Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As the saying goes, you’ve got to spend money to make money. Well, we’re here to challenge that idea. There are actually a lot of elements of running a business that you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get done. Sure, there are elements that are best to outsource, such as the finances, but a lot of things would be better with a DIY approach.
There are lots of services, platforms, and simple online know-how that can make running a small business a lot easier. Read on for our ideas of how you can handle yourself whilst running a business.
The training
The digital age has brought about a whole new world of remote learning. In universities alone, students can livestream lectures, download textbooks, and ultimately gain their degree without leaving their bed much.
You can take advantage of all these resources when it comes to training your staff. Maybe you have a new hire that needs to learn a particular skill to be part of the fold, maybe your business could do with your current staff learning new skills to attract new eyes. Whatever the case, your staff can learn what they need to with online resources.
There are a lot of subscription courses available. Skillshare, for example, offers niche and creative courses if you want to attract customers with a new skill or with photography or filming for some improved marketing.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn Learning, being the business networking platform, takes a more serious approach to their courses. You will be able to oversee your entire team’s courses, which range from business, to tech, to creative. You can have one team member learning leadership skills to be promoted to team manager while another improves your logo with their graphics course.
The payment options
The good thing about the world we’re living in today is that we’re very close to a cashless society. Everything is done automatically, either online or via contactless payment options. There are loads of tools out there to allow for automated transaction approval and completion, with extra security on top of it.
If you have a premise for your business where you have people coming and going, it is in your interest to get your hands on a contactless payment machine. In the environment we’re in, it’s best to be as hygienic as possible, and handling coins and notes that have gone from hand to hand isn’t the best way to do that.
On top of that, there is added security. For the customer, it means their money won’t get nabbed on the way to your pocket or their account won’t be accessed. For you, it creates an automatic paper trail of data that records every transaction.
And know what the cherry on top is? They can be as little as $30. That’s a good investment when you think about all the disputes that can be settled in your favour with an automatic paper trail.
The marketing
Speaking of logos, the marketing element is also somewhere you can save money. If you are someone creative who likes making content, you can use that creative flair to make content across platforms.
But don’t just stick to the original three platforms. There are massive audiences being missed in the lesser-known platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, and Reddit.
Adapt your content to the platform you’re on. Offer your audiences reviews, demonstrations and uses for your products via video content posted on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, photos of your products through Instagram and Pinterest, and offers and updates on your product via Facebook and Twitter.
For example, if you were to market an online casino, you might post its latest slot offers on Twitter, but show the latest football footage on their Instagram stories.
There is also the data to think of, however. Digital marketing is at its most effective when you take advantage of what the data is showing you. Read up on your Search Engine Optimisation, keyword research and affiliate marketing to understand how your audience is seeing you and what they are engaging with.
The little things
There are a lot of online tools and software available to make the little routine things that need done a lot easier.
For example, you can split up the work that needs done amongst your team with the online platform Trello, which allows you to create a checklist for each staff member, ensuring everything gets done but is evenly distributed. With a team working at full productive power, you will see the effort reflected in your profits.
You can also invest in an online communications platform like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. They allow for video and phone calls over the internet, so that you can reach any employees traveling for work or working from home, eliminating the need for a landline. Other platforms like OpenPhone even offer customer service features, like pathways to the staff member they’re looking for and the mute button for when you’re off the clock.
And then there’s Mint, which is a free online business tool that lets you manage your budget in one place, making it easier to spot places you might be overspending.
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