The 4 P’s: Productivity – Technology

Using Technology to Increase  Productivity and Growth for Your Business

Middleton Elite Coaching – January 2021

The use of technology gives your business a broad reach to your consumers. Technology can be used to establish your brand identity and set you apart from your competitors.

When planning for the growth of your business, think of technology as your digital presence. Your digital presence is the internet, social media, digital marketing, your website, and any online advertising you currently run for your business. 

Website – 

A website will help your business promote and sell your products and services. Your website will also allow you to distinguish your business from your competitors.

Consumers rely on the Internet to learn everything about a company. This is why your website is one of the most important ways you can share information about your business.

The way you display photos, links, and the content you include on your website will help you build a credible digital presence.

WordPress websites are amongst our favorite DIY websites

Social Media –

Nearly half the world’s population is on social media daily. The use of social media can contribute to the growth of your business by connecting with this population.

Millions of businesses use social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Linked In, and Twitter, to reach custom audiences. 

When planning for the growth of your business, you should consider using social media to help build your personal brand, increase referrals, find new customers, increase the loyalty of your existing customers, and collaborate with other businesses in your industry.

Related:  BONUS – SOCIAL MEDIA QUICK TIPS

Software/Lead Management – 

Lead management is the process of tracking and managing prospective customers. You may already have this process built into your business plan as customer acquisition. 

However you classify it, lead management is essential to the success of any business. If you do not have leads, you will likely have no customers. When you have no customers, well then, you have no need to plan for the growth of your business. 

Managing your leads can help you understand how customers are finding your business and the process they took to become a customer.  This can help you plan for and improve your sales strategy.  

With the advancement of technology, there are hundreds of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software options on the market today.

The presence of a CRM system will help you generate leads and create interest in your business. A CRM system will also allow you to receive and respond to customer inquiries.

BONUS: HERE IS A LIST OF OUR FAVORITE CRMs

Many lead management systems will also serve as your marketing systems, housing your blogs, distributing your social media posts, and communicating to your leads.

A quality lead management system will allow you to contact and follow up with your leads. This is also known as lead nurturing. There are varying levels of complexity in the lead management systems available today. A lot will depend on the size of your business and your marketing efforts. Large or small, a lead management system is critical to planning for the growth of your business and customer satisfaction. 

Now that we have covered various uses for technology in business, we want to dive deeper into how to continue to make technology work for you. 

A great way to grow your business is by increasing your digital presence.

Increase Your Digital Presence –

If your business has been around for a nano-second or two, it is likely you already have a digital presence. 

The digital footprint of your business follows you as your business grows. Increasing this footprint can increase the speed of your growth trajectory.

Three Actions you can take to enhance your Digital Presence:

1.Google Yourself (and update everything on Page 1) then update it and make sure it is the most accurate and best representation of you. 

This is important when you are referred to someone you have never met. The first place they will look for you is Google since billions of people use the popular search engine every day.

Google is a multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware. 

Whether or not you have a Google account for your business, your business is on Google. The Google search engine will list your website and most anything any customer has ever publicly posted about your business. 

2.Increase Reviews & Recommendations.

It is important to make sure that reviews for your business are current, relevant, and positive.

Plan for the growth of your business by incenting customers to leave a review of your business on platforms where reviews are allowed. 

Google, Facebook, and Yelp are just a few examples of platforms that allow businesses to be reviewed by customers. 

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 TIP  *Yelp ranks really high in Google, even if your industry is not readily-utilized on Yelp. 

Our business planning workshop will dive into The Four Places to Focus for reviews and recommendations and much more! – check it out here:

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3. Commit to Video.

Video is a very popular and engaging form of content for marketing your business. If video is not currently part of your marketing efforts, please add the use of video to the growth plan for your business. 

Related:  ** YouTube reported a billion hours of is watched on its social platform every day.**

The use of video gives our customers a relatable and inside view of our business. Because video is relatively easy to create, and even easier to share, it is easy to see the many ways it can be beneficial to your business. 

Keep your customers entertained and engaged with the use of video. 

Here is Coach Bill’s favorite affordable webcam and mic combo. 

No Expertise Required.

You do not have to be a video expert! High-quality, professional video is not the only type of video that can be executed well. 

If your business does not currently have a method in place for creating professional-level video, this is a great goal to work into the growth plan for your business. 

With so many high-tech gadgets in our pockets at any one time, it is increasingly easier to create decent videos quickly. 

We recommend using different types of video content to keep your customers engaged. You should plan to use a mix of polished, scripted, video as well as authentic and unscripted video snippets.

The use of unscripted video reminds your customers that you are a real, authentic human being. This type of video keeps you relatable and appeals to the customer who wants to know the everyday you. In this type of video, just push ‘record’ and go with it. 

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** To get additional ideas on how to quickly increase your digital presence, check out our Digital Marketing Wednesday Live Stream – biweekly in the Middleton Elite Coaching Facebook Group.

** To become an expert at Digital Marketing for Real Estate, check out our on-demand Digital Marketing Course at www.middletonelitecoaching.com

** Like what you read here? We wrote The Elite Guide To Business Planning just for you. Dive in for key tips, business planning strategies, and growth tools from experts. 

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