Just a few years ago, when the internet was not too widely used, small businesses put up signs and notices on their storefront and posted ads in the newspaper. And people who passed by that store or who’ve had access to newspapers could learn about such businesses. But now with the internet being used by millions of people around the world, the number of viewers who saw these notices or advertisements put up online has increased manifold. Even people from the other corner of the world are learning about one small business that is millions of miles away from them, and that is the power of the internet. The internet can make the whole world seem like a global village.
The internet has multiple tools for small and large businesses that can be used to expand their reach, and some of them have been discussed below;
Use Social Media Platforms
Xfinity is one of the most widely available internet service providers owned by many households in the US. One of the reasons for Xfinity’s large reach is its offerings of faster internet speeds, reliability, and availability. The other reason is that Xfinity uses its social media platforms to advertise the best of its Xfinity internet plans. These social media platforms have helped Xfinity broaden its reach to the whole of the US.
There are hundreds of social media platforms available. Facebook used to be just for connecting and interacting with your families and loved ones. But Facebook has now been turned into a tool that businesses can use to share their products and services, release promotions and new releases, help customers resolve their queries about their products and services, and many more.
Much like Facebook, there is Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. which businesses can use to build and grow their online presence. These social media platforms used to be where internet users could go to connect with friends, families, and people all over the world. This connection with people gives businesses the opportunity to take advantage so that they can broaden their reach.
Build Websites
The website is like an online booklet that businesses use to put all information about their products or services. There is a feature to be used on websites called Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) that provides visitors to the website with a personal brand experience. The goal is to increase the volume of business with existing consumers by providing them with a range of personalized services and products. A well-designed website will be able to blend such an approach and enable a satisfying experience for its customers.
Automation
There is plenty of automation tool on the internet that can save plenty of time and costs for businesses. It allows business employees to back up files, share calendars, eliminate spam emails, develop online forms, and manage to-do lists. They do not have to waste their time and manually perform each task when it can be done over the internet by using automation tools.
The internet and social media platforms are always running 24/7, which allows businesses to connect any time they want, and from anywhere.
Analytics
Another good feature that the internet offers to businesses is to get behind the scenes i.e. read data analytics. Large businesses may have data scientists and research teams to figure out the trends and steps needed to be taken when needed. But small businesses can use internet resources to track and monitor data. They can use social media to track analytics.
Such an approach can help businesses, whether large or small, get a leg up in the game.
Final Thoughts: The new generation
The generation moving from using traditional marketing techniques, such as newspaper advertising, commercials, flyers, etc. to using the internet to expand their business definitely had to face a big change. Since the traditional methods are almost obsolete now, that generation of people began adopting the online technique to cater to their customers’ queries.
Millennials, on the other hand, were born into the age of the internet, hence, they found it much easier to adapt to the new technology. The internet is practically a life source for this generation, and with more millennials signing up to expand their business, the workforce is constantly growing. This made it easier for their small businesses to keep up with their competitors.
