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Local businesses in the United States and around the world are currently at risk. These companies have faced significant challenges as other big companies in Silicon Valley have taken over their businesses. For example, many local furniture stores have been disrupted by Wayfair, an online company that has a large catalogue of products. It ships products at almost no cost. Small auto dealerships are facing competition from the likes of Carvana, an online company that charges no shipping cost. Amazon has also taken market share from many businesses. In this article, we will look at some of the best ways in which local businesses can remain relevant.

Embrace Technology

First, small local businesses need to realize that the world is changing. They need to realize that gone are the days when people used to only use local stores to find products. Today, most people are going online, comparing prices, and buying from the leading online stores. As such, local companies need to follow customers where they are. They need to embrace technology by following several steps.

First, they need to have a website. A website is an online platform that allows small companies to share their information and location. It also enables these companies to sell their products. Operating without a good functional website is the biggest mistake that companies can do. Fortunately, it is very easy to have a website. There are many website building companies, which has helped lower the price of building a site. Also, there are several content management systems like WordPress, Wix, and Weebly that enable anyone to build a website within minutes. A company like Shopify enables anyone to build an active e-commerce platform easily.

Search Engine Optimization

Second, a website is not enough. In fact, a website that is not optimized can be said to be useless. It will not help you in anything. As such, you need to ensure that your website has been optimized for search engines. This small thing will help your website to be ranked high on search engines. It will also ensure that you have a better brand to compete with the big companies. Having a deal with a good SoftwareCy company will help you achieve this goal.

Partner with Silicon Valley Start-ups

A common mistake we see is that many local companies is that they shun new trends. A good way to compete is to partner with the many start-ups that are coming up. For example, one of the biggest parts of Amazon is its marketplace. This is where it allows local companies and other suppliers to list their products. After doing this, they will be selling on one of the biggest companies in the world. While these companies will take a commission from you, the reality is that you will do better by having more sales.

Change Business Models

Many local businesses have remained being complacent. They have operated using a singular business model for so long that they are not willing to change. For example, we know many furniture sellers who are not ready to shift to selling their wares online. Most of these small companies will be out of business because millennials and the younger generation use various methods of buying.

Finally, these small companies need to invest on new methods of marketing. In the past, concepts like mail and newspaper advertising was a common practice among many small companies. This has changed today and most companies are using online and influencer marketing to succeed.

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