Digitize your business to be more efficient

There are many ways to digitize your business, from creating a website for clients to interact with your brand to using free tools like Canva to create business logos. But we’re going more in-depth in this small business tip. Scroll down for five innovative strategies to help your business flourish on digital platforms.

1. E-signature software is a great way to digitize your business

Streamline operations with e-signature software like DocuSign, Dropbox Sign and Adobe Acrobat Sign. Upload a document and send it to the recipient’s email address. They can sign it electronically and you’ll receive a notification when it’s done. Download and save the signed document to your digital filing system.

On the other hand, you can use these programs to sign documents from afar. Follow these steps to digitally sign a document on a PC, Mac, Android or iPhone.

2. Use email marketing to reach your customers

Sending targeted emails to current and potential customers is an effective way to reach the right audience without wasting resources. To grow your mailing list, use opt-in strategies and tell subscribers how often you’ll send emails and what information they’ll receive.

Only send emails to people who gave permission. (Doing otherwise can violate ethical guidelines and the CAN-SPAM Act.)

According to research from Litmus, email marketing has an average return on investment (ROI) of $36 for every $1 spent. In other words, a $1 investment can earn you 36 times that initial investment. Not bad!

One way to encourage people to sign up for emails is to add a sample of your newsletter to your website. It can be as simple as a screenshot. You want people to clearly understand what they’re signing up for.

Want to create innovative newsletters people want to click on? Follow our three-step guide to successful email marketing.

3. Use social media to engage with customers

Avoid focusing solely on vanity metrics like shares, likes and comments. Use humor in social media marketing to connect with your audience and build relationships. Big brands like Charmin, Wendy’s, Old Spice and Pringles are well-known for their funny and engaging posts. Here’s an example:

So have fun and try to make engaging posts. They’ll help people associate your brand with playfulness. Laughter is a pretty good customer magnet.

Bonus tip: Offer social-only discounts to stand out and drive action. Promotions can include coupons, free shipping or flash sales for exclusive online offers. Make sure you’re posting at the ideal times, too.

4. Reduce clutter and be more organized

Don’t risk losing everything to a natural disaster — digitize documents and processes with online storage options. Back up critical documents and protect your business from storms, robbers and other threats. Here’s how.

• Get a scanner: You can use phone apps with scanning features or one of these reliable handheld scanners. If you use your phone, avoid shady apps like CamScanner and use reliable ones like Adobe Scan for iOS or Android.
• Start scanning: Include everything from invoices and contracts to receipts and IDs. Scan everything you’d typically file in a physical folder. Make sure to scan both sides so you don’t miss any information.
• Save your documents: Digitial formats like PDF or JPEG are reliable and easy to open on devices.
• Label files in a way that’s easy to find later: Get organized with clear tabs and specific categories. Add a date to each file for easy reference. The more specific you are, the quicker you’ll find what you need.

Speaking of organization and files, here’s another game-changing way to digitize your business.

RELATED: How to digitize your most important documents

5. Store documents in the cloud to easily access and share your files

Hardware issues can damage your business. A natural disaster or robbery could wipe away all the hard work you put into your filing system. But cloud storage can help you access your critical business from anywhere. Here’s how to get started.

• Choose a cloud storage service: You can use free options like Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive. However, free options don’t have as many security features as paid options like our sponsor, IDrive. More on that later.
• Upload documents: Organize your files in folders that are easy to find later.
• Share your documents: Now that they’re backed up, let your team members know how to access the files in an emergency. You can select the document or folder you want to share, then send the link to employees. You can also give them invitations to access the backups.

You can take that a step further, too. Take some time to download these files onto a USB drive for emergencies. Remember to encrypt everything on your USB drive to safeguard important data from theft. If you want a cloud storage system with built-in encryption, IDrive is the way to go.

IDrive is the perfect tool to digitize your business

Protect critical documents and data from theft or malware with IDrive, a reliable cloud storage company Kim trusts with important files. Avoid the risk of losing everything in case of computer failure, theft or ransomware.

Save a whopping 90% when you sign up at IDrive.com and use the promo code “Kim” at checkout.