by Sharon Jones
In the twenty first century, it’s more important than ever to get online, embrace technology and drive your business forward in order to succeed. More individuals than ever are eager to leave their full time employed roles to embark on a career in entrepreneurship. As more people choose this route to make money, the sphere of self employment becomes more competitive. Welcome technology with open arms and ensure that you are fit to compete with your industry rivals.
Social Media
Connectivity and visibility is crucial if you are to get your brand noticed. The millennial consumer is always going to choose social media and the Internet as their number one means of communication. Smartphones and texting do have their place but it is Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that enables individuals to connect with the companies that they choose to do business with. Ensure that you have social media accounts that are active and regularly updated. Make sure that you respond to comments quickly and that you link back any posts to your website. Social media has enabled small firms to connect with potential customers in a more personalized way.
Find your company voice, and make sure that you are chattier and less formal than the stuffy and larger corporate types. Your small size can be an advantage meaning that you are able to know your customers by name and you can add more of a personal touch to financial transactions.
Hardware
The laptops and software that you choose to use within your new startup will dictate how efficient and productive your company may be. Consider employing the services of a company who can implement a comprehensive IT strategy, enabling you to tap into offsite IT troubleshooting, as well as budgetary planning and software implementation. This may mean outsourcing but this will be money well spent as your time is freed up to spend on more pressing issues and you won’t have to worry about downtime or hardware issues.
When choosing the industry specific software to use, check out your rivals and follow suit. Ensure that you use a methodology to construct your ways of working to allow procedures and processes to be embedded. This leads to more productivity which means you maximize the quality and quantity of your services or supply chain network.
Digital Marketing
It’s one thing to be on social media, but are you utilizing it in the best way? If you don’t have time to update your status or post links to your business blog, consider hiring a freelance social media manager to take care of your company's online persona. They will work with you to create a digital marketing strategy to address your goals online. If you want more hits to your site, they will ensure that this happens. If you want more followers on Twitter, they’ll post content that will be shared and retweeted enhancing your viewership.
To succeed in business, you need to be committed to embracing technology and IT. Follow this guide and maximize your chances of startup success.