Australia has a booming small business industry with over 2 million businesses located across the country. Sadly less than a fifth are digitally engaged (using digital mediums to drive sales and growth), and the rest are only just touching on digital technology.
As the digital paradigm continues to evolve and influence the way we conduct business online, it’s crucial that small businesses keep up with digital growth to reach larger audiences and boost sales.
Once a business owner is empowered with the right knowledge, the strategies and the tools, it’s like a switch that turns on and the magic happens!
There are hundreds of examples of small businesses from regional towns and metropolitan areas who achieve transformational growth in their businesses in just a short time.
Further to this experience with business owners, our research has shown that by increasing digital engagement by 16% more businesses in the next 5 years, small businesses can create more than 700,000 jobs in Australia. So, how do we go about doing this?
Digital knowledge is as crucial as digital tech to increase engagement
One of the most common issues among small businesses for the absence of digital engagement is the lack of knowledge or know-how to make their website more than just an online brochure. A website that doesn’t load immediately, is difficult to navigate through, or is poorly designed can seriously affect your business’s credibility.
Creating a cohesive website layout with a design that seamlessly flows to provide a pleasurable customer experience is key to keeping visitors on the page. Using automation software that replaces slow, manual processes can boost performance, while providing testimonials and reviews create a sense of trust and credibility to your site. We need to invest in innovative digital tech to ensure that we have world-class websites that keep drawing leads.
Don’t sacrifice on the quality of your website
It might seem easier to get a freelancer or friend to help you with creating a website, but the quality will be subpar in comparison, plus you won’t get the type of personalised service, innovation and tech support that would naturally come with a professional service. In addition, if you are worried about the cost of a website overhaul, you can also use the instant asset write off to claim tax relief on any services to your website, so do take advantage of it.
Seek professional guidance for a personalise business plan
If you think your website is not bringing in the kind of business you hoped for, it could be failing you in several ways and costing you several hundred in the process. But, before you start thinking about any expensive and potentially disruptive changes to your website, you need to have a digital strategy in place to keep any changes focused on your business goals. Of course, if you’re not familiar with these approaches, then it really does help to call in the professionals to offer assistance.
Here at Netstripes, we strive to support small businesses by providing instructive information through digital bootcamp events, seminars and online learning courses where we discuss the latest digital and social media marketing trends, their impact online and how they can help to boost digital engagement and revenue.
We also offer one-on-one Digital Advisory sessions for small business owners who are interested in learning more about creating tailor-made digital strategies that can help them grow their respective businesses and boost revenue.
Conclusion
Although we are seeing positive moves by the government towards supporting SMEs through investment and tax reliefs; the current investments are minute in comparison to the billions of dollars of economic value and benefits that could be derived from the digital engagement of small businesses. It’s up to us small businesses to make the most of the latest digital trends and technology to drive our businesses online and grow in today’s digital landscape.
Feel free to talk to one of our digital strategists today. We are more than happy to help!
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