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East Oregonian
EASTERN OREGON MARKETPLACE
Tuesday, October, 17, 2017
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
FAMILY FEATURES
O
ne of the challenges facing
small businesses today is
trying to deliver the same
customer experience as larger
competitors. As technology advances
and takes on an ever-growing role, small
businesses can tap new innovations to
better communicate with customers, save
money and simplify operations.
As small business owners look to
transform digitally, they face a number of
options, from upgrading their technology
to optimize shipping operations and
decrease costs to adopting digital
marketing tactics to better understand
and target their customers. While it can
be difficult for a small business that is
well-established using analog processes
to switch to digital, the key is to start
with the final objective in mind; in other
words, begin by defining your end goal.
Once you’ve determined the desired
outcome of digitizing your business, these
tips can help you establish a strategy
that can benefit both your business
performance and customer experience.
Reach customers through
digital marketing
An important step in digital transformation
is revisiting how you attract and interact
with current and prospective customers, who
are increasingly turning to a combination of
physical and digital channels to engage with
brands and businesses. If you think of digital
marketing and email or online ads, you’re
on the right track, but effective marketing
requires more than simply hitting send on
an email or counting clicks on an ad. Email
marketing should be focused on providing
helpful, relevant content to your target
audience based on its preferences. Recipients
can come to appreciate your insights on
industry news and helpful information, so
your sales pitches are likely to be more
warmly received.
Beyond the content, an effective strategy
establishes connective links between all
your marketing touchpoints, from email to
blog and even to your traditional tactics,
such as direct mail and more, all with the
goal of boosting credibility and visibility
via search engine optimization and foot
traffic.
Optimize operations through the
cloud
As technology evolves, more tasks can
be handled online and more traditional
analog devices are connected to the
internet and the cloud. Adopting the use
of these digitally connected devices can
not only make fulfilling tasks easier and
more efficient, but also track patterns
and collect data that brings new value
to small business owners. For example,
with a surge in parcel volumes year
over year (thanks, in part, to a sustained
e-commerce growth), according to the
Pitney Bowes Parcel Shipping Index,
consider a cloud-enabled shipping
solution, such as the SendPro C-Series, to
simplify sending operations. This digital
multi-carrier platform leverages the latest
cloud technology to enable offices of all
sizes to easily select the ideal sending
option for every parcel or letter, while
also providing full tracking information
and delivering savings.
“The SendPro C-Series is designed to
take the guesswork out of shipping and
mailing,” said Jason Dies, exec utive vice
president and president, Pitney Bowes
SMB Solutions. “These digitally connected
sending devices allow users to better
manage their sending operations on one
platform, providing the confidence that
they selected the right carrier and class
of service for each expedited envelope
and package, track all shipments from
one dashboard and provide consolidated
visibility and control of postal and carrier
expenses. Plus, the open platform allows
developers to create new applications
specific for the needs of small business
owners.”
Make decisions based
on analytics
Beyond providing efficiency and
simplicity, connected and cloud-enabled
devices can generate and track valuable
data, which can, in turn, be analyzed
and used to make important business
decisions. In a business environment
dominated by ever-changing consumer
preferences, data-driven insights are
key to serving the needs and securing
the business of today’s hyper-connected
consumers. By utilizing data and
analytics, your business can be better
equipped to deliver superior customer
experiences, support product and service
innovation, and optimize business
processes.
Use mobile to
communicate with customers
Even the smallest of businesses
can take steps toward better mobile
communication, such as ensuring
their websites are mobile-friendly and
responsive to different device types. This
is especially important as mobile usage
continues to climb in the United States,
and consumers increasingly rely on
mobile devices for information to guide
purchase decisions. Your business can
also capitalize on location intelligence
capabilities to deliver timely coupons
and promotions to customers in the
immediate vicinity.
Find more tips for transforming
your business for the digital age at
pitneybowes.com/us/digital.
Elements of a Digital
Transformation
Before diving head-first into a digital
transformation, consider what
aspects are most important to your
business.
Automation
When developing or implementing
new technology or digital assets,
automation is a key component
most businesses are striving
toward. It can save your business
money while also reducing
monotonous tasks and allowing
your employees to focus on the
more skill-reliant aspects of their
jobs.
Efficiency
Technology as a whole can make
your business more efficient,
from increasing employee
productivity to allowing greater
flexibility in an often-changing
market.
Interaction
Embracing technology and
digital communication can allow
for greater reach and ease of
communication. From the use of
social media platforms to email
blasts and online advertisements,
technology can expand how
and when your business
communicates with potential
consumers.
Boost Business Digitally
A growing collection of digital applications
and offerings, such as these members of
the Pitney Bowes Small Business Partner
Program community, can enhance and
streamline business operations.
Google G Suite is a cloud-based productivity
suite that helps teams communicate,
collaborate and get things done from
anywhere, and on any device.
Ruth Frank, senior director of global user experience, demonstrates the SendPro C-Series
Yext puts businesses on the map by letting
companies manage their digital knowledge
in the cloud and sync it to over 100 maps,
apps, search engines, GPS systems and
social networks, as well as facilitating face-
to-face and digital interactions that boost
brand awareness, drive foot traffic and
increase sales.
Promote by Acquisio is an advertising
solution that helps businesses get new
customers with zero expertise needed
by creating tailored ads, providing
optimization, on-the-go text notifications for
incoming leads and tracking of all recorded
incoming calls from ads.
Nimble is a simple social sales and
marketing CRM that helps companies
nurture relationships across email and
social networks such as Twitter, Facebook
and LinkedIn.
DocuSign lets people sign, send and
manage documents anytime, anywhere, on
any device, replacing traditional methods
that require printing, faxing, scanning and
overnighting documents.