The word "digitisation" sounds bigger than it is
Every time someone says "your business needs to go digital", it sounds like they're telling you to build an Amazon. It's not that. Digitising a small business is much simpler than it seems. Sometimes it's as simple as your customers seeing your menu on their phone instead of on a laminated sheet of paper.
The problem is there's a lot of noise. Agencies trying to sell you expensive websites, social media courses promising miracles, influencers telling you you're dead without TikTok. And meanwhile, you've got a business to run.
What actually makes a difference
After seeing hundreds of small businesses try to make the leap, there are three things that genuinely work:
1. Being easy to find
Google Business Profile is free and it's the first thing you should set up. When someone searches "hairdresser near me", you want to show up. With your address, phone number, photos, and updated hours.
That alone puts you ahead of half the businesses in your area.
2. Making contact effortless
How many potential customers do you lose because someone wanted to book at 11pm and couldn't? People want to sort things out when it suits them, not when you happen to have your phone handy.
An online booking system, a catalogue accessible from mobile, a direct WhatsApp link… anything that removes friction between "I want this" and "I've got it".
3. Getting them to come back
This is where having your own app makes the difference. Social media is great for attracting new people, but for keeping the ones who already know you, nothing works better than being on their home screen.
Think about the difference between a customer who has to Google you every time and one who opens your app directly. The second one is coming back more often, guaranteed.
Where to actually start
If you don't have anything digital, start with Google Business Profile. It's free and takes fifteen minutes.
If you already have that, the next step is having your own space where customers can see what you offer and get in touch. It doesn't need to be a €3,000 website. A simple app with your information, products, and a booking system is more than enough.
And if you already have all of that, then yes, you can think about social media, online advertising, and the rest. But first things first.
A mistake that keeps repeating
The most common mistake we see is trying to do everything at once: new website, social media, paid ads, email marketing… and ending up doing nothing well because there's neither time nor budget for all of it.
Better to do little, but do it well. One step at a time. And make sure each step gives you a real result you can see in your day-to-day.