Web Vision Partners had the honor of being featured on CBS Pulse in an article written by Michelle Guilbeau of Examiner.com. The article draws from WVP’s technology expertise and lists the top five things small businesses can do to be successful in terms of technology.
There are countless solutions to choose from, and business owners are constantly inundated with “new and improved” solutions to “improve efficiency” and “make your business stand out.” That is not to say that the field is lacking in plausible and quality solutions. The challenge lies in sorting through the plethora of choices and picking the solutions that offer the most value per dollar spent (or saved.)
Direct from the article, the 5 best ways for small businesses to invest in their online branding and technology are:
Update your website. Nowadays, most people won’t even go to a restaurant or an auto repair shop without ‘Yelping’ it first. If you’re not sure what that means, you probably need a new website. Your website is one of the first impressions you make on this generation of consumers. It’s time to eliminate the gifs, erase the Comic Sans font and modernize your site. The value you receive in return is invaluable.
Start using the cloud. The cloud is the future and the place everything is headed to. You may not fully understand it, but it is there, and it is going to be where you store everything related to your business. Please don’t be that business that scribbles everything on scraps of paper. It is simply not scalable.
Obtain reliable wi-fi. Not only will you need a trusty wireless connection to run a hefty part of your business, but you’ll have plenty of contented customers when they realize you have a hotspot just for them. We’re living in a time when people pretty much expect it.
Get a professional email address. Let’s be honest. When people want to get in touch with your business, sending their valued message to a Hotmail or Gmail address feels just plain tacky. You can get a professional email address that includes your website domain for a minimum of $6 a month [info@yourwebsite.com]. It’s worth it.
Update your computer. I’m not talking about those annoying security updates you have to download all the time. Technology moves so quickly that your computer will be completely outdated in three to four years. Buying the cheapest model and expecting it to last ten years is simply unrealistic. You will increase your long-term productive capacity and efficiency by forking over the extra cash to purchase some decent machines.