Whether you run a little one person business or have dozens and dozens of employees under your wing, just how really mobile are you?
As more and more small business owners have been discovering the last few years, mobility is becoming ever more important in order to reach out to and connect with customers.
According to a survey earlier this year from Constant Contact Small Biz Council of more than 1,000 small business owners, greater than 65 percent polled indicated either using a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet, or applying a mobility-focused small business tool like mobile-optimized websites and text message marketing in order to conduct business.
Why the Need for Such Technology?
Quite simply, many consumers are living a fast-paced life, hence they want and quite frankly need to shop and buy while on the go. Whether it is on their lunch breaks or while getting a break from caring for their kids, many shoppers don’t have the time to sit themselves down at a desktop or laptop and spend minutes and hours looking for various products and services.
As a small business owner, this opens the door to a world of potential sales. But how exactly should they take advantage of such a situation.
Among things to consider:
* Am I ready to move? – First and foremost, is your technology up to speed with the needs of your business? Unfortunately, too many small business owners want to move forward and offer their customers various products and services via mobile technology, but in truth, they’re not entirely set up for it. As a result, they leave consumers with a feeling of disappointment, disappointment that can mean having the shopper go elsewhere. Before embarking on such plans, make sure you have a wide variety of technology at your disposal, which can include a business voip system. With that in place, you can streamline your communications, make for better collaboration amongst you and your staff, and provide better support for mobility;
* The time is now – As mentioned, many shoppers want to do business with you yesterday and not tomorrow. With that the case, you need to be able to offer them the opportunity to shop with you essentially 24/7. When business was done in the past much more heavily with brick and mortar shops, businesses were limited in the hours that they could assist customers. Now, those businesses that offer online sales etc. can add much more revenue to their stream, allowing the shopper to shop at their convenience, not the other way around. If your company’s mobile technology is not up to speed, you could be left behind;
* Discounts galore – Finally, another advantage for the small business owner with mobile technology is that they can offer shoppers discounts and other such promotional items. In doing so, you increase the odds of gaining customer loyalty, thereby growing the amount of traffic that comes to you both in person and online. You can also send reminders (though do not spam current and potential customers) about upcoming promotional sales and values that they can take advantage of. Lastly, use your mobile technology to provide information on products and services, therefore allowing consumers to learn about the different items you offer.
In the event you haven’t been very mobile with your efforts in recent times, make it your business to change that.
