Tips and Tricks for Small Businesses | Powered by Meraki Go
So, you’ve created an awesome product, built up a great online presence, and are ready to take your business to the next level… But where do you start? Here are a few tips and tricks to consider when expanding your business, be it physical or online – and how Meraki Go can help you achieve your goals.
1. Learn from your customers
Customer feedback is vital when it comes to growing your small business, but what about customer behaviour? Knowing your customers' online habits can help you engage with them online and discover new customers and clients in the process.
Meraki Go can give powerful insights into customer behaviours and trends. When customers are connected to your Wi-Fi you can view GDPR compliant data about the sites and apps they choose to access on your network, allowing you to target your online presence accordingly. Are your customers frequently accessing Instagram? Emails? TikTok? Meraki Go analytics give you insights into all of this, arming you with the knowledge of how best to engage with them online, and giving you a higher potential of bringing in a similar target audience.
2. Provide a safe online experience
Recently there has been an exponential increase in cybercriminal activity throughout the online world, and small businesses are far from exempt with them making up a whopping 43% of cybercrime targets. Ensuring a safe experience for both on-premises and online customers means that you will be far less likely to experience data breaches, thus maintaining your customer loyalty and protecting your livelihood from costly cyber attacks.
Meraki Go offers an all-in-one firewall and security gateway to protect your existing internet connection - but online security doesn’t just mean a secure Wi-Fi connection, it also includes any POS systems that could be at risk of attack. Meraki Go allows for easy network separation, all under one internet connection. You can create up to 4 networks that are completely separate from each other, allowing for individual guest and business Wi-Fi connections – but also meaning that your POS systems can run completely independently from your other networks. Network separation creates a much safer environment and can prevent the spread of malware and malicious traffic to the connections you depend on.
3. Value your time
As a small business owner, you’re probably wearing a lot of different hats. Your time is valuable, so you should look to automate and streamline processes wherever possible. Be it email marketing, social media posting, or product shipping, there is a service out there that can hugely help remove some of the stress surrounding these activities.
The same can be said for network management. Unless you are also an IT genius on the side, chances are you don’t have the time or knowledge to set up and maintain a secure, reliable network. Meraki Go offers out of the box implementation for all its devices and can be managed remotely from one easy to use app. Just plug it in, scan the device and away you go - really, it’s that simple!
4. Put customers first
As a small business, the one thing you have over Amazon, ASOS, Starbucks, or any other large corporation is the ability to put time and care into your customer experience. People value being valued, and being able to mirror this personal touch in your online presence is a great way to ensure customers feel respected and heard.
Meraki Go remembers devices, allowing your customers to view different landing pages depending on how many times they have connected to your Wi-Fi – if they have returned three times, why not encourage them to leave a review on a personalised returning customer landing page?
5. Enhance their experience
If you have a physical store, café, or bar, a determining factor that can turn one-time visitors into regulars is your internet capabilities. Having secure Wi-Fi coverage throughout your establishment means your customers can access the internet unhindered by location – even in hard-to-reach places like outside terraces, patios, or beer gardens.
Meraki Go access points empower your network by offering indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi access, meaning that your customers can enjoy fast and secure internet from anywhere in your establishment.
Network security and availability is often an afterthought for small businesses – and we get it. Your time is better spent creating a great product and experience for your customers, so why not let Meraki Go take the pressure off your IT requirements?
Here at RedPontem we are passionate about helping small businesses reach their goals unhindered by slow internet and cyber threats, and we think we’re pretty great at doing it too! For a more detailed analysis of your small businesses needs, contact a RedPontem specialist today.
