Small businesses have tried to navigate through the changes brought by the pandemic with the help of creative solutions, innovative technology, and digital strategies. Since the global pandemic hit, everyone was forced to adapt to a technologically adept world, which meant a lot of adjustments for small and big businesses alike. It’s been a current trend that companies that utilize technological innovations to their advantage have a better chance of success in the new normal than those who strictly stick to traditional and slightly outdated practices. Here are just some of how businesses have started integrating tech into their business models.
Marketing and Advertising Go Digital
Digital marketing has been around for quite some time now, but its importance has never been more apparent than in the new normal. In fact, you’ll rarely see businesses today that don’t use digital marketing as one of their marketing avenues. Since most customers stay inside their homes due to safety protocols from the pandemic, businesses are shifting their marketing campaigns to digital platforms to reach consumers. Simply put, marketing has never been this digitally present. With all of this being said, small businesses are using this to their advantage to give them an edge against their competitors.
Small businesses have started launching social media campaigns, advertising, and eCommerce platforms as their smaller size makes it easier for them to launch new avenues compared to larger companies. Social media is one of, if not the most popular marketing channel being used today. Half of the small businesses (50%) today are using social media marketing to reach their goal of business growth and exposure. Other statistics have shown that there are at least eight million active advertisers on Facebook alone. With these statistics only rising each day, the reach social media can provide businesses shouldn’t be ignored.
Workforce Management
Since several businesses were forced to adjust to remote work, companies have developed innovative ways to keep track of their employees. Unlike an office setting, you can’t just easily track the performance of your employees by taking it at face value. Remote work means you can’t see them, and the only way you can track them is through their performance. Fortunately, there are also technologies and apps employers can now use to better track progress. Monitoring tools like Teramind and InterGuard help you track all your employee’s activities, including idle hours. Telecommunication also plays a large role in working from home. A disjointed workforce can quickly lead to reduced productivity, but reliable telecommunications platforms allow for seamless communication for the organization as a whole.
New Businesses
In a new tech-enabled new normal, established businesses are not only bouncing back, but the market is also seeing a rise in new business specifically catered to pandemic needs. Delivery services, cleaning and disinfecting crews, home renovation, remote work management, eCommerce experts, and logistics services are just some of the most common focal points for new businesses. While the need for such businesses was around long before the pandemic, they’ve now become an essential part of businesses and consumers’ daily lives. Delivery services have gone the extra mile, especially when it comes to restaurant deliveries and groceries. Personal shoppers significantly contributed to the continued market growth of major grocery chains across the nation. When consumers couldn’t physically buy the necessities, these personal shoppers allowed them to communicate in real-time to allow for replacements and lessen the foot traffic in-store.
Increased eCommerce platforms also positively affected the logistics industry. Warehousing and transport of consumer goods became an industry filled with innovative solutions as businesses strove to localize their supply chains. The home renovation industry also saw a significant increase in customers as more and more people decided to make the necessary changes to their homes during the pandemic. Due to this increased demand, many entrepreneurs also looked into opening a garage storage franchise to cater to the market’s growing demand for home storage fixtures. Franchising allowed entrepreneurs to adapt to a tested business model that catered to already present market demand. While actual home renovations weren’t necessarily tech-heavy, the booking, customer service, invoicing, and progress tracking for home renovations also saw multiple aspects of technological integration. This allowed for transparent costing, timelines, and client expectations in the landscape during already such uncertain times.
The pandemic definitely encouraged businesses to adapt, whether through digital marketing campaigns, new business ideas, or technological integration. Small businesses are primed to stay ahead of the curve when navigating the new normal as their business structures are more malleable when compared to more prominent companies.
