7 Steps for a Small Business Digital Transformation

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By: Eleanor Wyatt

Is your small business ready for a digital transformation? In this article, we go over the 7 steps your small business can take to implement a digital transformation. If your small business is not already utilizing social media, automated processes, remote collaboration, and other tactics, it should be. We live in a digital world, and businesses of all sizes will benefit by restyling their operations to fit with today’s technology.
 
But, How?
 
That’s a great question. Fortunately, there are many answers that make sense, and you don’t have to implement all of these to enjoy the benefits of a digital transformation. A few ideas include:
 

• Using social media to your advantage. JM Integrated Marketing understands the value of social media for your online or brick-and-mortar business. We offer social media management, analytics, and content that can help you boost traffic to your site, gain customers, and create a more professional online presence.

 

• Implementing process mining strategies to improve workflow. Process mining utilizes data that you already have available to improve workflows throughout your organization. This optimizes your operations and reduces the amount of hands-on time your employees spend on repetitive tasks. If you’re not sure about how process mapping can help, spend some time researching the process. You’ll find that you can increase sales and even find more opportunities to grow by deciding on which sources you use, when and how you use them, and who is in charge of the process.

 

• Working remotely. Offering remote work is one of the best ways that small businesses can attract top talent. The Business 2 Community blog notes there are many tools that can help you collaborate, even across country borders. These include Zoom, Evernote, and cloud storage.

 

• Email and text marketing. Communicating with your customers should take place primarily on a digital platform. In addition to utilizing social media, part of your digital transformation should be to prioritize email and text message marketing. Emails help you stay in contact and are easy to measure. Text messaging, however, is gaining popularity as it is less invasive and faster than other forms of communication, both points asserted by Rytel.

 

• Digital invoicing. If you want to reach the broadest audience possible, offer online ordering and payment options. Like emails and text messaging, paying online is convenient. More importantly, giving your customers the option to pay when and where they want means they are more likely to pay on time. When your customers pay on time, you do not sacrifice man hours to chase down dollars that rightfully belong to you.

 

• 3-D imagery for your e-commerce. If your small business offers an e-commerce shop, then 3-D imagery is something to consider. Your 3-D images create an immersive experience for your customers while allowing you to highlight the most important features of your products. This also allows your customers to zoom in and out to see the small details that a non-interactive photograph simply can’t show.

 

• Creating a secure online environment. Data security is essential in the digital age. Your customers trust your small business to keep their information safe. You can do this in a number of ways, including utilizing an SSL certificate and requiring passwords. The last thing any small business needs is an online security breach, which can cost your business money as well as the trust of your customers.

 
Process mining, online collaboration tools, and an upgraded e-commerce experience are all great ways to begin your small business’s digital transformation. Fortunately, you have many options, and you don’t have to implement everything all at once. Even small changes can have a big impact on your profits and proficiency.
 
Are you interested in having a better presence online? JM Integrated Marketing can help with everything from public relations to graphic design and social media marketing.