In the digital age, if you do not have an online presence, you might as well be invisible. Whether you have a brick-and-mortar store to run, offer essential services, or simply make and sell handmade crafts, without an online presence, you are likely losing out on thousands of potential customers. And yet, some business owners still assume that they do not need an online presence.Â
You need to invest in digital marketing for your business to reach your audience and to make your business more accessible and visible for consumers. Think about this: when you need to make a purchase, whether it is online or from a physical store, and you need to find out if the establishment is open…you go onto Google and type in the name of the store. This will bring up all of the information about the business, such as opening hours, products and more. But if the business you are looking for does not appear in any search results, you will probably turn to another business for your needs.Â
Still not convinced? Below we look at why every business should be online.Â
Customers Can Find You
A major benefit of digital marketing and building your online presence is that customers will be able to find you easily. Today, if anyone wants information about a company, they are likely doing their research online, either on a computer or a mobile device. Having an online presence will help to ensure that you are found online and that your customers will not have to put in a large amount of effort to find you.Â
If customers need to put in too much effort to find you online, the case might be that they move on to using your competitors to meet their needs. Using digital marketing and search engine optimisation techniques will help to improve your online presence and ensure that your business appears in search results for your chosen keywords. This makes it easier to be found and more likely to be used by consumers.Â
Improve Company Image
In today’s world, if you do not have a company website or even just a Facebook page for your business, people will see this as you not taking your business seriously. If you do not appear in online searches and rely solely on word-of-mouth marketing, your audience will see this as being slightly old-fashioned and difficult to deal with.Â
Without an online presence, you cannot expect prospective customers to take you seriously, especially in an age when using social media is so simple and has become second nature to many people. You will be able to improve your company image by building an online presence and you can show consumers that you take your business seriously and are in tune with the modern world.
Build Consumer Trust
When a consumer can find a business online, there is a level of trust that is established between them and the brand. This is because a website, blog, or social media channel enables consumers to leave reviews about your products or services. Being able to read through these reviews helps to build and maintain trust in your business and allows you to answer any complaints or queries quickly and effectively.Â
If you have positive reviews on Google or on Facebook, this will improve your online presence and make your business appear more trustworthy to your audience. You can also use negative reviews to your advantage if you answer the consumer correctly and resolve the issue in a calm and collected manner. This will show other customers that you are respectful and willing to help, furthering their trust in your brand.Â
Maintain Customer Relationships
Being online and making use of digital marketing can help your business to create and nurture customer relationships. Take social media, for example. Social media is geared towards building relationships, and you can leverage this to your advantage for your business. You can use Facebook or even Instagram to make your company seem more “human†and use your website to provide entertaining content for consumers to enjoy.Â
Conversely, being online and having an online presence allows you to get to know your customers, which can help you to improve your product and service offerings. If your customers are online, but you are not, there is no way that you can maintain this relationship. You are not able to reach them on the platforms they use the most, and so cannot see what they are saying or thinking about your brand.Â
Improve Customer Support
Offering only a call centre as your point-of-contact with your business can be hugely detrimental in a world where almost everyone is online and digital. Being online allows you to answer questions, provide support, and provide solutions to problems instantaneously, without your customers needing to wait for someone to answer the phone.Â
You can create content such as videos, webinars, and even ebooks to share on your website and social media to help customers and answer their questions. No matter what niche your business falls into, going online is always a good idea. If you would like help in building your online presence, speak to NetMechanic today to find out how we can help you. Â
