Whether you are the owner of a small local business or the CEO of a major corporation, the ever-shifting territory of the digital business tool is likely causing you no small amount of concern. It has been famously difficult for many businesses to adapt to the digital age, particularly when using the Internet to promote, grow, or maintain a business. The news is frequently filled with online snafus where businesses big and small have tried – and spectacularly failed – to use the Internet to their advantage. Mostly, these companies end up looking the fool, and many go under.
So how can you be sure you are using the Internet to your best business advantage? Being open to change is important, as is keeping a flexible mindset about what it might mean to use the Internet wisely – often, it will also mean going against what used to feel like good business sense. Here are a few key tips and tricks for those hoping to harness the power of the World Wide Web to help cultivate further success rather than cowering under the chaotic progress of what they see on their computer.
Use Digital Web Tools Wisely
Any business worth its salt has a website by now, but few businesses use their website to the best advantage in terms of growing income or interest. Digital web tools which allow cross-posting, email list management, or even the creation of custom gifs and memes can be key to keeping a website up to date and engaging for increasingly digital-savvy audiences.
But there are other ways to use digital web tools. For example, if you are throwing a fundraiser, keeping a fundraising thermometer on your site is an excellent way to encourage individuals to donate more than they might have done without one. After all, everyone likes to think of the world as a series of games – why not turn donating into one, too?
Hire An Intern
This amazingly simple step is unfathomably effective in ensuring that what you do on the Internet is relevant, effective, and interesting to audiences. For young people who grew up with the Internet, understanding trends and affordances that are taking place across the web – not just computers but phones as well – comes naturally.
Hiring an intern to do occasional work while keeping an eye on your internet output can mean the difference between success and failure. So long as you have the humility to take their advice and trust their judgment, hiring an intern is a decision you won’t regret.
Ask For User Feedback
A simple and classic way to make sure what you are doing on the Internet is working for your clients is to ask them. Most websites offer the opportunity to create a feedback form, and though not everyone will fill it out when they visit, a surprising number of folk are willing to take the time to give a quick rating. What’s more, if there’s a problem with your site, this is the quickest way to hear about it, as frustrated users will certainly let you know via this method.