[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”4.23″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ module_class=”table-contents” _builder_version=”4.23″ background_color=”#f3f2f6″ custom_padding=”25px||25px||true|false” sticky_position=”top” sticky_limit_bottom=”section” sticky_position_tablet=”top” sticky_position_phone=”none” sticky_position_last_edited=”on|desktop” border_radii=”on|24px|24px|24px|24px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ text_font=”||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}” background__hover_enabled=”on|desktop”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ header_2_font_size=”32px” hover_enabled=”0″ header_2_font_size_tablet=”30px” header_2_font_size_phone=”26px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Getting your business online provides you with limitless opportunities. Whether you adopt a complete digitisation or a hybrid model, incorporating the internet as a resource will give you newfound adaptability, efficiency, and resilience in today\u2019s competitive landscape.<\/p>\n
When it comes to digitising your business, you need to ask yourself:<\/p>\n
1. Why should my business digitise?
2. What is the best starting point to go digital?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s explore what is involved in digitising your business.<\/p>\n
Digitisation is the method of transferring the physical aspects of something into a digital space. For instance, in the modern world, due to digitisation, you can now read or listen to books without having a physical copy.<\/p>\n
The act of digitising your business is much the same. Instead of having customers physically interact with you, you bring your business to them by establishing an online presence via a website or social media.<\/p>\n
Creating a digital presence allows your business to be seen online. It makes your goods and services accessible to a broader range of customers and gives you credibility. When someone wants to purchase something, what do they do? They check the company\u2019s website and reviews. It is your job to make sure they see you.<\/p>\n
With digital tools at your fingertips, your business can not only utilise the marketing opportunities involved with an online presence, but you can also improve your business with:<\/p>\n
Undergoing a complete digital overhaul of your business isn\u2019t entirely necessary, however, as it can be impractical for some industries to do so. For example, a lawn mowing business can\u2019t cut grass online. However, there are some great ways to still incorporate it into your business, and working remotely can insulate you from market shocks like COVID-19.<\/p>\n
To begin the process of digitising, it\u2019s important to start small and implement practices as you grow or establish your business<\/a>. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n To begin the digitisation process, establish your current and future business needs. For example, is your retail business seeking more visibility and better internal procedures? You would establish a social media presence and build your customer base, then work towards trialling different inventory, customer relationship, or accounting management systems to refine your operations.<\/p>\n As your digitising journey progresses, the tools get more complex.<\/p>\n Social media is a powerful tool that allows businesses of any size to reach millions of people. The research you need to gather before beginning is:<\/p>\n Different social media platforms have different functionality. For example, LinkedIn is a networking community that brings working professionals and businesses together, making it great for company announcements and motivational posts. Instagram, on the other hand, is less formal and highly visual, making it useful for short-form videos and aesthetic photos. This makes choosing the right social media platform<\/a> important for your business.<\/p>\n Website building requires more effort and knowledge than social media. Depending on your needs, you may just need a landing page for your online presence, or multiple site pages for your business to function. It\u2019s all about purpose.<\/p>\n For instance, a retail clothing shop would benefit from a multi-page site cataloguing its products, store contact and support information, terms and conditions, privacy information, and cart and payment processes. A plumber may need a more general landing page with contact information.<\/p>\n Setting up a website isn\u2019t as straightforward as creating a social media account. The more involved you are with your business needs, the more complex the solution is:<\/p>\n There are plenty of cost-effective web design platforms that you can choose from, like WordPress, Squarespace, and Weebly. Website building and hosting platforms cover 90% of business needs, so advanced web design solutions only make sense if your business is growing towards that type of scalability.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth mentioning that in some cases, social media can be your marketing, online presence, and landing page all-in-one. This best suits lower-end needs. For instance, our lawn mowing business can cover all these bases by simply using a Facebook page.<\/p>\n Part of digitising your business involves the use of specific tools for specific functions. For example, accounting<\/a> and payroll software<\/a> are obvious choices when it comes to business infrastructure. They can help keep your business compliant with the ATO and reduce manual data entry.<\/p>\n Plenty of resources are available depending on what functionality you’re looking for, whether you need software to improve your marketing, sales, or inventory management. Whatever software you do decide to use, make sure you can integrate it to properly serve your business.<\/p>\n Ultimately, you choose how your business operates. Most small businesses will opt for a hybrid model, usually by using social media as their marketing tool and online presence, while also using software providers for their accounting and compliance needs. To understand whether you need to upscale your operations digitally, you can follow this checklist:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.reckon.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Digitising-Checklist.png” alt=”Digitising Checklist” title_text=”Digitising Checklist” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”End” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ header_2_font_size=”32px” header_2_font_size_tablet=”30px” header_2_font_size_phone=”26px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Whatever stage your business is at, make sure you research and compare to find the right solution for your business.