Millions of people are stuck at home following social distancing protocols. Companies and businesses have closed down or shifted to a remote set up. And naturally, people are spending more time online than ever before. Americans are spending an average of almost eight hours on the internet.
Before the pandemic, people would only spend 6.45 hours online on average. It makes sense that businesses would also turn to digital means to grow their business.
Here are 10 ways going online can help your business grow during the pandemic:
1. Explore e-commerce
Anything you can think of, you can buy and sell it on the internet. E-commerce has been doing exceedingly well during the pandemic. With people unable to leave their homes they turn to e-commerce to meet their demands. A report released by Adobe showed that online spending rose by 77 percent. So you can expect that when you choose to sell your products online, you’ll have a lot of customers.
2. Access tools that simplify business development
Remember what we said about being able to buy anything you can think of on the internet? Well, the same goes for business tools. Whether you need help managing finances, handling employees, making data reports, or organizing. There is software for everything. Some of them may even be free.
3. Develop a website that attracts leads and converts customers
Instead of spending thousands of dollars leasing a brick-and-mortar store, you can pay a minimal hosting fee for your online store. A website can have everything a physical store has. From displaying your products to a checkout page and even customer services. Hire an established web design services online to develop and optimize your online store so that it attracts and retains customers.
4. You can establish a strong social media presence
Social media is a great platform for advertisements and marketing. The best part is, you can run a digital marketing campaign for free as long as you create a social media account. Of course, you can always opt to pay for your content to reach more people. But if you establish a strong social media presence. You just might be able to run a successful marketing campaign without spending. But to have a successful marketing campaign on social media, it’s not enough just to be active. You need to have engaging content.
5. You get a larger audience
Because almost everybody has access to the internet, you can expect a larger audience. But the downside to the internet is since it’s so accessible you also have plenty of competitors. And each one of you are competing to get people’s attention.
6. You can get to know your competitors easier
Even if the internet opens you up to more competitors. It also helps you observe your competitors easily. You get to see how they do their marketing campaigns. What kind of content they’re creating? Who their audience is? Information that you can use to your advantage.
7. You can hire remote workers or implement a telecommute program
Independent remote workers may be more affordable than traditional employees. Pay arrangements can be made to meet your budget. Your business could also benefit from reduced unscheduled absences, which cost U.S. companies $300 billion yearly.
8. You can do market research with ease
If you need to conduct some market research, you can do so with ease. Plenty of online tools allow you to conduct market research through the internet. Google Forms is one. It allows you to create surveys online and it collects all the data automatically for you.
9. You cut expenses
So many resources online are free or cheap. You end up saving money on overhead costs. An affordable fee for hosting your online store can replace a pricey lease on a physical store. Automated systems may also do what human employees do for customers, including address FAQs.
10. You can easily back up data
Thanks to cloud storage, such as Dropbox or Google Drive, you can easily store and back up data online. You won’t have to lose data again. Even data dating back years can be stored and you won’t have to worry about it being lost because you can simply search them.
If your business still isn’t online, you’re missing out on lucrative opportunities. Going digital is even more necessary today as the pandemic continues to keep consumers on the web. So take advantage of the internet. It offers plenty of ways to boost your business.
