If you have ever heard the term ‘digital age’ you may have wondered how that relates to you, the small business owner. You may not be interested in producing an app for your business, or implementing a fully automated customer management system run by bots.
The digital age actually refers to the fact that we live in a time where extremely large amounts of information about pretty much anything is now widely available to most of the world, mainly due to computer technology. This is also referred to as the information age.
Some interesting statistics from Digital 2020 shows the impact of the digital age around the world. Over 4.5 billion people now use the internet with more than 4 billion people around the world now using social media each month, and an average of nearly 2 million new users are joining them every day. SOURCE
And according to the report produced in October 2020,
“The world is spending more time on social media too, with the typical user now spending roughly 15 percent of their waking life using social platforms.”
So what does that mean for you?
- People ARE searching for businesses like yours, and search will increase – and not just on Google. You need to think about all the places people are searching for your products and services and think about how you are representing your business in the digital space. The trends predicted that voice search, image search, and social search will play an even more important role. So the important thing here to get you started is to map out what pieces of information your potential clients might be searching for and do an overhaul of your website, social media and anywhere else you appear online to make sure you have the content and keywords available for the search engines to find you.
- People ARE using social media to research their next purchase BUT they do not want to be sold to immediately. Talk about the fussy child hey? There needs to be a healthy balance with what you are posting on your social media accounts (we are not even going to tell you again that you NEED to have an account… That is just a no-brainer). Providing your customers and potential clients with good quality useful content on a regular basis presented professionally is the best way to go. Regularity is key here – you may not hit the jackpot in the first few months, but over time by staying committed, on brand and engaging with your followers you will see the impact start to roll through into your business.
- People ARE expecting to hear from you on whatever platform it is that they are using. This is a big step forward in how you think about customer service. It is no longer good enough to just be friendly and interact when you have a customer walk into your store. You need to be responding to questions, following up and interacting with your followers on the social platforms that THEY prefer to be using. The time for underestimating the power of social media is long gone. This is not something you can overlook anymore. A recent survey found that 89% of social media messages sent to brands go unanswered. What the?? That is CRAZY. Check your inboxes. Make it a daily habit. Follow up with customer enquiries. This is the new way of doing business.
- People ARE comfortable with buying products and services all over the world. Your competitors are not just in your local community, they are everywhere now. Get over it and get yourself out there! You can be doing the same – no matter where you are located! That is the beauty of the digital age, you can make money through the internet by actively promoting yourself to the perfect audiences all across the planet. Shipping can sometimes be a headache, but once it is sorted, you are good to go. This point requires you thinking outside of your box and getting a little globally minded. Sure, we love supporting local business just like you do, but we also know that living where you want to live and working with amazing people globally is also very fun and empowering!
The digital age sure may have its challenges but I can say we are very grateful for the opportunities it has presented us to learn from so many amazing people, grow our business with clients all over the world, connect with like-minded professionals to inspire and hold each other accountable, and support hundreds of business owners do the same. Look for the good in it. Look at the opportunities the digital age is offering you this year and make it work for you and your business.
Got questions about how to do all of this effectively? Book in a time to chat: https://calendly.com/sharni/free-discovery-call-15-mins