The last 10 years has brought about many changes in the world of technology. Now more than 40% of the world’s population has access to the internet which has meant that 90% of the world’s data has been generated within the past two years alone.
In this guide, we are going to explore the various ways in which technology can help to grow your business.
Efficient and effective marketing
Advances in technology have had a significant impact on the way marketing is approached and delivered. It has even resulted in the creation of new jobs such as digital marketers and SEO specialists. These individuals are responsible for applying technology to marketing in order to take a business online. One of the reasons businesses are using technology for marketing is due to the automation that it offers.
Platforms such as Mailchimp make it easy for a business owner to set-up email campaigns that are automatically triggered when an event occurs. This way the business owner doesn’t have to worry about sending a ‘thank you’ email every time a customer makes an order (As an example). This process is straightforward but it will save the business owner a lot of time which they can spend more wisely, focusing on the growth of their business.
Alternatively, they might have hired an in-house marketer to take care of all their marketing. If this is the case, learning how to implement automated processes will help the business operate more efficiently to cut costs and improve growth. Once again, this individual’s time might be better spent on other tasks so it’s important to make sure you are operating efficiently.
Not only will technology make your marketing more efficient, it will also be more effective. Software such as Mailchimp makes it possible to use behavioural marketing. That way, your customers will receive automatic updates when they carry out certain actions. Taking this approach to your marketing will improve the relevancy and this is guaranteed to be more effective when communicating with customers.
Keep the business running 24/7
As a business owner, I am sure that you will be pressed for time when running the day-to-day operations of your business, but there’s only 24 hours in a day and you can only cover so much. New technology has enabled business owners to automate their processes, including customer service through chat bots.
Chat bots are a great way to provide answers to frequently asked questions and they never sleep so you can continue to serve your customers 24 hours around the clock. If you’re worried about how you will create a chat bot, then you shouldn’t because it’s actually quite simple. To get started, I would recommend using ManyChat which integrates with Facebook and your Website. They also have a wide range of free guides to help you create your first chat bot.
Keeping the business operational 24 hours per day will improve the customer experience and you are more likely to gain and retain customers.
Expand your reach globally
Innovation of infrastructure and transport has enabled us to deliver goods globally for many years now and there’s no reason why businesses can’t access international markets now that the internet has taken significant steps forward.
If you haven’t already, you need to set-up a website for your business. Having a website in place will allow your business to be seen globally and you will also be able to take transactions online. Optimising the site with SEO best practices will also benefit the business as Google will display your site in different countries.
As a business seeking to penetrate international markets, you can also take advantage of social media marketing. Facebook has over 2 billion active users on the platform which is great for you as a business exploring overseas markets as you can rest assured that your target audience will be using the platform. Social media is a fantastic way to communicate with customers who are on the other side of the world and you should be experimenting as it comes at a little cost to your marketing budget. For Facebook advertising, you can get started with only £5.00 per day which will help you to understand if your product / marketing is suitable in a different country.
For businesses looking to expand into global markets, its important to explore the technology that is available because this will help you to access those markets with lower barriers to entry.
If you are looking for digital transformation solutions or support around growing your business, please contact one of our team who will be more than happy to discuss the options open to you.