4 Reasons Big Technology is Key for Small Businesses

(From the editor: This article was originally published on Small Business Solutions)

Small business owners wear a lot of hats and have many obligations, that include overseeing all of the technology in the workplace. As important as that task is, it’s easy for it to fall to the bottom of the to-do list.

Staying on top of technology as it evolves is not only the best way to run your business efficiently, it’s also necessary if you want to keep up with – and stay ahead of – your competition.

Despite understanding its importance, many business owners don’t understand the power of technology and just how transformational it can be. Here’s a look at what technology can do for your business.

Digital marketing can help you attract more customers and raise awareness of your business, and there are plenty of tools available to help you get started, starting with social marketing tools. Nearly every business is using – or should be using – social marketing, and managing your accounts is now easier than ever before. Some of the most popular social marketing tools include:

• Google Analytics – One of the easiest digital marketing tools to use, this tool helps you track website traffic, conversions, and opt-ins that come from social media.
• Hootsuite Impact – This tool can measure and improve the ROI of your social media efforts across paid, owned, and earned social channels by optimizing your activity.
• Facebook Pixels – This tool allows you to capture the Facebook users that visit your website or other landing pages so that you can retarget them later with relevant Facebook ads.
• Ubersuggest – This tool is an all-in-one SEO solution with powerful features like domain overview which allows you to get insight into the strategies that are working for others in your market so you can adopt them, improve them, and gain an edge; Top SEO pages which allows  you discover which of your competitor’s pages are ranking for popular organic keyword phrases; and keyword suggestions which generate a list of keywords for you based on what is working for your competitors and based on what people are typing into Google.

You can also use technology to help you collect information about your potential customers, making it easier to reach them and meet their specific needs. Email marketing is still one of the most effective tools used to build and enhance customer relationships. Build your email list by employ an opt-in form to collect visitors contact information and any other details that will help personalize their experience with your business.

Doing more with less effort is always the goal; and with the right equipment, it’s both possible and surprisingly simple.

• Translate documents with Xerox Easy Translator – This comprehensive suite of cloud translation services is ideal for medium-sized businesses that have the need to translate documents. You can choose from an Express or a Professional translation
• Easily share files with Xerox DocuShare Flex  – A cloud-based content management solution that lets your organization capture, extract and process information, transforming it into usable intelligence. Scan and route documents directly to existing DocuShare collections, shared network folders, email, and the cloud, which means fewer steps, potentially fewer mistakes, and much greater productivity for you and your team.
• Scan, email, fax, and print from your phone or tablet with Xerox Mobile Link – Capture, manage, and send documents with your mobile device or tablet to single or multiple destinations, including local fodlers, email, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, Office 365, and even printers.

And unlike many other technological advances, app technology doesn’t require a huge investment or a significant learning curve. Explore more business transforming apps and find out how they can benefit your business by visiting the Xerox App Gallery.

Whether your team members are down the hall or across the world, your business’s productivity relies on everyone staying connected and working together. Technology makes it possible by:

• Storing business data in the cloud – Digitizing your data has many benefits for any business, and with the Xerox Mobile Link app, your team can digitize data from anywhere in just a few clicks.
• Streamlining your workflows  – Are you still emailing multiple versions of documents back and forth between team members employees? If so, you know the confusion that can arise when four different people are editing a document at the same time. Streamline your workflow with Xerox® ConnectKey® Technology, which lets multiple users access the same document simultaneously for real-time collaboration..

The right technology lets your business adapt to the modern workplace by enabling you to leverage the top business trends of today, from telecommuting and working from home to embracing a fully digital workplace.

Few factors are as important to a business’s success as customer loyalty. Even the strongest product pales against a poor customer experience. Today, technology exists to support you in what once was exclusively a face-to-face mission by:

• Creating Customer Loyalty – To maintain the loyalty of your customers, there are a wealth of effective tools that can be integrated directly into your existing platforms to help you streamline communications, give customers a voice, and address issues in real time, day or night. Utilizing tools such as Nuvi, LiveAgent, PipeDrive, Woobox, and GetResponse are a great way to start building customer loyalty.
• Better User Experience  – Another place where the customer experience intersects with technology is your website. If your website isn’t providing a fully optimized, intuitive experience for your visitors, then you’re at risk of losing potential customers. Visitors will abandon your site if it’s not mobile friendly or takes too long to load.
• Answer Customer Questions – You’ll also want to optimize your website for search because customers can’t have a great experience if they can’t find you. Although SEO can be complex, there are simple, inexpensive ways to make it effective for your business. A basic approach to SEO can be as simple as brainstorming as many keywords as you can – anything that applies to your business, area, and the problems you solve – and then incorporating those keywords into your web copy, blogs, FAQS, and tags.

Staying on top of small business technology is important because it helps grow your business by generating new revenue and improving how work gets down. For more business tips, tricks, and more – check out our blog library!