7 Reasons Why Your Business Should Have a Strong Online Presence

Are you one of the 36% of small businesses that don’t have a website? Do your social media profiles sit unused?

Building your internet presence is time-consuming. When you’re already keeping your business going, it can seem like one more thing you don’t have time to do.

Is building an online presence worth your time?

Keep reading to learn seven reasons why you should care about your online presence.

1. Build Trust

Consumers expect to find a professional-looking website when they search for businesses.

If your website doesn’t exist or it’s lacking in quality, it can turn away consumers. They might see it as lazy or assume your business is behind the times.

Having a reliable website with valuable content establishes you as a valid business. You can share information about your business that helps people grow trust.

You can share your policies and detailed information about your products and company. If you have a return policy that you explain on your website, consumers might feel more comfortable making a purchase.

Blogs and social media posts let you share your knowledge and experience. This gives people a reason to trust in your company.

Having a secure website is also important in building trust. When people see that you have strong site security, they feel more comfortable doing business with you.

2. Make Yourself Accessible Always

Do your customers have a way to reach you if your brick and mortar business is suddenly unavailable?

The business closures caused by COVID-19 are a prime example. Small businesses that already had an online presence could continue connecting with their customers and marketing their businesses.

Those without an online presence suddenly had no way to continue selling or reaching their clients.

Building a strong online presence now means you’re always accessible to your customers, no matter what’s happening in the world.

It also gives you a way to reach your customers 24/7, even with there’s not a pandemic happening.

When you run a brick and mortar business without an online presence, your customers can only reach you during business hours.

When you go online, they can do shopping anytime if you have an ecommerce store.

Consumers can also go to your website or social media profiles to find important information about your company.

3. Control Your Message

Whether or not you have a website and social media accounts, people are likely talking about you online.

The message they send about you could be positive or negative. Customers might leave reviews and ratings about your company on a review site. They might post about you on their own social media pages.

If you’re not online, you can’t help shape a positive image of your brand.

A business website is the best way to control your message fully. You decide what goes onto your website and how you portray yourself.

Social media profiles also help you craft a carefully branded message for your company. You’re limited to the restrictions and guidelines of each community.

The social media sites can take down any content they deem inappropriate, so you have less control over what others see to some extent.

When you’re online, you can also respond to negative feedback if it gets posted. This can help minimize potential damage to your reputation.

4. Attract Customers to You

Consumers are already online, so if you’re not there, you’re missing out on a chance to attract new customers.

When you have an SEO-friendly website, you can capture search traffic from people looking for your type of business.

Being on social media helps you attract consumers that are already on the platform regularly. Facebook boasts over 2 billion worldwide users.

Posting regularly on networks with such high numbers of users lets you expand your reach. When you create an engaging page that shows your branding, you can grow a large following of people that connect with your company’s message.

5. Share Information Easily

When your business is online, you can share information instantly.

Say the water main breaks outside your restaurant and you have to close for the day. You can post on your social media platforms and websites about the closure. If you have an email list of customers, you can send an email, too.

You can also keep consumers posted with updates on those platforms.

Online platforms allow you to share all types of information quickly.

You can create a FAQ page on your website, so you don’t have to answer the same questions all the type.

You can share flash sales and limited-time deals through your various online forums.

Without an online presence, you’re left to post information in your store or field lots of phone calls about issues.

6. Market Efficiently

Online marketing is quick, efficient, and cost-effective. You can build an online marketing campaign quickly and launch it much faster than a traditional print campaign.

Online marketing also eliminates physical distance barriers. People can find your website or social media profiles from anywhere in the world, not just the limited area where you run print ads. Billboards, signs, and other local advertising are also limited by physical distance.

Social media platforms allow your followers to help market for you. The content is easy to share, which means they can help you reach a wider audience with the click of a button.

7. Build Relationships

When consumers feel a connection with you and your brand, they’re more likely to buy from you.

Being online is an easy way to connect with consumers, those who already buy from you and those who don’t.

Social media platforms are the easiest way to connect since you can respond to comments that consumers leave.

Live videos on Instagram and Facebook also enable you to get that instant connection. Consumers can make comments or ask questions, and you can respond immediately.

Establish Your Internet Presence

Your internet presence impacts how consumers see your business. Without one, your company looks outdated and possibly untrustworthy. A strong online presence gives you a branded image and helps you reach more people.

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7 Reasons Why Your Business Should Have a Strong Online Presence Now