Every year technology, and especially internet technology, becomes more ingrained in how we move through our daily lives – and how we do business. As our world becomes more technologically complex, businesses have to adapt and evolve in order to stay current and serve their clients and customers safely, efficiently, and profitably.
But how can a business stay on top of fast-moving technology when it has to focus on its core products or services? Enter the tech partner.
What Exactly Is a Tech Partner?
A tech partner is an agency that specializes in various areas of technology and develops longer term relationships with client businesses to implement, manage, monitor, and optimize tech-based systems, which can often include websites or other web platforms, third-party tech services, and even a company’s overall web presence.
The Advantages of Hiring a Long-Term Tech Partner
Working with one tech agency over time offers myriad advantages and is the best way forward for long-term success. In today’s world of buzzwords and “hot new tech”, it can be easy to be led astray from a solid path toward longer term goals. But the reality is that any new business technology worth taking on is still built upon a foundation of core business principles that haven’t changed much in very many decades. A tech partner can help you discern the value of new tech and allow you to keep your focus on your company’s day-to-day management.
Among the many advantages of working with a long-term tech partner are the following:
- The tech partner has a thorough understanding of your company’s platforms and digital presence.
- The tech partner builds a keen familiarity with your customer base and what compels them.
- A long-term familiarity with your staff and company culture is developed.
- Valuable company specific experience builds with each new success.
- Honest help in assessing the value of third-party services.
- The focus is on long-term goals rather than more expensive and less sustainable short term results.
Case Study: HANDS of Central Florida
The mission of HANDS of Central Florida is to increase affordable housing and help families find homes. Blink;Tech began working with HANDS in 2006 when we were brought in to overhaul the HANDS website and come up with a system to help alleviate their inefficient, phone-based operation. They were also facing pressure from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to move to digital systems that would allow for more efficient data communication. Basically, this was a complete overhaul of the entire HANDS system.
When we came on board, our first order of business was developing a custom web application that would register incoming clients, lessening the burden on HANDS staff. Next, we worked with HUD to implement a new digital communications system that automatically compiled critical reporting that had before taken days to put together.
Over the years, we have worked closely with the organization to continually tweak the interface between clients and staff, always moving toward a more seamless experience for the client and a more efficient workflow for the staff. We also have been there behind the scenes helping HANDS manage its huge client base and making sure they could respond quickly to changes in the industry.
Today, HANDS is a model for housing agencies all over the country and without the close, trusting, long-term relationship with Blink;Tech, we couldn’t have helped them reach this success.
Case Study: The Granite Place. Inc.
The Granite Place came to us in 2018 needing to update their website to refresh the look and to better reflect their then current level of business. At the time, The Granite Place had only one location in Sarasota, Florida, but looked to us to help them grow their business enough to try to open a second location in St. Petersburg, Florida.
We proposed that they consider blogging as a way to grow their presence organically online. This is a strategy that has very little short term payoff, but over the course of several years can produce incredible results if the blogs are compelling and formatted correctly for organic search. In the meantime, we proposed leveraging paid search and social media advertising to increase both traffic and conversions, basically giving them both a long and short game.
Trust is without a doubt the most important aspect of any relationship and so it is with relationships between businesses and tech partners. The Granite Place trusted us to plug away at producing blogs for them with little sign of any results at first, but now, only three short years later, their organic web traffic has increased nearly twelve times what they started with! They were able to not only open that second location in St.Pete, but are now expanding into Orlando and Ft. Myers.
Throughout our relationship with The Granite Place, we never asked or encouraged them to raise their paid advertising budget, and today, by far the vast majority of their web traffic comes organically. Honestly, we here at Blink;Tech are not experts on granite countertops, just as a granite countertop business is not an expert at internet marketing. But together, with trust and great communication, we were able to not only achieve their goals, but surpass them in a way that is both sustainable and economical. And we are excited to be at their side as they continue to grow throughout Florida and, maybe one day, the entire U.S.
If your business is struggling or stagnant, or you just need help to reach a new goal, partnering with a tech firm is your best and most affordable way to get on track for that sustainable, long-term success that is essential to grow a business to it’s true potential. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’d like to learn more about tech partnerships and what we can do for your business.
