If you have an online business you already understand how important it is to build and engage your audience as a natural part of your marketing strategy. But, if you have a brick and mortar business, you might see little value from investing in online marketing. Unfortunately, businesses without an online presence are missing out on a huge chunk of potential sales and customers by downplaying the efficacy of the Internet.
One of the key principles of business is to be where your target audience is looking for you. And your customers are online, researching and dissecting competitor's products and services before making a purchase decision. Your business needs to be found online so that your audience can include your company in their decision making process.
An €offline' business could be:
A physical (brick and mortar) presence where you engage customers or produce your products- even if that €space€ is a home office or is a temporary setup in a business center.
A business or company that does NOT make the majority of its revenue on the Internet.
A business that conducts services on a face-to-face basis, whether in person, over the phone or through other traditional marketing efforts.
While most offline businesses may engage in some online activities, it may not be their top priority. If so, we highly recommend you reassess your marketing strategy. Here are a few reasons why:
According to the BIA/Kelsey report, 97% of consumers use online media before making local purchases.
Google Research showed that 9 out of 10 Internet searches resulted in a follow up action, such as calling or visiting the business. (While mobile searches triggered an additional action or conversion 73% of the time; and 28% of mobile searches resulted in a store visit or purchase.)
Google accounts for more than 70% of this online search traffic. That means 7 out of 10 people use the Big G to search for solutions, products & services every day.
According to a recent study conducted by Search Engine Land, 50% of small businesses' online listings are incorrect and 70% of small business owners state they do not have time to keep their online listings updated.
Statistics like these prove that many small businesses are failing to promote themselves where their audience is. Just think if you took a few minutes of your day to update your online listings in places like Yelp and Google Local, your business will have that much more edge over your competition.
Here are our five takeaways for brick and mortar businesses looking to take advantage of the Internet:
Consider Your Company Image
Without a website or online presence prospective clients will begin to wonder how serious you are about business. Today, companies of all sizes and industries are establishing a successful online presence, whether they sell products online or not.
You Can Have Internet Visibility Without a Website
By creating, updating and keeping track of your online listings it is much easier for your customers to contact you if they have questions. With much of your competition having an incorrect listing or nonexistent presence online, taking just a few minutes to fill in the data about your business in online listing databases will make your business more visible to consumers. This is another way for you to display information about your offline business such as a shipping address, hours of operation or even images of your business for prospects to see prior to making their final purchase decision. A good place to start would be Google Places, Yelp, Yahoo Local, The Internet Yellow Pages.
24- Hour Availability
A key benefit to promoting your business online is that prospects can look up information about your products or services at anytime - day or night on regular business days, holidays and weekends. Including online sign up for appointments or reservations on your website will increase conversions and also provide an added convenience of allowing them to make appointments online 24/7. Of the consumers surveyed, 19% made appointments with a local business through the business' website, that doesn't include restaurant reservations; Cornell University research shows that over half of those surveyed made restaurant reservations online.
Jump on the Social Bandwagon
If your business isn't on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn yet, it's about time you reconsidered. Just one social profile created and maintained by your company will allow you to keep connected with customers and make customer retention easier. Get social with your local community, build a following, host events, and engage with local consumers in an effort to stay top of mind.
Better Customer Support
The Internet allows you to answer questions, share product information and solve customer problems - all without taking any of your time. Create a video, product spec sheet or FAQ (frequently asked question) section once, and you can direct clients to that information for years. Not only does it save you time, but you'll be providing better service which means less phone calls with technical questions and more sales.
Take The Leap... And Put Your Business Online
With so many benefits to promoting your business online, the only real question is: €What are you waiting for?€ If you are unsure how or where to begin, give us a call today for a free marketing evaluation at (310)-754-3807.
One of the key principles of business is to be where your target audience is looking for you. And your customers are online, researching and dissecting competitor's products and services before making a purchase decision. Your business needs to be found online so that your audience can include your company in their decision making process.
An €offline' business could be:
A physical (brick and mortar) presence where you engage customers or produce your products- even if that €space€ is a home office or is a temporary setup in a business center.
A business or company that does NOT make the majority of its revenue on the Internet.
A business that conducts services on a face-to-face basis, whether in person, over the phone or through other traditional marketing efforts.
While most offline businesses may engage in some online activities, it may not be their top priority. If so, we highly recommend you reassess your marketing strategy. Here are a few reasons why:
According to the BIA/Kelsey report, 97% of consumers use online media before making local purchases.
Google Research showed that 9 out of 10 Internet searches resulted in a follow up action, such as calling or visiting the business. (While mobile searches triggered an additional action or conversion 73% of the time; and 28% of mobile searches resulted in a store visit or purchase.)
Google accounts for more than 70% of this online search traffic. That means 7 out of 10 people use the Big G to search for solutions, products & services every day.
According to a recent study conducted by Search Engine Land, 50% of small businesses' online listings are incorrect and 70% of small business owners state they do not have time to keep their online listings updated.
Statistics like these prove that many small businesses are failing to promote themselves where their audience is. Just think if you took a few minutes of your day to update your online listings in places like Yelp and Google Local, your business will have that much more edge over your competition.
Here are our five takeaways for brick and mortar businesses looking to take advantage of the Internet:
Consider Your Company Image
Without a website or online presence prospective clients will begin to wonder how serious you are about business. Today, companies of all sizes and industries are establishing a successful online presence, whether they sell products online or not.
You Can Have Internet Visibility Without a Website
By creating, updating and keeping track of your online listings it is much easier for your customers to contact you if they have questions. With much of your competition having an incorrect listing or nonexistent presence online, taking just a few minutes to fill in the data about your business in online listing databases will make your business more visible to consumers. This is another way for you to display information about your offline business such as a shipping address, hours of operation or even images of your business for prospects to see prior to making their final purchase decision. A good place to start would be Google Places, Yelp, Yahoo Local, The Internet Yellow Pages.
24- Hour Availability
A key benefit to promoting your business online is that prospects can look up information about your products or services at anytime - day or night on regular business days, holidays and weekends. Including online sign up for appointments or reservations on your website will increase conversions and also provide an added convenience of allowing them to make appointments online 24/7. Of the consumers surveyed, 19% made appointments with a local business through the business' website, that doesn't include restaurant reservations; Cornell University research shows that over half of those surveyed made restaurant reservations online.
Jump on the Social Bandwagon
If your business isn't on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn yet, it's about time you reconsidered. Just one social profile created and maintained by your company will allow you to keep connected with customers and make customer retention easier. Get social with your local community, build a following, host events, and engage with local consumers in an effort to stay top of mind.
Better Customer Support
The Internet allows you to answer questions, share product information and solve customer problems - all without taking any of your time. Create a video, product spec sheet or FAQ (frequently asked question) section once, and you can direct clients to that information for years. Not only does it save you time, but you'll be providing better service which means less phone calls with technical questions and more sales.
Take The Leap... And Put Your Business Online
With so many benefits to promoting your business online, the only real question is: €What are you waiting for?€ If you are unsure how or where to begin, give us a call today for a free marketing evaluation at (310)-754-3807.
Source...