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How to digitise your business

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected most, if not everyone. Although it has brought on many hardships and challenges, it has also opened the doors to new opportunities. One of these opportunities would be the chance for businesses to digitise. Digitisation offers businesses the opportunity to grow, gain more customers, and make use of more sustainable models. Businesses across the globe have made efforts to improve their online branding, their online advertising, and commerce in general. Businesses who have not digitised, or started the process, are sure to fall behind the pack as being digitised has become a necessity to run a successful business. If your business is not digitised, or you want to digitise it even more, you can follow these easy steps:

  • Build an online presence
    Build an online presence
    To start the process of digitisation, you need to build an online presence. This would allow you to engage with and study your potential clients. But being online does not only mean having a website. In today’s day and age, businesses need a social media presence as well. Businesses should create a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter account to build their online presence. Creating accounts on additional social media platforms, such as Tik Tok, would be a smart move but this is not a common occurrence just yet.

 

  • Build a website
    Build a website
    If your business is able to sell its products or businesses online, having a well-equipped website is imperative. Even if your business is not able to sell its products or services online, having a website is important to attract potential customers. Besides this, having a good website gives your business legitimacy, allows businesses to collect data and track engagement, and stimulates customer retention. It is also important to build up and improve on existing SEO. SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimisation, is a process businesses use to optimise their website so that it becomes more easily findable.

 

  • Build social media profiles
    Build social media profiles
    As mentioned, having a social media presence is important. Making use of social media profiles to represent your business online is used to engage with potential customers and be seen by as many people as possible. Social media profiles are also extremely useful for small businesses that cannot afford to create a website during the early stages of the business. Many small businesses use their social media profiles to market and sell their products or services. Certain social media platforms, such as Instagram, have offered businesses to use their account as an eCommerce platform by offering a checkout feature. Now, potential clients can make purchases on Instagram without having to visit the business website or make purchases in-store.

 

  • Invest in paid advertising
    Invest in paid advertising
    Once your business has become digitised, you will likely meet competition online. To keep up with the competition, you should consider investing in paid advertising. Digital advertising allows you to be seen by more and consistently make online sales by using paid search ads and paid social media ads. Examples of paid social media ads are Google ads, Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads, and Instagram ads. Google ads are used to reach audiences with strong purchase intent. Facebook ads are used to build a business’ brand awareness. LinkedIn ads are generally used for selling B2B products and services.

The digitisation of a business may seem like an obstacle, but it can be done with ease if businesses follow these few steps. By focusing on building an online presence, using a website and social media profiles, businesses are sure to engage with their clients and potential clients. This would assist in building brand awareness and customer loyalty.