
1. Be where your customers are
This may seem like an obvious tip, but reevaluating where your audience and potential customers are is a great way to digitize and expand your business. For example, by 2040, Nasdaq predicts that 95% of purchases will be made online. But this doesn’t just mean making a website and selling through it – although that’s definitely important. This means understanding, for example, if your customers are present on social media and which platforms. Creating some ideal customer personas is an excellent place to start understanding where your digital opportunities are and how you can make the most of them.
2. Refocus on cybersecurity
With more traffic and money flowing online, cyberrisk for small businesses has never been higher. For example, there has been a 424% increase in new small business cyber breaches over the last year. Build a robust cybersecurity plan to ensure your data and customers’ data stay safe and that your path to digitization and success is unimpeded.
3. Integrate software to save time
As businesses grow, there is a natural tendency to sign up for more and more business apps. You start with an email and accounting package, then add a CRM, and soon you find yourself adding payroll and marketing apps. If you are like most, before you know it, you end up with 20+ different browser tabs pinned to the favorites that you check daily for updates – none of which connect to each other.
Finding a way for your different applications “talk” and “work” together can make your business function more smoothly. One such solution is the Markaaz Dashboard. The Dashboard allows business owners to see company insights, securely store, organize, and send key business documents, explore business resources at a discount, receive proactive alerts of what needs attention, and so much more in one place.
The bottom line
Digitizing your small business effectively can make a big difference in your success. Understanding where new customers are, securing your data, and getting a bird’s-eye view of your business operations are all great places to start your digitization journey.
Markaaz is dedicated to making 2022 the year of small businesses, so stay tuned for more tips and tools and build your Dashboard today.