When you run a small business, you know all too well that money is typically tight, potentially limiting your company’s reach when it comes to video conferencing, webinars and other ways of communicating.
Whether that is due to having to follow a strict budget or dealing with limited resources to promote your business, the dollars have to be watched carefully.
With that in mind, how can you then make sure that consumers are truly hearing about all you have to offer? Just as importantly, how can your employees’ best utilize their time to not only provide customer support, but also make sure your brand is getting optimum exposure?
One of the ways to best go about keeping your small business in the loop with customers is putting technology to work for you.
While some small businesses are masters at using technology, others are unfortunately quite inept at it. For those companies in the latter group, there are missed opportunities and unfortunately less revenue streaming in.
So, how can you put technology to work for your business?
Technology Needs for Your Business
With technology so important for thousands of businesses these days, make sure your brand is not selling itself short.
Among some of the technology features you should be offering would include video conferencing and webinars for your business:
- Video conferencing – With many small businesses on tight budgets, having employees meet up (especially if you have multiple offices) for important get-togethers can prove difficult. For example, what do you do if your company’s corporate headquarters are in Boston, yet you want your Los Angeles team and those staff members telecommuting nationwide in on an important meeting? Flying everyone in a couple of times a year is not only time-consuming; it will add countless dollars to what may already be a tight budget. One of the solutions is setting up video conferencing. Although some companies may opt to forgo the video portion, many others know how valuable being able to see other employees is. If you’re worried that video conferencing can get expensive, take note that there are plenty of vendors out there with good deals on such technology;
- Webinars – One of the great things in using webinars as a marketing option is that they can be posted to the Internet and left there for an endless amount of time. In doing so, you give not only your employees, but customers the opportunity to partake in them, especially if they missed the live version. When it comes to customers (current and potential ones), you can use webinars to alert them to any major announcements involving new products or services your small business is planning to unveil. Webinars are also useful in that you can discuss the current and upcoming trends in your respective industry. Once again, your business looks to be a leader in what you do in the eyes of customers. Just as with your video conferencing efforts mentioned a moment ago, be sure your webinars run smoothly. The last thing you want is a number of technical glitches that make your efforts look sloppy at best.
Don’t Neglect Other Tech Options
While video conferencing and webinars can and should be utilized by your small business, there are many other tech options on the table for you.
In the event you do not have a business app, you may very well be the last business on your block to be without one.
Having a business app in today’s digital age is quite frankly a necessity.
Given how mobile millions of consumers are these days, you can’t simply sit back and watch your competitors have the technology all to themselves.
Most notably, a mobile business app allows you instantaneous and constant communication with customers. As such, you can provide them with digital coupons, alerts to unveiling dates for new products and services, and even Ecommerce transactions. Simply put, your business is living in the Dark Ages if an app is not either already in place or on your radar screen.
When it comes to video conferencing, webinars and mobile apps, these are but three of the technology options your small business should be regularly using and enhancing.
If technology and your small business have been strangers to one another up to now, change that moving forward.
There are myriad of tech service providers and their partners out there just waiting to get you up to speed in today’s digital age.
About the Author: Dave Thomas covers small business topics on the web.