Small Businesses Plan to Invest in Websites and CRM

Despite tight budgets, ever-expanding technology, and a still-questionable economy, small business owners are willing to invest in new technologies for their companies, according to our survey. Nearly half of the respondents said they were most likely to spend money on a new website.

For those businesses, Mardy Sitzer, president and founder of Bumblebee Design & Marketing, offers three words to keep in mind:

Elasticity

Plan for a website with content that can grow or shrink independent of an outside  professional by using a CMS platform (such as Wordpress).

Connectivity

The website should be more like a sales, service, and customer service department, and less like a marketing and PR department.

Creativity

The website should be a reflection of your brand and your company, and help visitors quickly see what sets you apart from competitors.

More than a quarter of respondents indicated they are looking to invest in customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Danny Estrada, CRM practice director at Net@Work, Inc., encourages small businesses to look to the future when choosing a new CRM system. “Where do you see your business in five years?” he said. “Pick something that will grow with you. It will ultimately be a lot less expensive and less disruptive to your business.”