By Ebrima A.M. Sise
Think about when there was no email; internet; mobile marketing; telecommuting; smart phones or tablets. When communications were not instantaneous. Less amounts of information move through to conduct businesses and keep correspondences between business owners, employees and clients. These were the dark days and only few businesses flourished under such conditions. Now the question is, how many businesses in the Gambia is still running their affairs and proceedings in such environments? A lot!
New ideas in technology have strengthened day-to-day activities at organisations/businesses of all sizes and shapes by helping turn small community-based businesses into global brands.
Innovativeness in technology has unleashed small start-ups from the restrictions of hardcopy newspapers when it comes to advertising their products and services. We can use Email marketing to effectively reduce cost in reaching a huge audience of clients with a newsletter or some other business updates. Since the use of smart phones is on the rise in the Gambia, businesses need to use mobile marketing to reach more people through text messaging, advertising on mobile platforms and in other eye-catching and entertaining features that comes with smart phones.
Our businesses can harness the powers and tools that comes with the internet and modern technology in the areas of marketing, research, communication, and self-development to compete with other global brands. For instance, advertising job vacancies on the Gamjobs website or using the QPower service to purchase electricity from the comfort of your living room cannot be any easier. A subscription for a job listing at Gamjobs makes your vacancy brand new all the time before the deadline elapses and guarantees a greater audience; and the QPower services helps prevent the hassles at the NAWEC branches by preventing you from waiting in long queues and also saving resources and money in the instances you have to travel to get Cash Power. Buying and selling online has become a new phenomenon for some businesses globally and we too can venture into this and make lives better.
Mobile devices have both small, medium and big business needs for vendors and employees. These gadgets are salvation mechanisms for staying in touch when on the move and keeping correspondences with clients in a more appropriate way. Our smart devices set standards with regards to accessing the Internet, email and other business platforms. Gambia, we have these devices at our fingertips and should make the best use of them to excel and compete in the global markets and make a name for ourselves. Our entrepreneurs, both young and old, should utilize the available technological resources to strap up businesses and their clients to create a more economically stable and vibrant associations/businesses/companies.
Gambian businesses need to make the best use of technology to increase productivity out of their operations and use its tools to help them get their works done more quickly and efficiently.