The year 2019 brings with it a number of opportunities and challenges for companies across the globe. With their entire world seemingly going digital, you will be surprised to know that a large number of companies in the United States are still to embrace the revolution. That is particularly the case for small companies. If you think that your business can get away with remaining mired in the analogue past, then you need to think again. Here, in any case, are 5 reasons why all companies need to go digital during the course of the year 2019;
A few terms
Before we hand down some of the reasons why your company needs to go digital during the course of the current year, lets begin by outlining some terms;
- To go digital: To embrace digital, internet enabled tools to help grow your business
- Digital Marketing: Marketing that takes place using digital technologies, such as the internet
- The digital world: A world that embraces the many digital tools that are available
Why companies should go digital
Here are 5 reasons why your company needs to adopt digital technologies as a way of achieving success in the year 2019;
- The world’s commerce now revolves around the internet
Today, a large chunk of the commerce that takes place around the world is internet driven. When it comes to being connected, not many sectors are spared. From banking to marketing, everyone now seemingly relies on the internet.
Just imagine what the world of finance would be without the kind of connectivity that enables transactions to take place around the planet at seemingly the speed of light?
It’s important, therefore, for you to adopt digital technologies if you hope to survive in the world in which we live today. Lets assume that you own a small business that sales curios. The best thing for you to do in today’s world would be to create your own website, where you can sell your products.
What this only goes to show is that no business is too big or too small when it comes to the digital world. Everyone stands to benefit from being connected in today’s world.
- Social Media is where your customers are
We have previously written a number of articles in which we extol the virtues of marketing on Facebook, Twitter and other digital platforms. The fact of the matter is that your company will find it very hard to survive without understanding and embracing the power of social media.
The fact that it takes so little for you to open a Facebook Page for your business, a Twitter account and an Instagram accounts means that there is virtually no excuse for you not to embrace the digital revolution. If you wish to meet your potential customers right where they spend most of their days, then your business needs to be strongly represented on Social Media.
- The Internet of Things (IOT) is upon us
However much you may try to wiggle away from embracing the digital world for your business, the fact of the matter is that the digital world has probably already caught up with you. You may have heard of the Internet of things.
In the coming years, IoT is predicted to become ubiquitous, making it important for you as a business to embrace the change that it brings in the ways that you interact with your customers. IOT will lead to disruptions to our perceptions of the world, and businesses that remain stagnant risk falling by the wayside.
- The need to remain cyber secure
We have already mentioned the fact that no business, either directly or indirectly, can hope to escape from the clutches of the digital world in today’s operating environment. With this in mind, it is important for you to make sure that you and your business are aware of the threats that come from greater connectivity.
Cyber Security is one term that you will always come across whenever people talk about greater connectivity. Trying to divorce your business from the digital world will only mean that you are opening yourself up to attacks. What you need to do is proactively protect your business from attack by fully embracing the digital revolution.
- Online reviews can make or break your business
If you have been in business long enough, chances are high that your customers will, at some point in time, leave feedback about you on such places as Yelp, Google and TripAdvisor.
It’s important, therefore, for you to seize the initiative to ensure that your online reputation does not suffer due to attacks from dissatisfied customers.
You can only do that by fully embracing the digital age for your company. This includes by claiming your pages on Yelp and Google and using the platforms to help spread the world about your business.
