Growing your business online

This is a sponsored post for Diamond Links.

We do almost everything online. I personally buy online more than I buy in the store. It’s just more convenient. I don’t have to go to the store, I can just click on my phone or computer and I’m done. I even order groceries online to be delivered to my home.  I tend to buy more than I plan to when I’m at the store. If Noah is with me forget about it.  I always end up with twice as much as I plan. He’s too cute to tell no. 

There’s really not much need to even leave your house with all the things you can do online. The only thing I can’t do online is get my library books sent to me. I can definitely pick out what I want and put it on hold but I haven’t figured out how to get them to my house yet.  When I order online, safety is my most important concern. I want to know that I getting what I ordered and my information is secure. I am glad that businesses use software to keep me safe.  

When I started my business, I didn't know what I was doing. Ten years later, I understand knowing your metrics and your sales and hitting your targeted audience. There are right ways and wrong ways of growing your business online. I have noticed from talking to neighbors and friends that door to door salespeople are annoying. It seems like every week someone is going around trying to sell us something. Shortly afterwards, someone is posting on our neighborhood sites about soliciting. It is very time consuming to go door to door and introduce yourself and your service. The homeowner has to stop what they are doing to listen to the company. Sometimes when the doorbell rings, a napping child gets woken up.  

Using pest control software can help companies figure out what works for them. They get up to date analytics. They can have paperless transactions which is good for cutting down waste. They can just email the invoice and the customer can decide on if they want to print the invoice. You can send contracts electronically and that way it won’t be misplaced. You don’t ever have to worry about your pen running out of ink. Paper piles up fast. If I can get something emailed, I opt for that so I don’t lose it. I don’t have to worry about it getting misplaced or something spilled on it. It’s safe inside my email. 

I am not a fan of calling businesses. I even order pizza online. If there’s a business that I can schedule online with, I am more likely to use them. With the pest control software, I can request an appointment without having to talk to someone. That’s great for busy parents. If you don’t get out of work until after a business closes, it can be difficult to find time to schedule a service when you can’t get to the phone. You can just request and have the service done for you. 

When I was in Washington DC, I received an email and text about my card being used in Tennessee. I obviously didn’t use it. I had to get a new card. I am very careful about making sure my card doesn’t leave my sight now. With software where you can just pay securely online is great. If the whole world would just start accepting PayPal, that would be amazing. Sure, I wouldn’t have a cent to my name, but it makes paying so much easier.