Over the years, technology has greatly improved how businesses run. New technologies have made it easier to automate repetitive and tedious tasks, giving you more time to focus on more important things. They also help many small businesses hold their own against larger companies. Here are some of the top technologies to implement that can improve your business management and stay ahead of your competition.
Email Marketing
Despite what many believe, sending emails is an effective form of marketing. It’s highly effective and incredibly cost-effective. The problem, however, is that sending regular emails is time-consuming, especially if you have a long subscriber list.An email marketing system like MailChimp makes it so much simpler to keep your customers informed of everything that’s going on. You can create newsletters, updates, and promotions that the platform sends according to a schedule that you set. You can even divide up your contacts into different categories, enabling you to personalize the emails you send and ensure optimal effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.
Social Media Scheduling
Social media platforms allow you to connect with your customers. They also allow you to reach more people you wouldn’t be able to reach with conventional marketing tactics. Effective social media marketing requires regular posts to stay in the feeds of your followers.While effective, social media can take up a significant portion of your time. A social media scheduling tool like Buffer or HootSuite can help. You can create a weeks’ worth (or even a months’ worth) of social media posts, and the tool will release them on a schedule you set. Keep in mind, however, that it’s not enough to make the posts. You do need to spend some time responding to your followers and interacting with them for the best results.
Security
In today’s digital world, security is a serious issue. Security tools are a must for any business, no matter how big or small. Antivirus and other antimalware software are a great place to start. Create secure passwords (encourage employees to do the same), and implement multi-factor authentication solutions. The better your security, the better protected your data is from would-be thieves.E-Signature
Getting documents signed traditionally takes a lot of time. It also wastes a lot of paper. E-signature technology saves time, and it helps your business become more eco-friendly. Rather than having people come into the office (or mailing the documents), all you need to do is upload the necessary documents to a tool such as DocuSign or HelloSign, input the recipient’s email address, and the system takes care of the rest.The recipient doesn’t need to print out the documents; they can sign them right from their computer using an esignature that decrypts and secure all personal information. The system can even send reminders if the recipient doesn’t sign them in a certain amount of time. E-signature technology can be especially beneficial if you have documents or contacts that need signatures immediately.
CRM
Gaining and retaining customers is vital to any business. Customer relationship management (CRM) technologies offer invaluable resources for businesses of all sizes. Tools like HubSpot and SalesForce help you keep track of current, potential, and past clients from their first interaction with your brand through the sales funnels. They also help you nurture those relationships.An additional benefit of CRM technology is that it enables you to make more effective business decisions, rather than simply making decisions based on pure guesswork. You can see how many new customers you’ve obtained in a set period. You can also see information about those customers such as what they purchased, information that helps you tailor follow-up messages more effectively.