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][ba_social_share icon_bg=”#03002e” icon_padding=”10px|12px|10px|12px|true|true” layout=”classic” show_text=”off” btn_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” btn_bg_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”50px||||false|false” custom_padding=”25px||||false|false” custom_css_before=” content: %22SHARE THIS%22;|| font-size: 16px;|| font-weight: 700;|| line-height: 22px;|| letter-spacing: 0em;|| text-align: center;|| color: #ff5447;|| margin-bottom: 10px;|| display: inline-flex;|| position: absolute;|| margin-top: 10px;” border_width_top_main=”1px” border_color_top_main=”#e4e4e4″ border_radii_icon=”on|5px|5px|5px|5px” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_css_before_last_edited=”off|desktop”][ba_social_share_child _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/ba_social_share_child][ba_social_share_child network_type=”facebook” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/ba_social_share_child][ba_social_share_child network_type=”linkedin” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/ba_social_share_child][ba_social_share_child network_type=”email” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/ba_social_share_child][\/ba_social_share][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Need an online presence? Discover how digitising your small business can enhance your operations and expand your customer reach. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":295771,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Tired of success? Sick to the back teeth with all talk of stability and strong cash flow? Dreading strong growth, healthy profits, and excellent brand recognition? Then listen up! It\u2019s time to run your business right into the dirt.<\/p> It\u2019s easy, let\u2019s get you started.<\/p> One of the best ways to ruin your business beyond repair is to ignore reporting. When you use business tools like accounting software to run reports on cash flow<\/a>, COGS<\/a>, budget forecasting<\/a> and accounts receivable<\/a>, you gain actionable insights through hard data.<\/p> Instead of steering your business on gut feel, running reports, and then taking the information onboard will help you make better business decisions. We can\u2019t have that.<\/p> Old websites are good websites. If you really want to curb your capacity for growth and profits, you should never update your website.<\/p> Ensure you have:<\/p> By keeping your website stuck firmly in the early 2000s you will make great progress in diminishing your business and becoming unappealing to customers.<\/p> Don\u2019t ever listen to your customers or request feedback. What would they know?<\/p> Understanding feedback leads to a deeper understanding of your client base and increases your capacity to make your customers happy<\/a>.<\/p> When you ask for feedback and then act on it to make changes to your business model, you may run the risk of making and retaining more customers and increasing your profits. Avoid at all costs, (as this will only make your business stronger and more resilient<\/a>.)<\/p> Nobody knows more than you, so never ask for advice or consult with a business advisor. Business advisors are adept professionals, skilled in analysing your data and making sage suggestions on how to improve many facets of your business.<\/p> Business advisors and accountants can help you:<\/p> Such professional advice and assistance will only lead to a healthier business geared toward growth.<\/p> If you\u2019d like to generate a tight ball of stress in your chest and make hasty decisions, you\u2019re best off leaving everything until the very last minute. Wait until the final chance to do your:<\/p> If you plan and work toward getting tasks done with a calm mind and a chance to do things consciously and correctly, you\u2019re only going to run a tighter ship.<\/p> Another surefire way to erode your business is to muddle up your personal and business finances<\/a>. By using business funds for personal purchases and paying for business expenses with personal accounts you\u2019ll generate a wild financial tangle.<\/p> This nest of interwoven finances will make it an absolute nightmare to tease out your real financial position and truly mess with your reporting and tax compliance. So, if you want to spend inordinate hours trying to separate your business finances<\/a> down the track, go right ahead and make it nice and messy.<\/p> If you want to run your ship into a reef, make sure you never adjust course.<\/p> There are a lot of successful business owners out there who keep a finger on the pulse, research the market, listen to feedback, and interpret data to adjust their offerings and business models.<\/p> These business owners tend to benefit from avoiding obsolescence and will make shifts to correspond to the changing tastes of their customers and prevailing market conditions.<\/p> If you want to see diminishing returns, however, don\u2019t be like them \u2013 just remain static.<\/p> Another fantastic way to damage your business is to take employees for granted. It\u2019s often said that a business is only as good as its employees<\/a>, so take advantage of that and neglect your staff. Nothing will demotivate an employee faster than neglect.<\/p> A few ways to do this include underpayments, never giving praise or encouragement, fostering a negative work culture<\/a>, never offering training or education<\/a>, deploying a harsh and unforgiving attitude, and having a general lack of respect. Your business will be suffering in no time!<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[343],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-295204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights"],"yoast_head":"\nEstablishing your small business\u2019s online presence<\/h2>\n
Social media for your small business<\/h3>\n
\n
Creating a website for your small business<\/h3>\n
\n
Digitising your business processes<\/h2>\n
Is the hybrid model or full digitisation best?<\/h2>\n
Digitisation Stage Checklist<\/h3>\n
\n
1) Ignore reporting<\/h2>
2) Neglect your website<\/h2>
3) Don\u2019t ask for customer feedback<\/h2>
4) Do it all yourself and never ask for advice<\/h2>
5) Leave everything until the last minute<\/h2>
6) Mix up your personal and business finances<\/h2>
7) Never adjust course<\/h2>
8) Create hostile relationships with your employees<\/h2>