The number one reason for keeping up with technology is to keep up with your customers – and keep your customers! Businesses, however small, that stubbornly cling on to old-fashioned and even obsolete ways of doing things are destined for extinction. It really is as simple as that!
If customers cannot find you online, you do not exist. Harsh, you say? Having an online presence and being visible online is essential if you want customers to find you.
Most people have smartphones. Let's say they arrive in a new city and need to find a vegetarian restaurant, have their hair cut, or find an auto part. Who are they going to ask?
Correct! They are going to look it up on their phones! And they will find the physical location from a map on their phone too. Search engines, like Google and Bing and Yahoo, have replaced the Yellow Pages. The point is that no one looks at the Yellow Pages anymore. People (i.e., your paying customers) search for and find the information online. You need to be online and visible online to be relevant.
Watch our video: Importance of a Mobile-Friendly Website
The second broad-strokes principle is that digital technology is there to be taken advantage of. Also, in case you have not checked in the last couple of decades, doing things on a computer is really easy these days.
You can set up a business page on Facebook, for example in less than ten minutes. Then, you can do the same on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter (collectively known as "social media"). If you follow readily available instructions, you'll be up and away in no time, and can learn how to synchronize all these accounts.
People say you need a website. Yes, you do! Have you heard of WordPress?
What's stopping you? The important thing is take the first steps. You can always make changes and improvements later by contacting a company specializing in managed IT services.
In this digital age, most people communicate by sharing pieces of information they find on the internet. By setting up your simple WordPress website and social media accounts, you will already have made one giant leap forward for your business.
Ask your (Facebook) friends and relatives to like your business Facebook page, retweet a few posts for you, or share announcements you make on Instagram.
Did you know that you can synchronize files that you have on your PC or laptop across all your devices?
You'll want to do this if you are out of the office often. It'll help you stay in touch - and field calls and respond to e-mails from new customers.
Syncing is important so that you stay available. It means you're keeping up with technology. That's what your customers want. And you know that the customer is always right, right?
Harnessing the latest technology for your business might involve a sharp learning curve, but it will be worth it. You'll save money and suddenly find that you're more organized, even though the business is busier. Keeping up with technology is all it takes!
If you need a bit of help and motivation to haul yourself into the 2020s, you'll find plenty of how-to advice on our EnvisionITSolutions blog.
