12 November 2022 by Angela Knox
Technology is a constant in all of our lives, whether we like it or not, and it's never more so than in the world of marketing.
It can be daunting to keep up - not to say time-consuming - but the rewards can be huge when it comes to increasing efficiency, saving time, making your marketing processes more streamlined, and having an impact on the all-important bottom line.
The world is full of start-ups, as well as more established players, providing digital solutions for all kinds of problems. Whether it's the latest CRM system, website builder, social media posting platform, or no-code app development tool, or many other problem solving technologies, it's worth investigating options and keeping yourself informed.
Always striving for agility
Many businesses get trapped in a cycle of maintaining the status quo, and not having the agility to adapt to new tools.
This is a failure of management and often an outdated style of running a business that relies on set processes and procedures, rather than reviewing the options to see how tech can help the business modernise, improve and become more effective and efficient.
It can also be a matter of limited people resource and day to day obligations getting in the way of progress.
Don't be overtaken by competitors
Whatever business you are in, there are competitors. And later entrants to your market are more likely to be up to speed with some aspects of technology and how it can help them accelerate past the established competition.
There are disruptors around every corner, so if you are an established player in any business, you need to have a weather eye on the market as a whole, how competitors may be taking market share, and have a plan to stem the flow.
Customers and clients are a savvy bunch, and know they can shop around for the best deal. And the one that offers them the best user experience. If they find the supplier they were using seems to have inferior customer service on offer or a more cumbersome UX than the new entrant they've just been approached by, there's a good chance they'll review their current provider.
They say it costs 10 times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one. So these issues are worth focusing on, as customer retention is key to running a successful business.
Technology for business growth
When it comes to new prospecting, tech solutions are everywhere, and will heavily impact on your ability to acquire new leads and customers, and drive down the cost per acquisition.
For example, if you don't have a mechanised system for driving traffic to your website and collecting leads, with a seamless process in place, you will start to lag behind the competition.
Whether it's CRM, content marketing, automation, or customer success, it's an essential part of the business marketing toolkit - if you don't have it in-house it's worth bringing in external expertise to help keep you up to speed and punching above your weight, not always catching up!