Tech & Start-Ups: How the Internet Has Been Revolutionary for Businesses

Tech & Start-Ups: How the Internet Has Been Revolutionary for Businesses 

Whilst there is indeed a lot to be said for tradition, and, artisanal goods have seen an increase in popularity, most businesses will still rely on the technology and the internet in one way or another. Today, the internet is all but essential for businesses, and a lot of them simply wouldn’t survive without it. But how can you actually figure out what sort of tech your business can integrate, and where can you find it? Fortunately for you and your new business, we have compiled a handy guide that covers how your business can integrate tech to revolutionise the business!

Getting Started

Traditionally, breaking into business was tricky because it was a total boys club and super exclusive on its entry requirements. You could only really get a business going if you already had access to key resources and knew people in the industry! This isn’t to say that it isn’t still a challenge, but, today, it is a lot easier to break into business. Thankfully, the internet has opened up plenty of new doors for budding business owners. After all, globalisation wouldn’t have been possible without it, and this has been transformative for businesses. The internet can be used to promote the business, gain visibility, make connections, secure funding, and find investors. There are millions of resources that can be used to develop business strategies, research markets and learn more about your competitors. It can really help to give fledgling businesses a leg up.

Finding Consumers

In the past, consumers had to physically visit a shop or use a catalogue to make a purchase. Today, almost anything can be purchased via the internet. This has made finding consumers for an eCommerce business a lot easier because you do not necessarily need to rely on appealing to the demographics that are within your local area. This does mean that owning and operating a niche business is a lot easier. However, you do still need to put thought into your digital marketing strategies. You have plenty of different markets you can tap into, but you need to figure out how you will actually reach them! 

Automation

The internet and automation go hand-in-hand. You can use the internet to automate a lot of processes which often makes things a lot easier for start-ups. That being said, the exact processes will largely depend on the industry and the type of business you are running, you won’t be able to automate everything, nor should you. In general, you could use things like online payment processing, receipts, and even ordering supplies. While these things can be automated, it will still be quite handy to have a human on hand to watch over them, and ensure they’re working as intended. Automation can even be used on the creation of the products too. While artisanal products do generally garner a higher price tag, they also take longer and cost more to make, so in terms of maximising profits, this is something that you will want to consider. 

Increased Legitimacy 

When a potential customers visits your site for the first time, they will be looking out for a few things, but they will have no idea how long you’ve been operating for, or even how big you are! First impressions are key here! As long as you have a professionally designed website, it doesn’t matter how long you have been operating, where the business is based or how big it is. You could have taken a leaf out of Jeff Bezos’ book and begun by operating your business from your garage, but a well-designed website will make your business look more legitimate and entice more consumers. Therefore, your website design should be a priority, so do not be afraid to invest. It also makes sense to think more deeply about how you are marketing your website and whether you are embracing best practices like SEO. 

Easy Collaboration

Businesses are reliant on their employees; they directly impact the business’s chance of success. This is why any advancements which can make an employee’s job easier should be embraced, and technology has done this. Today there are more businesses embracing alternative working styles than ever before, and while this has been advantageous in many ways, it has also made collaboration more difficult. However, the internet has again been invaluable to this end. There are a number of programmes and pieces of software that are designed to make collaboration easier regardless of the locale of the workers. There are also a number of options for sharing work, although, depending on the project and the size of the file, it can take a long time to upload or send to the relevant parties – this is where services like SmallPDF come in; their PDF compressor shrinks files and can make them a lot easier to attach and share between colleagues and teams.

Overhead Reduction

The internet has allowed businesses to get started a lot more cheaply than in the past. As mentioned above, you no longer require a bricks and mortar premises to operate from. You can operate from your home; some businesses never even need to store the products themselves. They simply act as a middle man taking products from one location and shipping them directly to the consumer without ever having to house them yourself. In addition to saving money in that respect, a lot of start-ups today use social media to advertise, which is incredibly cost-effective. Running a social media account on all of these platforms is free; if you want to take advantage of their advertisement options, then you will be expected to pay, but the in-built features are really user-friendly, and they tend to be cheaper than other traditional marketing methods too. 

Digital Marketing

Finally, whilst marketing was touched on above, it is worth going into more detail. Pre-digital era, marketing was done via channels like print media, television and the radio, but this isn’t the case anymore. There is definitely still a place in marketing for these traditional methods, but it needs to make sense for your business, and smaller start-ups often don’t have the capital for them, and they also don’t make that much sense. Today, start-ups and smaller businesses are much more likely to benefit from digital marketing methods, and there are so many options thanks to the meteoric rise of social media. Your marketing methods need to make sense for the business and your advertising budget. A lot of smaller businesses have had a leg up in marketing from the internet. In that respect, it has really helped to level the playing field. In addition to social media marketing, there are other options like SEO, pay-per-click ads, website banners and content marketing, all of which can help to attract more consumers in a more budget-friendly fashion. 

To Sum Up

Technology has been transformative for a lot of industries and life overall. For business owners and entrepreneurs, the internet has been incredibly empowering. It is a lot easier for them to get their businesses up and running – especially when they don’t have that much capital. You no longer need connections or an abundance of start-up capital; you simply need access to a computer and the determination to succeed. You can come up with sound business strategies and take advantage of budget-friendly methods like social media advertising and content creation.