Why investing in technology is a smart move for startups and scaleups

The initial phases of a startup involve plenty of growing pains. You need to be very careful which baskets you’re putting your eggs into as you ramp up. A bad investment at the early stages of your company, or when you’re scaling up, could derail your growth. The no-brainer investment, however, is technology. Investing in technology also means an investment in productivity, efficiency and credibility. These three pillars are key for any new or scaling organization.

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Efficient internal communications

There’s always the temptation to use email to conduct business with your coworkers, since it’s the most readily available option for most organizations. As your company grows, however, and you start bringing in new employees, there are more effective ways to get everyone connected. 

A team collaboration app like Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams or Slack can help you increase productivity and remove the need to start in-person meetings at all. You can also onboard new hires right away (even if they’re remote), share files and documents and organize your internal communications through appropriate channels. 

Effective sales & marketing 

In a competitive environment, you need to consider organizing your leads and prospective clients in a way that helps you and your staff create and manage a clear roadmap for growth. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platforms like Hubspot, Pipedrive or Freshworks can facilitate that. Not only do they help you track and organize prospects and leads, they also help you dive into customized metrics to measure your sales performance against your set goals.

You also need a robust email marketing platform to help nurture leads and keep current customers buying. Many CRM platforms include their own email functionality or options to integrate with specialized email platforms like  Mailchimp or Constant Contact. Schedule automated emails to your new clients as you bring them onboard and keep current customers engaged with an ongoing newsletter.

If you’re looking for other digital tools for marketing, check out our list of marketing resources for beginners.

Credibility

In the 21st century, not having a website is considered a major red flag. Using a Facebook page as a website just doesn’t cut it, so make sure the first item on your tech to-do list is to create your own digital hub. 

You do still need a social media presence; it just shouldn’t be your only presence. Choose at least one channel to start with — whichever platform your target audience tends to use most.

When it comes to managing your social media presence, we have some tips on how often you should post here. As the article points out, you may want to consider outsourcing some of your social media responsibilities. If you don’t already have  someone internally, why not outsource to one of our social media-savvy VAs? 

More strategic advice for startups and scaleups

If you need help with your overall business launch or growth strategy, our partners at Cansulta can help. They offer affordable access to a network of e-consultants who can provide advice for any business challenge. And if you tell them Virtual Gurus sent you, they’ll waive the usual $19 booking fee.