Unless your local business is situated in a time warp dated back to 1980, you need to have a pronounced online presence.
At CSD Marketing, we have reinvigorated our work toward and support of local businesses and their online efforts.
In this blog, we remind you of the elements you need to reemphasize in order to increase your business traffic both online and at your location (assuming you have a brick-and-mortar store).
It may feel as if this is a never-ending concern, and that’s because it is! While it is indeed possible to over-complicate your website with frequent changes, you do not want your website to go stale. The consumer public wants clean, easy-to-use, easy-to-access product pages or product information. They also want updates when you have something new to offer.
If you are looking for advice on how to keep your website fresh and pleasantly accessible, talk to us.
There are websites built to provide a forum for consumers to compliment or complain about service or product providers.
If you have a pleased client, it is not inappropriate to request that they post their positive experience on a social media website or product review site. While some customers may be uninterested in offering their opinions to others, some may find it enjoyable to let like-minded consumers know that they’ve uncovered a well-kept secret, or that they’ve found a diamond in the rough.
You want to avoid receiving negative reviews, obviously, but you can manage those reviews and turn them into feel-good experiences for the consumer. Make contact with a customer or client who has expressed a negative point of view. See if their complaints are valid, and if they can be turned around with a thoughtful response or solution to the problem. The power of a bad review turned good is just as strong as the power of a good review from the start.
What is your business? Surfboards for squirrels, you say? Google “best surfboards for squirrels” and see what comes up. There are going to be directories that offer consumers the best place to get a surfboard for a squirrel, and you want to have your business listed there.
If you do an internet search for the product or service you offer, see what websites appear on the first few page listings. If there are directories for finding your product or service, make certain you are in that directory. If you are not, contact that directory operator and get listed.
That’s how people shop today (at least, if they want to go beyond the Amazon search).
If you worry that your social media feeds are too active, that your business is posting too often on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or elsewhere, you are probably wrong about that.
Consumers do ignore most of the social media product pitches they receive on their social media feeds. However, when they make a purchase, they often do so because of a social media post that sparks their interest.
You do not know which of your social media pitches is going to hit home with a potential client. But you do know that you have a product or service that others have found useful or valuable, and the best way to find more such customers is to display your wares. Social media feeds are the way to do that.
Find a balance that you like in terms of frequency. If you lead with value, people usually won’t mind receiving frequent messages from you. If they find themselves not wanting the content, they probably aren’t the right fit for your business.
How we can help
When CSD Marketing started up, we were a small firm. We needed help from others who work to create a thriving commercial environment for small businesses and their entrepreneurial owners.
Now, we are the ones who offer assistance to other small businesses and start-ups.
Whether your business is struggling or thriving, we can help you improve on your performance. Contact us so we can engage with you about what your company needs to continue your climb up the commercial ladder.
