When you’re working hard to launch a business, one thing is for sure – you’ve undoubtedly got way too much on your plate. From preparing your latest pitch for funding, to improving your customer service, generating content for your website and even chasing up unpaid invoices, you’re likely to be doing a million different things yourself or with a very small team in place.
Technology has a crucial role to play in supporting the entrepreneur, as it brings the skills and tools of much more well-resourced companies into your hands. From automating your administration processes to streamlining your digital marketing efforts, there are so many technology hacks which can really improve the way you’re operating, and free up more time and headspace for you to concentrate on what you do best.
Get Some Virtual Assistance
You may not quite have the funds at this stage to employ large teams of people or support staff such as a personal assistant, but technology has many ways to help you lighten the load. In fact, if you use them properly, modern smartphones all act as a tiny assistant in your pocket. Whether it’s Siri or Bixby, these programmes are capable of amazing things – and can be really helpful when it comes to managing your diary and setting reminders to complete tasks. Your phone is always with you and is a hugely convenient way to keep reminders and your schedule close.
Connect To Knowledge
When you first start up a business, you’re always running into things that you haven’t done before and you have to get used to a whole lot of thinking on the fly and making it up as you go along. The Internet can massively help by giving you access to hundreds of video tutorials on everything from writing a marketing plan to hiring your first employee.
Sites like Quora are great sounding boards and sources of information too. While training is easily accessed through sites like Google Garage or even YouTube, which has plenty of videos on many business topics, from agile working methodology to the best CRM system to use. And sometimes it makes sense to connect to outside support, like working with an IT Consultant or getting to know a recruitment professional if you’re in the process of hiring. There are a whole lot of skills out there on the net if you look for them.
Up Your Profile
The issue of how to use SEO to boost your website ranking is a complicated one requiring a lot of work, so why not raise your visibility on third party sites which already attract millions of hits? Feedback sites like Trustpilot have a huge role to play in helping modern businesses attract customers, as their positive recommendations are like marketing gold. Turn your efforts towards building up a bank of positive reviews by delivering exceptional service and incentivising customers to leave a review with a small discount or other perks. This can really boost your lead generation and traffic flow for little or no outlay.
Schedule Your Social Media
One of the keys to success on social media is the consistency and quality of content that you post – but frequently small businesses have a patchy presence due to resourcing – it’s a full time job and you’re performing many functions, so it’s easy to let it slip. Lighten the load by using a social media scheduling tool such as Hootsuite – create content in advance and then simply schedule it to publish. The integrated analytics will also help you understand what works and show you how you can grow engagement.
