So there I was getting my haircut thinking about the time when I was 12 years old and had asked the barber for a “bi-level” haircut. This is where it’s long in the back and shorter in the front. As it turns out, there’s another name for this. A mullet!! And now I have fully shamed myself in public. Don’t judge.
Speaking of pastimes, I am fully convinced that we will one day refer to specific time periods as, “pre-internet” and “internet.” In fact we already do. Kind of like the “enlightenment period” only better.
In the internet period things have changed drastically for small businesses. Digital, technology, social, globalization and constant pressure to be faster at less cost with greater efficiency.
It doesn’t really matter what business you are in, consumers make the internet their decision starting point to learn about your business or buy something if you sell online. And they will make a decision fairly quickly just based on their first impression. Welcome to short attention spans.
Central Oregon isn’t a walled fortress when it comes to business. There’s potential in all sectors for huge growth. Yes, even if you sell used clothing in a basement. Consumers can do business locally or globally and that goes for people living here or living outside of the region.
That said, do a happy dance because there’s gold in them ‘thar hills’ [and hopefully the gold is deeper than the snow we had this winter. Right?
Whether you sell stuff online or don’t, there are some ways to win big in the digital internet period. Picture me writing this in a dark room with a crystal ball on a table and I’m showing you how things “could be.”
What are three things a business right here in Central Oregon could be doing to become more profitable, drive more loyal customers and lower costs?
If you guessed web and mobile analysis and direct digital advertising then you get a free wall trout that sings when you walk by (remember those? highly annoying, slightly disturbing). These three often underutilized and commonly misused tools are not just reserved for big business anymore. You, as a small awesome business, can benefit in ways that will make you wonder what you did without them. It’s nearly cosmic.
Digital and mobile analysis, when done properly, can drive your business from good to great and for an extra added bonus if you throw in some digital ads, then great can turn even greater.
But why you ask? For one thing, the web has memories. It’s a huge collection of digital information that never forgets what happened. And things are happening at the speed of humans. Every second there are 40,000 searches (on average) done on Google alone. By the time you are done reading this, 100 people could have searched for your business and decided to either locate you, call you or buy something. What those 100 people did or did not do is what you need to know. Even better, the dollar value you gained (or lost) is lurking in there somewhere. This can affectionately be referred to as making love to data to find gold.
When done correctly (this is key here), proper digital analysis can tell you the things you don’t see about your business and customers. The things you may not be aware of that could be a goldmine to your business (either monetarily or non-monetarily). It gives you insights into what is working and what isn’t working in digital. And those insights lead to real results. It’s at this point you realize just how cool it is to be in the “internet” period of time.
Stay tuned for the next article where I’ll get more specific and share the top small business trends in mobile, digital and what’s next.
