.
Micro and Small Companies (MSEs) are the majority of enterprises in Brazil, but when one observes their level of digital transformation and the use of the Internet to do or leverage their businesses, the numbers are not the same.
Why is this group of companies still holding on in the analog era? Why don’t the few who “risk” going digital do it completely? What obstacles do they face? What are the advantages and how to join the Internet?
Today’s article intends to address the above issues and serve as a starting point to change this reality…
The digital presence and digital transformation in Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
Periodically, studies and surveys are released that aim to present the national scenario of companies by sector, by field of activity, or by other segmentation criteria, such as size and what has in Micro and Small Companies, also called MSEs, an extremely important group .
Among the most recent studies, published in March 2022 and conducted by the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) together with the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV), the search named as “Digital Maturity of Brazilian MSEs”, reveals a series of important information.
Micro and small companies already account for around 90% of enterprises, contributing with 30% of GDP and providing more than 50% of jobs in the country. In other words, they are vital to the economy!
However, when indicators of levels of digital transformation and digital presence are looked at, they do not follow their market share.
What is clear in this and other similar studies and surveys is that although many entrepreneurs and business owners know or only suspect that evolving their business from an analogue to a digital environment is important and in some cases is even decisive for the their survival in the medium or long term, do not do so for a number of reasons:
- Lack of knowledge of what needs to be done;
- When you know what needs to be done, you don’t know how to do it;
- They are not aware of existing technologies;
- Little or no intimacy with the digital universe;
- Fear of entering areas that do not dominate;
- Difficulty in finding partners with know-how/expertise to help them in the process;
- They have no resources to invest;
- They only implement what is more accessible, what the market demands and what competitors already do;
- Lack of time to study and invest in the work that would have to be done;
- Being part of the main social networks is enough;
- Lack of knowledge as to what advantages / benefits or gains it would bring to the business.
The list of reasons above for a large number of companies to keep acting as in the last century or with minimal levels of presence on the Internet and with a low level of digital transformation, at some point and level, will influence their early end.
According to the IBGE, 48% of Brazilian companies close within three years. In the universe of reasons, there is usually little technological updating in the face of market demands.
Naturally, there are a series of questions that can make a business not prosper and our goal is not to answer all of them, but those that are related to the benefits that digital transformation and online presence can produce.
Benefits / advantages of the digital presence of micro and small companies
It is known by almost everyone that being present on the Internet (digital presence), as much as possible, brings benefits.
But as some surveys reveal, directly or indirectly, some smaller business owners – SMEs – have the mistaken view that it is something only reserved for large companies.
This belief ends up gaining strength when, for better or worse, they manage to remain in the market, even if they are 100% off the web or doing the bare minimum, such as offering a WhatsApp number to make some calls and an Instagram account to post a few information, announce a promotion or some small publication.
With that, they produce little engagement and only keep those who are already customers, but are unable to attract new ones. They also rarely manage to use them for
However, even with the company’s survival and even in the face of some success, those who do not take advantage of opportunities do not know that they could be doing better.
1. Visibility
Having an institutional website, a blog, using the main networks / social media, a professional email account, signing up for Google My Business, increases the company’s visibility before the competition and other companies in the region that remain on analogue.
Those that are limited to the commercial point will only be reached by customers who transit with some regularity in the region. There is no chance of contact by someone who has never passed the door of the establishment, but who eventually lives or works nearby.
2. Clientele
The constitution of the clientele is closely related to the previous benefit, that is, even customers who have never or rarely passed by, may become customers, because they located the establishment on the Internet.
It is worth noting that local search and Google Maps have been increasingly used to locate establishments in the vicinity of home or work.
The more options the company has (website, blog, Google My Business, social networks, etc.), the more chances of having a new customer.
3. Reach
Related to the previous two benefits, reach goes beyond the geographic reach that is often a constraining factor in many commercial locations.
Depending on the nature of the business, it need not be limited to the immediate surroundings or just the neighborhood in which it is located.
With well-established partnerships with logistics / delivery companies, regional limitations may even cease to exist.
4. Service
Face-to-face service is often the key to physical business. However, the Internet and especially due to the lockdown imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, reinforced the importance of service channels beyond face-to-face.
