If you don’t think you need to get online, chances are you need to. Even if your business is primarily face-to-face, you need to create an online presence which will allow new customers to find you – otherwise you’ll find your customer base slowly dwindling.
Many customers decide where to go by word-of-mouth. However, did you know that social media has encouraged word-of-mouth recommendations more than ever before? The prevalence of online reviews means that having an online storefront is advisable: this makes it easier for customers to contact you and for you to reply to comments, queries, or complaints.
But even if you think you’re at the cutting edge of technology, chances are you’re probably not as far ahead as you’ve been led to believe. Even things which might seem like common sense aren’t always as they appear. For example: did you know that most children growing up today have never been taught to use a household computer? It might seem unbelievable in this tech-savvy world, but it’s true. The reason is more unexpected than you might think. The truth is that children today are growing up with smartphones and tablets, moving away from the traditional desktop computer (or even a laptop!)
Of course, traditional computers will have a place for the foreseeable future – no one would want to write an entire report on a tablet, for example. But the rise of tablet-computers such as the Surface Pro mean that the traditional model of a desktop computer is dwindling: a computer in five years’ time won’t look like one today. That’s why it’s important not to make assumptions when you’re making a huge investment towards technology. This applies even more so when trying to keep up to date with recent developments, which are often overwhelming, hard to understand, and easy to misinterpret if you don’t have some professional know-how.
It’s obviously impossible to know what will happen in the future (although professional predictions can get you a good way!) or to develop software for something which hasn’t been invented yet. However, there are plenty of ways you can be prepared. Consult with a web design specialist or someone who knows about digital marketing and do your research on what technology might be best for you. This will inform your business approach and allow you to keep with the times as much as possible. They will also be able to advise you as to what is best for your business. At the very least, you should have various social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and a professional-looking website, but there’s a lot of variation in between.
Failing being able to predict the future, the best thing you can do is to make your format relevant for as long as possible. In order to achieve this, you will want to utilize a design for your website which is as timeless as possible. This will involve traditional design elements, of course – classic colours and a sleek, professional layout will make all the difference – but also elements unseen to the user which might not be so obvious.
For example: you will want to use a type of code which will be able to be used in five years’ time as well as it is today, or you will have to pay the expense of having someone replace it after a few years. You will also want to think, again, about different formats. These days, more and more people and using tablets and phones. If you make your website look great on a laptop but barely function on a phone or tablet screen, you’re missing out big time. Work these elements into your design from the outset to make your website as accessible as possible: your business will thank you for it.
