Today’s digital landscape is filled with tools that can make any business more productive and efficient, as well as marketing channels for reaching customers directly. But what if you don’t have the budget for an IT department or a marketing agency? How can smaller businesses take advantage of all the latest tech without breaking the bank? The answer is simple: by viewing technology as a toolkit rather than a Pandora’s box of secrets to success. Rather than relying on expensive consultants or one-off vendors, there are many cost-effective ways to use technology to your advantage. Consider these creative ways to use tech for business…
Build a digital marketing strategy
When building a marketing strategy, first determine your buyer personas — or the specific types of customers who are most likely to buy from you. Then, create online campaigns that speak directly to each persona. The best way to do this is to employ digital marketing tactics, such as blogging, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and email marketing. These channels allow businesses to reach the right customers at the right moments, at the right price, without hiring a marketing team. Keep in mind that new media channels emerge all the time. While it’s impossible to stay on top of them all, keep an eye out for new tools in your industry. For example, virtual reality and augmented reality are emerging platforms for entertainment and education but are also being used by real estate agents to enable customers to virtually tour homes.
Automate your business processes
For many smaller businesses, automation is the key to streamlining business processes and increasing efficiency. By leveraging the power of the cloud, it’s possible to completely automate certain business functions, like email marketing or inventory management. Start by looking for software tools that make manual processes more efficient — for example, by enabling team members to work from anywhere or saving you time on everyday tasks. Consider investing in software that has a recurring cost structure, such as a CRM or HR platform, as these have a long-term positive impact on your business.
Go live with video marketing
Marketers are increasingly turning to video marketing, which has proven to be a highly effective marketing tool. Research shows that businesses that create and publish video content see significant returns: 69% of the businesses surveyed reported an increase in brand awareness, while 65% reported an increase in lead volume. Smaller businesses can get in on the video marketing action by creating and publishing customer testimonials or product overviews, hosting guest videos from industry experts, or producing short videos for social media. If you’re new to video marketing, consider working with a video marketing partner to help you create a quality campaign.
Leverage data and analytics
The way data is used to track and report on marketing campaigns has completely transformed since the days of paper-based surveys. Now, the best marketing campaigns feature real-time data analytics that allow marketers to make informed decisions based on the results of their campaigns. Smaller businesses can tap into data and analytics by partnering with data management platforms like Adobe Campaign or Optimal. These platforms collect data from across your marketing channels, like social media and email, and generate insights that are fed back into your marketing campaigns. These platforms can also be used to automatically send personalized emails or text messages to customers based on their specific actions, such as visiting a certain webpage or clicking a particular item in an online store.
Partner with Google’s ad platforms
There are many different digital marketing and advertising platforms to choose from, including Google Ads, Google Search, and Google Shopping. These platforms provide full-service marketing campaigns that can be tailored to your business. Working with Google Ads and other ad platforms, like Bing and Facebook, allows you to tap a large network of customers — with minimal effort from your team. Although full-service ad campaigns can be pricey, there are many ways for smaller businesses to partner with these platforms and get a return on their investment. For example, Google AdWords has a cost-per-click (CPC) bidding model, which allows you to set a maximum spend for each campaign. Google Shopping Ads and Google Display Ads are two other platforms you can use to gain visibility, drive traffic to your website, and increase sales. These ad platforms can be tailored to meet your needs, including your location and product offerings.
Try out artificial intelligence-based tools
Artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools are being used across a wide range of industries, including e-commerce, healthcare, and transportation. For example, AI-based chatbots have been used to answer customer questions and even provide support, while self-driving cars are gaining popularity in ride-sharing platforms. While AI-based tools were once the exclusive domain of large enterprises, many new AI tools are available for smaller businesses to try out. For example, Zoom.ai is a cloud-based AI platform that can be used to create a knowledge base for your customers or to generate content, such as FAQ pages or sales pitches. You can also use Nudgit to create a digital nudging system that can remind customers when to complete a certain action, such as paying an outstanding bill, or prompt them to try a new product or service.
Summary
The digital landscape is changing quickly, which means businesses must be nimble and creative in order to stay relevant. By seeing technology as a toolkit rather than a Pandora’s box of secrets to success and by leveraging the power of the cloud, it’s possible to take advantage of the latest tech without breaking the bank. For example, it’s possible to go live with video marketing, automate business processes, and leverage data and analytics. Plus, you can try out artificial intelligence-based tools to help you achieve your business goals.
