5 Strategies to go Digital in a Time of Global Crisis

It’s no rocket science to figure that one out for sure!

But, if your business is struggling because of that and you want to keep it afloat, you’ve probably had a tonne of people advise you to go digital. So, how exactly are you supposed to do that?

Luckily, we’ve prepared 5 easy strategies that will help you to digitally transform your business and set it up for long-term success!

Strategy #1: Know your ‘online customer’

A big percentage of your real-life customers have an online persona as well. Now is a great time to get to know them through some good old research and analysis.

Establish your social media presence if you already don’t have one and make sure to update all information. Here are a few great tips for social media beginners.

Reach out to your customers and ask them about their shopping preferences and habits. You can use Google Forms and Survey Monkey to compile some of that information.

Start to think about what makes them loyal customers. Is it your customer service? Maybe you do special discounts? Think about how you can alter your business model and pricing to drive sales amongst your customers.

Strategy #2: Find your new sales channel

Now that you’ve done your research, start being present where your customers spend the most time online. That could be only one channel or a few!

There are certain perks about being present on multiple channels, such as attracting loyalty, increasing the visibility of your products amongst competitors and showing off the scale of your organization and/or brand.

Strategy #3: Say “HELLO” to the cloud

Cloud-based software should become your new best friend!

This will help you manage all your internal operations, team management and also external client relationships!
There are free basic versions of softwares such as Slack that can help you manage all your internal communication from a distance. Once you get the hang of it and find the one that suits you best, you can purchase or subscribe to it through monthly payments.

Strategy #4: Time to automate everything

If you are a merchant of physical goods, this next step is key!

Similar to strategy #3, automation is all about synching and optimizing all processes. This will decrease the amount of manual work you have to put in, ensure that all your inventory is up to date and that your orders are synced with your accounting system.

The easiest way to do it is to get an ERP system and integrate every aspect of your business into it. You might even be able to save on those pesky shipping costs!

Strategy #5: Embrace your data

As much as you might not like the sound of having to analyse data, you should acquire the mindset that it is also your most valuable asset!

If you learn how to use it correctly, then you will start to understand how your business needs to transform.

Start off by compiling everything into Excel sheets and you will notice trends. These trends will give you insights into what’s working for you and what isn’t or where you need to cut some costs, in order to be able to invest them somewhere else.