App or Facebook?

     Free daily tips, information, ideas, advice and examples for people in small business
     from a lifetime of personal experience in starting, operating and growing businesses of my own.

     Finding and keeping customers is a constant concern in small business. Today's technology offers many options.

     You can put up a website, post pictures on Facebook, spread the word via LinkedIn and other ways.

     Or you can have your own app.

     Example: I know a restaurant/bar that some time ago set up a phone-in system so that regulars could order ahead. When they arrived, their table was ready and the meal was served immediately. The lady who runs this restaurant is on top of today's galloping technology. She has arranged to set up an app for mobile phones to take ordering ahead to a whole new level. She has her eye firmly on customer convenience--and expanding in today's technology-savvy marketplace.

     Many bigger companies try to reel in customers with apps on mobile phones. But the big boxes are still learning the ropes. Some to a good job, others do not.

     Use of apps differs drastically from the use of a website. Content on websites is usually lengthy and requires some navigation. Content on apps is brief and to the point--or it should be.

     Your customers will not waste their time on apps that are hard to navigate, that take multiple steps to get what they want, or that lose track of where they were when they interrupt the experience. It's all about them, not you.

     Examples: Apps have exploded in popularity. If you're not quite ready to have your own app, consider Facebook. Facebook offers an easy to use alternative for small businesses. And it's free. I know dozens of businesses that have established their Facebook pages. The list is endless--restaurants, dress shops, pizza places, fitness centers, gift shops, chiropractors, holistic practitioners, auto repairers, ice cream emporiums, galleries, artists, artisans, and more. Quick pictures can be uploaded to your Facebook page to attract customers--and referrals. 

     If you want to take advantage of using your own app, then by all means go for it. But if you want an easier alternative for the time being, use the Facebook route.

     You face many choices when you run a small business. I know--I've been there and done that. Just keep your goal always in mind. And never give up!