Thus, companies that offer multiple channels and beyond those that traditionally exist, such as WhatsApp and telephone (landline or mobile), can serve a wider range of established and possible customers, as they have more options, such as a contact form on the website, a customer service chat, an e-mail, a help desk, as well as the centralization of all existing possibilities on a contact page that can contain links to all the company’s social networks (Face, Insta, Twitter, Whats, etc).
5. Information
Although social networks are an important means of providing information about the company, its products / services, they are not the best and cannot be the only means of doing so.
An institutional website, with a good product page, who we are, can be much more complete and enlightening for prospective customers, but also for potential partners, suppliers.
6. Productivity
Mainly in the questions when one thinks of telephone or face-to-face contacts, as the only forms of assistance provided. In these modalities, it is only possible to serve one customer at a time, during which time the employee is exclusively dedicated to one person.
On the other hand, through the possible service channels on the Internet (e-mail, chat, help desk, contact form, etc.), more people can be attended to in the same time frame.
Demystifying the presence of micro and small companies on the Internet
It is often not enough for the entrepreneur to know how advantageous it can be to include his company on the Internet. As we have seen, there are mistaken beliefs that prevent them from even trying.
Myth 1 – It is expensive to invest in a website
The investment required to create a website from scratch is within reach of virtually everyone.
At first there are only two “expenses” to worry about: domain registration and hosting plan. Yes, nothing more!
Domain registration, which gives you the right to use an address to access the website, such as www.meunegocionaweb.com.br, costs BRL 39.99 / year.
A web hosting plan, on the other hand, can cost R$ 15.99 / month for quarterly payment periodicities, or something like R$ 11.00 monthly, if you opt for annual payments. Or even less, for longer periodicities.
With a good research, in some companies, such as HostMídia, the payment of hosting on an annual basis, still guarantees you the first free annuity of the domain registration.
A basic and entry-level plan like the one mentioned above, offers an email account associated with the domain and a website builder, in which you can create a basic website, but which contains everything to start your online presence.
Myth 2 – It’s hard to create and maintain a website
Logically, there are many sites that require a lot of technical knowledge and sometimes even a maintenance and content production team.
But we are talking about micro and small companies and, therefore, a website that, at least initially, will be a support and a point of presence beyond social networks. It doesn’t have to – and shouldn’t – be huge and fancy. Think of it as the starting point for gradually evolving.
As mentioned in the previous myth, virtually any hosting plan offers website building tools, which are nothing more than a visual system by which it is possible to create websites with good appearance, without requiring any technical knowledge.
Creating and eventually editing is no more difficult than creating a presentation.
Myth 3 – You need a lot of technical knowledge
Creation and maintenance of the website and use of hosting resources are procedures that are no more complex than many of the resources that we are already used to in the apps that we have on our smartphones or in the resources of the social networks that we use.
As it is at HostMídia, there is technical support qualified to help users in everyday situations, such as setting up an e-mail account, for example.
In addition, there are a number of tutorials covering the most common procedures.
Myth 4 – I don’t know if it will return
This type of fear should not be seen differently from the return of the business itself. In other words, the level of dedication and return are proportional.
Obviously, a simple website will not bring the world to your company. However, the great advantage of every site is that it can evolve with little monetary investment, just that there is some dedication in learning and time for improvement.
Like this article, which is dedicated to those who are thinking about taking the first steps, we have on our blog and on many other good sites on the Internet, abundant material that teaches practically everything there is to know about it, such as:
Myth #5 – I’m already on social media
In fact, some social networks have served some businesses and, especially during the pandemic, they have played a fundamental role.
However, there are at least three more critical aspects that need to be considered in order not to limit the digital presence to social networks:
- Contrary to what many people think, not everyone is on social media. Betting only on them is giving up an important contingent of customers;
- Just like Orkut, many social networks will come to an end. How is the company? And even before, the popularity and level of adherence of each one varies over time, leaving the company dependent on these oscillations;
- The need that companies have to build a glamorized image that is often not consistent with their reality.
Conclusion
The entry into the Internet by micro and small companies often comes up against reasons and myths that are not justifiable or are easy to solve.
.
