FOR many young aspiring entrepreneurs, the festive season is an opportunity to reach out to potential customers.
Due to Covid-19, Sarawak has banned Ramadan and Gawai bazaars this year to curb its spread. Instead, traders and consumers are encouraged to use online transactions to supply or order food and other necessities.
This might seem to be a missed opportunity for business owners as they are unable to conduct business the way they usually would during every festive season.
However, the current Movement Control Order (MCO) period has shown that technology is effective in helping small businesses to leverage on limited capital in a versatile and efficient way.
Here are some basic steps that you as entrepreneurs can take with technology to help run your business in the digital environment:
Work from home
In this digital age, working from home would be the new normal for a lot of small business owners.
The attitude towards remote working is changing as most business owners have come to realise that this working style enables them to save more time on commuting, expand their network further, and communicate more effectively.
Needless to say, when you are able to reduce operational costs and gain more money and time to grow your business, you will find yourself becoming more productive and efficient.
Engage on social media
These days, social media has allowed small businesses to have a wider presence among customers by attracting new ones and retaining existing ones.
By constantly engaging with your customers, you can give them insights on new products or services to ensure that your brand continues to remain in their minds.
As social media is often used for marketing campaigns, you can also collaborate with social media influencers to help bring your product or service to the attention of their followers.
E-payment
During the MCO period, online shopping and transactions have become more and more convenient for most.
Not only is e-payment easy to use but it also offers various payment options such as Internet banking and e-wallets. Due to this, small business owners can gain access to a variety of target customers.
In other words, by opting for another payment method (that is contactless, as well) you will have more customers to offer your products and services.
Rely on automation for efficiency
A growing business will need a lot of focus and attention, so it is wise to delegate some tasks so that you can concentrate on other aspects of your business.
These days, there are multiple apps that can help you to do just that. For instance, you can use apps that are able to automate posts on social media, which is beneficial to maintain consistency in your digital marketing.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (Azam) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.