Having a reputation as a trustworthy business has benefits. For one, customers prefer reliable businesses. Today, however, consumer behavior is changing. More people are spending time online.
According to Marketing Charts, digital media takes up 57.5% of people’s time daily. This has a ripple effect. Consumers can easily search for businesses online because of their time spent in front of a mobile screen. With the pandemic, this behavior has been accelerated. Everybody prefers to stay home and keep away from the risk of getting the coronavirus.
If you’re a small business, this is the perfect time to create a name for yourself online. Aside from an increasing preference for online buying, consumers are now conscious of the sources of the products they’re supporting. Many want to buy from small, local businesses.
Having an online presence can help your potential customers to reach you. In the end, what they see will help them with their purchasing decision. Below are a few tips on how you can increase your company’s online presence.
Create a Website
Most businesses today start building their online presence through social media. Many, however, forgot the importance of an efficient website. Because of the digital age, potential customers find it more convenient to visit a website than a physical store. In other words, it is your digital location.
An efficient website can be achieved with professional help. Get only the best in web design from experts. They can help you build an optimized website that’s attuned to your customer’s and business needs.
An efficient website should be modern and attractive. It should include complete details about your company’s contact information. Your social media badges, together with security seals, should be displayed on your website as well. It must also contain everything your customers want to know about your products and services.
Most importantly, have a responsive and optimized website. This allows customers to view your website on any mobile device.
Build Business-Oriented Social Media Profiles and Pages
Being on social media is a necessity for businesses today. Social media has more than 3.6 billion users. While you can’t reach all of them, your business can be more profitable if you get a slice of the big pie.
The key to building a reputable presence on social media, you have to choose the right platforms. This depends on what kind of products or services you offer. If you have an online store, choose platforms that showcase your products. Pinterest and Instagram are great options. If you offer business courses, pick profiles that will promote your expertise. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are preferable for you.
When choosing a platform, it’s also important to consider your target market and market goals. Facebook, for example, targets a demographic of 25 to 34-year-old individuals of all gender. It is best used for building brand loyalty. YouTube, meanwhile, is targeted at people of all ages and genders. It is best used for lead generation and brand awareness.
Build Customer Engagement
Once you have a website and several social media profiles, your next step is to engage with your customers. It’s a strategic move that can help market your business. It can also generate leads.
Customer engagement can be increased through selective posting. This means that you customize your social media posts according to your target market. After doing that, choose which topics will gather the most traction. You can base your future posts on these topics.
Increasing shareability also contributes to increased customer engagement. Your post must be compelling enough to encourage your followers to share it. According to Facebook Business, adding call-to-actions (ask people to comment or share your post) and visuals (captivating images or entertaining videos) to your post can make them compelling.
Another way to boost engagement is by responding quickly to customer inquiries and reacting to their comments. Remember, speed matters.
Get Listed
Google Business and Facebook Business allow companies, from small to large corporations, to get listed in their online directories. Their listings enable your business to appear in many places online. This generates more traffic to your website as a result. It also enables you to target your audience more efficiently. Other popular online directories include Yelp, Foursquare, and Bing.
Be Updated
Aiming for an online presence means you have to maintain it. When business owners become busy with their other tasks, they often forget to update their website and social media profiles. Don’t be like them. Be a responsible business owner. If a solid online reputation is maintained well, you can raise brand awareness better. You can reach more customers and increase your target profit.
