Having a good, well-established online presence is highly beneficial whether you’re a professional, a local business or a global corporation. For local businesses, online presence is actually more important than ever. For starters, everyone now searches for the things they need online. Being able to tap into that search traffic and allowing your business to be found easily will bring a lot more customers to your doorstep.
On top of that, there are several other reasons why every local business needs an online presence.
It’s Easier Than Ever!
A few years ago, building and maintaining online presence was a bit of a challenge. Today, however, the process is much easier to complete than you think. You start by creating a good website for your business. Choose a country-specific domain name and add local information (i.e. your address and phone number) to your site.
You can then use a good marketing automation software to start tracking important aspects of the site. The keywords users use to find your site, the kind of traffic you’re getting and other information can be used to optimize the site even further.
The site should act as the anchor of your online presence. Next, you need to set up a Google Business Page and add your business to other similar directories. Once completed, your business will start appearing on Google Maps searches and customers will be able to find you easily.
The last piece of the puzzle is social media. Set up social media pages for your business and you can start promoting yourself to other users. You can even interact with customers (and potential customers) directly on the available social networks.
More and More Customers
As mentioned earlier, almost everyone searches for the things they need online. By targeting the right sets of keywords, you can allow your business to be discovered by potential customers. If you’re selling imported or rare books in New York City, for example, targeting highly searched book titles and the more generic “rare book shop in New York” or similar keywords will help customers find you online.
It doesn’t stop there either. Customers can then get information on your actual location. A tap on the screen and they can book an Uber directly from Google Maps. Before you know it, they’ll be on your store, looking for the book they have been after for months.
Online presence makes it very easy for customers to get to your business. In today’s world, convenience is a very valuable currency. The easier customers can find you, the more likely they will come for a visit. You can also offer your products and services online, which makes the entire purchase even more convenient for customers.
You can even track dropped or abandoned carts with a marketing automation hub when you’re selling your products and services online. Increasing conversions and getting more sales online will be a breeze with the right tools at your disposal.
Connect on a Personal Level
Building an online presence is more than just about creating a strong brand. Your brand matters, but it is more important to build a strong relationship with customers on a personal level. Once the relationship is built, it would be easier to keep them coming back for more.
This is where social media comes in handy. On social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, you can interact with your customers directly. The more you do, the more they will recognize you as a friendly, deeply personalized business. The rest is downhill from there.
Another benefit of having a strong online presence is credibility. First, you can build a reputation for your business. You can get more customers when they know they can count on you, your brand and your products.
Second of all, you can manage that credibility easily. Online review sites and directories such as Google Business Page and Yelp are great places to hear what your customers think about your business. Take the time to respond to reviews and be sure to handle complaints in a timely manner. There will be one or two negative reviews even when you have tried your best to be perfect, but these complaints – when handled correctly – can actually help boost your credibility even further.
These three reasons why your local business needs a strong online presence are in fact valuable to the growth of the business itself. A lot of local businesses are enjoying these benefits and getting that extra edge over their competition. You too can get started with building an online presence today.
