Digital Tools Every New Business Must Have
Today’s small businesses rely heavily on digital tools. From collaborating internally to protecting their assets to communicating with customers, entrepreneurs must realize that there is a digital platform for every single task on their plate. The plethora of digital marketing tools can help even the busiest small business owners manage their schedules and maximize their time.
Digital marketing tools help small businesses become more organized, manage their finances, support customer service and even win new business. In reality, the businesses that choose not to embrace technology will likely be left in the dust. Deloitte research says that digitally advanced businesses earn more revenue per employee and are more likely to produce jobs, yet four out of five small businesses in the United States will fail to take advantage of the digital tools at their fingertips.
Startups can gain an immediate advantage over their competitors if they start strong with the help of some of these digital tools.
Website building
It’s not an option to have a website – it’s as valuable as the front door is to a brick-and-mortar building. A website shows that you are a legitimate business and is an avenue to convey news and other information to your customers.
If you aren’t tech-savvy, you can utilize a website builder such as SquareSpace to help you create a mobile-optimized website.
Website performance monitoring
It doesn’t matter how you choose to build your website, but once it’s built, you need to know how visitors are using it, or if they aren’t using it When you know this information, you can make adjustments and guide your visitors to make alternative decisions. A tool like Google Analytics or Chartbeat will allow you to track what visitors do on your site. Once you know if they are bouncing, which means immediately leaving your site, and what pages they are clicking on, you can make changes as needed to boost performance.
Email marketing
Keep in mind that email newsletters act as a digital marketing tool that encourages engagement. You can turn to a platform such as Constant Contact or MailChimp to design and send your newsletters and examine the results. Review who opened the emails and see which links they clicked on, so you can figure out who may be interested in follow up to learn more about your business. Once you learn how to use email marketing to build relationships with your customers and build engagement and loyalty, you will see that email marketing is an excellent way to generate more sales.
Virtual private network
The unfortunate truth is that cyber attacks often happen to small businesses, which is why you need to take the necessary precautions to safeguard your business from hackers, phishers and other cybercriminals. Make sure to have an extremely reliable VPN provider like Private Internet Access to ensure you have a secure network connection. This is important even if you are using a public network, like the WiFi at a local coffee shop.
If you anticipate you’ll work from public places and gather sensitive data, a VPN is an effective and reasonably priced way to protect your business.
Keyword research tools
If you are just diving into the content marketing arena and trying to learn how your business can compose interesting posts that rank on Google search, a keyword research tool will prove to be a must. Ahrefs is a tool that allows you to learn more about industry related search terms. Use this information to write blog posts around these terms so your traffic will grow. HubSpot found that marketers who focus on blogging are 13 times more likely to see positive return on investment.
A new business that fails to embrace digital tools to simplify tasks, improve operations and connect users will likely fall behind its competition. Start your business on the right foot by having an open mind and exploring these digital terms from the get-go – this will make it easier to find opportunities for growth, integration and success down the road.