5 IoT Smart Technologies That Help Grow Your Business
Are you using smart technologies to help grow your business online? Here are 5 great smart technologies integrating your business with the Internet of Things.
Technology has always been a major driver of growth in business, and that’s never been more clear than it is today. In particular, the rise of the Internet of Things – along with the voice-controlled digital assistants, high-tech automation tools and other technologies that have been ushered in along with it – has given businesses across many industries powerful new tools to grow, expand their reach and do their work more efficiently than ever before. If you’re looking for a leg up on your competition, here are five essential IoT smart technologies you need to be using in your business.
Automated Marketing
Marketing is an essential aspect of any successful business, but between creating and launching campaigns, managing mailing lists and social media accounts, gathering and making sense of customer data and all of the other tasks required, it’s often a massive time sink.
Fortunately, there are tech tools available to help. Many online marketing platforms, such as Salesforce, Infusionsoft and $99 Social, provide key automation tools that allow you to streamline virtually every aspect of your marketing efforts. Whether it’s automating your conversion funnel for maximum efficiency, setting up a hands-free social media campaign or tapping artificial intelligence to be more responsive to your customers, the power of automation is a fantastic way to free up time and resources while expanding your marketing reach.
Free and Open-Source Platforms
Enterprise software is often packed with rich feature sets and innovative tools, but it doesn’t come cheap. Why not opt for a free alternative instead? Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) like OpenOffice, Mautic, GnuCash and OpenBravo offer many of the same features as their high-dollar counterparts, allowing you to access all the powerful tools you need without breaking the bank to do so. Although these open-source platforms often lack the comprehensive, individualized support that comes with enterprise solutions, the savings are great for smaller businesses that simply don’t have the resources to compete with major firms and corporations.
Smart Devices
When you’re running a business, every dollar you can save really adds up. To that end, why not explore the money-saving possibilities afforded by smart IoT devices? Smart programmable thermostats are a hit with many businesses, allowing you to cut heating and cooling costs without sacrificing the comfort of your employees or customers. Smart security cameras, too, are great additions to any business. In addition to being more affordable than many traditional security setups, these smart cameras are also remotely viewable, allowing you to keep an eye on your business from anywhere you have cell service. For even more savings, you can also outfit your office or business with connected smart lighting, allowing you to program and remotely control your lighting to ensure that you never waste energy on unneeded lighting again.
Digital Assistants
Every businessperson can use a helping hand from time to time, but hiring an assistant is so last century. Now, thanks to artificial intelligence-powered digital assistants like the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you can access a high-tech helper wherever you go. These assistants are tremendously capable, helping you manage your schedule, handle correspondence, order business supplies, pay bills and so much more, all with simple, hands-free voice commands.
You can even use your assistant to control various smart devices on your IoT network, providing virtually limitless possibilities both at home and in the workplace. The best part? Alexa never asks for a raise!
Advanced Payment Platforms
When customers make a decision to part with their hard-earned cash, they typically have two primary expectations. They expect the payment process to be quick and convenient, and they expect it to be secure. By adopting mobile payment solutions like Apple Pay, Android Pay and PayPal, you can meet both of these expectations, removing payment friction and allowing your customers to pay when they want, how they want and with full confidence that their personal data is protected. This is especially important as modern society becomes ever more mobile and digital, and jumping into the fray early on could be just what you need to give your business a big advantage.
Creating and sustaining growth is no easy task, especially for small businesses, but business owners now have more tools than ever to help them compete in the modern marketplace. No matter your industry, you’re bound to benefit from embracing the smart technologies detailed above.
