Research shows that around 97 percent of customers use the Internet when looking for a local business. If you are not online, you are missing potential customers. A strong online presence is at the heart of any modern marketing strategy. It doesn’t matter the size of your business or the industry you work in.
How Online Marketing Can Reinforce Your Brand
Online marketing is a must for successful outbound marketing. It adds authority to your brand and helps you show your wares to potential clients.
People link having a website with having a legitimate business. A potential client may hear from you. Before they feel comfortable reaching out to you, they are going to check your web presence to see how your service is being portrayed. If they feel comfortable with how your service is being portrayed, they may become a customer.
A strong web presence helps with inbound marketing. Social media and a well-optimized website can attract customers even if these customers have never heard about your brand. Building an online presence is an art and science. It’s not just throwing up a website or creating a social media page. Your efforts need to be targeted based on your industry and the online habits and behaviors of your customers.
Designing Your Website
Regardless of the size of your business, you should have a website. Your website can be basic, but it will give existing and potential customers information about your business.
For example, if you own a restaurant, a customer may want to dine in or order out. A simple website should contain a menu, hours of operation, location, and contact information. If a customer cannot find these basic details, they are less likely to visit a restaurant. It would be a shame for your business to lose customers over something that you can fix easily and for little cost.
There are several tools that you can use to build a website. If you have zero experience and want an attractive yet easy to build a website, you may consider a website builder like Wix. If you have a little tech knowledge and want more freedom in your design, you might consider a CMS like WordPress. If you don’t want to worry about the design or tech aspects, there are several reputable web design companies that can do the job.
Should You Build an App for Your Business?
There are several substantial reasons to build an app for your business. A well-designed app will improve your customer’s experience. It can lead to increased sales. And it can help you to compete against other businesses that have an app.
However, the million-dollar question is, how do you make an app? Thankfully, there is quality guidance on the topic online. You will find that building an app is divided into three categories. There is the predevelopment, where you define your goals, the development, where you take your goals and apply the necessary technology to them, and the post-launch, where you evaluate customer’s interactions with your product and then tweak it to provide improved service.
Mobile apps can help you offer your service to your clients in a more efficient way. This will save you money and time. A good app will improve communication between you, your employees, and your customers.
An Effective Approach to Social Media
Social media improves your ability to generate revenue through customer loyalty. Modern customers want to engage with businesses where they spend their money. They want to ask questions, raise complaints, and provide positive feedback.
There are several social media channels available. Not all of them apply to your business. You need to ask yourself, where are most of my potential clients online? Facebook and Twitter are good places for just about any business to start with social media.
From there, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and others may allow you to reach certain groups within your target audience. Once you have decided on the social media channel you are going to use, create compelling and engaging content that builds loyalty, promotes your brand, and appeals to those interested in positive social activity.
Conclusion
Digital marketing is only going to become more influential in the upcoming years. Businesses that do not take online marketing seriously will soon find themselves so far behind their competition it will be impossible to catch up.
Samantha Higgins is a professional writer with a passion for research, observation, and innovation. She is nurturing a growing family of twin boys in Portland, Oregon with her husband. She loves kayaking and reading creative non-fiction.
