Things are starting to look up for business owners, whether the business is large or small. Support for startups continues to grow and, as ever, the internet is offering more help for business owners every day. With all that help though, it can be hard to wade through it all in order decide which are of use to your business. Because they’re not all good, there are plenty of broken apps and useless websites trying to pull you in their direction. So, here are 5 useful ways you can harness the internet to improve your company’s fortunes
Online Marketing
It’s vital, especially for small businesses, to use the internet as their main (or only) tool for marketing. Other media channels are too expensive. Most of them will not be much more effective than a slick online marketing operation either.
MyNewsDesk is a great way of managing your marketing system in one unified place. It allows you to set up newsrooms in which you can publish marketing and PR content. The content will then be simultaneously uploaded onto social media streams such as Facebook and Twitter. Make sure your social media channels don’t become too automated though, you’ll still need a human touch.
Healthcare
Your staff need to keep their health in check if they’re going to be of use to you. It’s good for them, and you, if they’re active and healthy all year round. And although you might not expect it, there are plenty of online tools that could help your employees keep fit.
You could use telehealth services that allow employees to access healthcare remotely. Or it could be as easy as using a pedometer app so that you can guarantee everyone in the office is moving about enough during the day. Sitting static at a desk all day can cause repetitive strain injuries and bad backs, so get your workforce moving.
Sharing Files and Content
Your business needs to be collaborative and efficient to succeed in a cut-throat marketplace. This means you need to make sure everyone in your business can access important files, documents and other content.
There are many sites and apps that allow you to do this, but by far the best and most popular is Dropbox. They offer a specific package aimed squarely at businesses. It’s secure and trustworthy so you won’t need to fret about losing important documents. Using these kinds of software will also save a lot of time in the office as everything can be shared in the cloud. This gives you a boost to productivity too!
Online Banking
It still surprises me how many businesses aren’t embracing online banking. It’s an easy way to save a lot of time, and when you’re running a business you don’t have time to waste. There are no additional fees involved, and it can all be done at the click of a button. There is no reason not to use it.
All the major banks will allow you to do your online banking on a browser or via an app on your phone or tablet. You could even save a bit of money on postage costs!
