What Going Digital Means, Why It Matters and How to Make It Happen for Your Small Business in 2022
Going Digital 101
You’ve probably heard words like “digitization,” “digitalization” and “digital transformation” used as synonyms. But according to Forbes, they are quite distinct:
Going digital is the combination of all three of these, shifting your data, your processes and strategies to remain competitive and resilient in an increasingly online world. Digitization, digitalization and digital transformation are all buzzwords for 2022 because they are mission critical to your business.
It’s important to note that going digital does not mean doing away with people. On the contrary, when done correctly, it centers people to create a story out of data points, eliminate pain from processes, and free up time and energy to tackle your most challenging problems.
Why Going Digital Matters for Small Businesses
As a small business owner, you wear a ton of hats, juggling branding, sales development, finances and human resources. Adding yet another thing to your to-do list can feel overwhelming. Going digital can help you work smarter, not harder. As 2020 and 2021 proved, small businesses must adapt to changing circumstances, sometimes from one day to the next.?
Making more of your business digital helps you navigate the twists and turns of a rapidly changing economy with less disruption to your staff, customers and bottom line. Going digital can help you become a more efficient and effective organization so you can do more with less. Whether you want to attract more customers, solve for labor gaps, streamline scheduling or eliminate repetitive tasks, digital technologies can help your small business adapt.?
How to Go Digital with Your Small Business in 2022
Going digital may mean different things for different types of small businesses, but there are three key questions you can ask yourself to go digital, no matter your small business type:
The answers to these three questions will help guide you in going digital. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when going digital.
#1: Internet connectivity
Internet connectivity is the foundation for going digital with your small business. You need fast speeds, reliability, value and local support. WOW! Business offers speeds up to 1 Gig, a high-performance network, and cost-effective solutions that help you increase your return on investment along with local account and support teams that are like a go-to member of your staff.
Bill Dorminy, Director of IT/Instructor of Information Technology at Point University in West Point, Georgia, said, “WOW! Business consistently provides more service, typically for less cost than their competitors. The service representatives are very attentive to our needs and requests and understand what quality service means to us and our customers.”
Discover how WOW! Business can become your trusted small business telecommunications partner at https://www.wowforbusiness.com/ .?
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#2: Rethink your website
As a small business, you’ve got to be strategic with your time, money and energy. Your website is an essential asset in going digital. Here’s how to maximize it.?
Leverage ready-to-use platforms and plugins. Website templates make it fast and easy for you to edit and change your site as needed without having to learn code. Website plugins from chat bots to plugins for scheduling, finances, inventory management, shipping and data analytics can help you streamline your workflow.?
Ecommerce. First, make online ordering simple and easy. Next, optimize your site for mobile devices as mobile device Internet usage continues to grow and now accounts for half of all web traffic, according to Statista.
#3: Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration
The trend of remote work and dispersed workforces will continue. Information silos and process delays won’t cut it anymore. Your employees need ways to gather and share information as well as collaborate on documents in real time. Look for cloud-based systems with communications tools like built-in tagging and commenting.
#4: Automate
Automate whenever possible. Here are some ideas:
#5: Put people first
Matt Mullenweg, the founding developer of WordPress, said, “Technology is best when it brings people together.” We couldn’t agree more. Keep your customers and your employees front and center when you’re going digital. Ask rather than assume what they need. Figure out who they are and want they want. The best way to go digital is to make sure your people, processes and culture are aligned and working towards a shared goal.?
Make digital transformation a priority from the top down and the bottom up. That may mean helping your employees learn new skills and/or shifting their mindset. Be a champion and a cheerleader who listens more than you speak. Give your team and customers a story they can believe in and act on. Share the bigger why.
Going digital: it’s a work in progress
Remember that going digital is an ongoing process. It’s less about the destination than the journey. Chances are, you’ll run into roadblocks now and again. View those roadblocks not as challenges but as opportunities that you can go over, around or through. When you focus more on the process rather than the outcome when you go digital, you can experiment faster and better. Because today’s digitally adaptive small businesses can be tomorrow’s success stories.?