Many small businesses believe that all that is required to get their business online is to set up a functioning website. While this is an important step toward getting your business online, it is by no means sufficient. To truly get your business online in this day and age, you need a comprehensive online presence.
Be on a smartphone.
After setting up your website, you need to ensure that it is present across all devices and relevant social networking and online platforms. For instance, if you get a website for your business online but do not ensure that it renders well on mobile devices, can you truly in good faith say that your is reaching all online users?
Today, 50% of consumers use their mobile devices to search online. Enabling mobile publishing on your site is crucial for truly getting your business online so that customers can interact with your brand across multiple devices.
Choose your network.
Another important step in getting a comprehensive online presence for your business is ensuring that you have a presence on for major social networking and online platforms. As a small business, one of the most powerful tools you have in your arsenal is the ability to grow your business through social media.
Setting up a strong online presence for your business on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn is very important as it enables you have conversations with customers on sites where they spend a strong majority of their time online, then drive them from social to your website. This article can help you create a content calendar for social media.
Don’t make the mistake that some businesses do and have a social media presence without having a website. Credible businesses must have a website, a central hub for visitors to read and learn about you and your offering – an entity that you own. Social media can only do so much, especially when you don’t actually own the content on your social network.
Talk to your customer list.
Lastly, it is important that your business has conversations with your customers through email marketing. As a small business, email marketing is a powerful tool that can help you target messages specifically for your loyal customers who have opted in to hear more from you.
You can send them discounts, promotional codes or simply send them tips and advice for their day-to-day lives in a way that helps you deepen your relationship with them and increase the level of trust between you and your customers. Email marketing services such as ConstantContact and MailChimp can help you in your email marketing journey. It is important to prioritize email marketing as you look to connect with your customers online.
All in all, all these online channels contribute toward creating a comprehensive online presence for your business so that your business stays top of mind with your customers online.
What are your thoughts? Have you invested in creating an online presence for your business? How have you seen it help customers find you more easily and stay loyal to your business? Share your experience with us in the comments.