The Benefits of Going Digital: How Small Businesses Can Thrive Online
While everyone agrees that digital transformation is critical to the success of all modern enterprises, no one claims that transformation is simple. Digital transformation is multifaceted, complex, and filled with challenges that can make the head of even the most experienced businessperson spin. If you need encouragement before heading out on the digital transformation journey, check out these ten benefits. These benefits are so fundamental to the success of a small business’s online growth that you won’t believe you even dreamed of forgoing them.
● Better Online Visibility
If your business is popular among local customers, you will benefit from connecting your online business to your store. People like to exist in both worlds, and it’s an easy way to connect with your targeted audience to give them the best of both worlds.
The more ways you can place your business in front of your target audience with quality experiences, the more opportunities you have to build brand awareness and improve your reputation. It helps you:
Get discovered: 97% of consumers search online for local products and services. A strong online presence makes it easy for ideal customers who don’t yet know you exist to discover you when they are and are not searching for what you have to offer.
Be seen as a legitimate business: 83% visit a store based on the information they found online. Consumers rely on multiple sources of information before making a purchase. If you don’t provide information about your business across all of these sources, you’ll be dismissed — by consumers and search engines alike.
Market your business 24/7: If you have a strong online presence set up, people can discover, learn about, engage with, and reach out to you whenever is best for them, no matter where they are in the buyer journey or what device they are using.
● Access to E-commerce
There’s no question about it: if you want to get your brick-and-mortar store in front of a (much) larger audience than the people who stroll by your door during open hours, you need an online presence. And an essential way to claim that valuable digital property is with a website. Not having a website in today’s digital landscape is like not having a phone in 1965. If customers can’t easily find you via the devices they’re (literally) using all hours of the day, they’re going to go somewhere else — and quickly. There are so many reasons why every small business needs a website, and with the breadth of free website-building tools available today, it’s never been easier to create one.
● Remote Work Capabilities
Remote work was rare a decade ago. Working from home was usually available only as a special arrangement to accommodate families in specific cases. However, when we assess the work we do, we recognize that a large portion of the work in many fields can be done from anywhere with a decent internet connection. Today’s technology enables many workers to work from anywhere, with face-to-face communication replaced to a degree by real-time video conferencing. Thanks to modern speeds and the reliability of internet connections, many workers don’t need to be physically present in the office to complete most of the tasks required in their role.
Mobility is a thread in the digital transformation of businesses as they take advantage of technology that facilitates fast communication and collaboration in response to opportunities and threats.
● Security and Privacy of customer and business data
When growing a business, it’s important to place the experience of your customers and clients as your number one priority.
One of the most significant benefits of digital transformation is that your business can collect and analyze data that you can turn into actionable, revenue-generating insights. In the past, your data was scattered across multiple disconnected platforms, or even worse; you might not have collected and used data at all. Digital transformation will enable robust data collection, centralized data storage, and the creation of tools to analyze and translate data into information that promotes informed corporate decision-making.
● Ability to make informed marketing and business decisions with data and analytics
Making informed marketing and business decisions using data and analytics is crucial for small businesses looking to thrive in the digital landscape. As the 2017 McKinsey survey highlights, a staggering 92% of businesses understand that adapting to the digital transformation is key to remaining economically viable.
For example, small business point of sale data can provide valuable insights into customer buying habits, popular products, and peak sales periods. This information enables businesses to optimize their inventory management, sales promotions, and marketing efforts for maximum impact. Additionally, using tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and third-party platforms such as SEM Rush, Ahref, and SEO Powersuite, small businesses can analyze their website performance and make necessary adjustments to improve their online presence.
Monitoring metrics such as click-through rates and subscriber growth allows small business owners to set goals and measure the effectiveness of their digital marketing strategies. By closely monitoring these analytics, businesses can identify successful tactics and make data-driven decisions to enhance their online performance. Embracing the power of analytics and point of sale data, alongside industry insights, not only ensures the survival of small businesses in the digital age but also paves the way for sustainable growth and success.
If digital is the future, then you must market on digital platforms. With newer technologies being created and used massively, exploring digital mediums for your small business is the need of the hour.
