Your online presence is a direct reflection on your real-world business.
If your small business is growing, your Website has to grow along with it.
Letting one trail behind the other is tantamount to leaving money on the table. Yet many small-business owners don’t understand the importance of their digital initiative. Businesses that understand how to approach their online program will be better poised to compete and thrive.
There are simple things small-business owners can do to get started —practical moves any small-business owner can make that won’t overwhelm already busy managers and that also won’t break the bank to put them into place.
Linking Your Offline and Online Worlds
Strategies for keeping your digital presence on track with your “real world” success don’t have to blow up your budget. Digitally speaking, much of what makes sense for small-business owners is closely aligned with what you probably already think about your brick-and-mortar operations. Consider the following for linking offline growth with success online:
- Do start with your Website. Keep your digital storefront as fresh to the eye as your shop is to your visiting customers. Update it in noticeable, meaningful ways on a bi-weekly basis. One way to approach this is to think about your audience: Who are your customers and your potential clients? What problems do they have that you can help solve?
- Don’t neglect the power of search. Recent research reveals only 28 percent of small businesses are happy with their company’s Google rankings. Search not only has a big impact on reaching your customers, but it can give you valuable insight into how they’re finding you and what other stores and terms of sale they’re looking at online. Start examining the search data that surrounds your business by opening a free Google Analytics account.
- Do take it social. Customers engage with brands online. So establish and maintain your business profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms. Remember to keep up with them after getting started; otherwise you risk losing the chance to thank a customer who thinks you’ve done well—or to solve a problem for someone who might have a concern.
- Do reward the loyal. Repeat business is fueled by a smart rewards program, which can help you better compete with larger businesses. Bringing your program into the digital space, and rewarding customers who comment, post, review and otherwise help you grow, is just the ticket. The sense of being part of an appreciated community will help create increased enthusiasm among your customers—and enthusiastic customers often choose their favorite business’s products first.
- Don’t disregard the power of an app. Many small businesses neglect to take their digital presence into the app landscape. With an app, you can easily inform your customers about discounts, deals and exclusive offers in new and direct ways.