5 Things Your Business Is Probably Missing Out On

running a small business like a game

More and more people are going into business for themselves, and this means the market is getting increasingly competitive across a multitude of industries. With the internet at play, customers have more choices, but so do small businesses. Technology and being aware of the latest solutions is what helps us drive up productivity and maintain that competitive edge. Here are five important things your small business can’t contend without.

1. File Storage and Sharing

Chances are, you’re not distributing paper documents. Still, there are small companies that rely on email attachments alone to share and collaborate on documents. Attachments will always have a time and place, but you need something more efficient that doesn’t require constant back and forth.

Services like DropBox make it possible for staff at your business to add, edit, and share documents with greater ease and organization. You can easily control who has access to what folder, and what they’re permitted to do within. 

2. Web Analytics

How are your online marketing efforts paying off? Who exactly should you be engaging with? You’ll have to simply hazard a guess unless you’re taking advantage of tools like Google Analytics.

This way, you can see where you’re traffic is coming from, what content is performing best, and other key factors. Like many other small business solutions, analysis of your audience and performance is something that seems complex, when modern tools make it very easy.

3. CRM Software 

Checking out who your audience is is just half of the battle. Now, you have to keep the momentum going, retain the audience you’ve earned, and optimize your interactions with them. For this, you absolutely need CRM software for small business.

Key benefits of such software include streamlined marketing, better mobile capabilities, and more opportunities to automate time-consuming processes. 

4. Outsourcing Options 

Small businesses often come with small staff. Inevitably, something will crop up that can’t be handled by your main team, so it’s important to have something resembling a second string. This keeps your primary staff on top of the daily tasks without diversions and delays.

Outsourcing help can be as simple as turning to Quora to get expert answers to your business queries. For more critical tasks, websites that set you up with a remote freelancer can provide you with extra expertise for the exact scope and time range you’re looking for, usually at very attractive rates.

5. A Brilliant Blog

A lot of small business websites do have a blog, but how often is it updated? Does it provide the most general content available related to the industry, or does it discuss interesting related topics which can provoke sales?

For instance, a great blog for an HVAC website would discuss seasonal topics that make the customer think about scheduling some maintenance. Make sure your blog is updated frequently, especially in the beginning, and use SEO to ramp up traffic.

Your options aren’t limited just because your business is small. Realize your full potential by staying on top of tools that can make getting things done – and even taking on tasks you thought were out of your range – simple. Make a plan to grow, and stick to it with helpful analytics, stellar software, an optimized web presence, and more.