Take command of your online presence
The internet is a hugely important part of modern life. Everyone uses it and everyone is using it more and more as time goes by. The importance of the internet is rising with time. This makes it a hugely important tool for small businesses, especially retailers. Not just ecommerce retailers either; anyone can grow their business online. It’s a great way to reach out to the modern consumer, on your website or social media platforms, and keep them engaged with your brand.
The internet is filled with millions of people who search for things related to you and your products. They’re searching to find someone who’ll connect them with the products they want to buy. Even if you don’t sell those products online, by putting your shop out there you’re letting consumers know you’re there. You’re making yourself discoverable. And discovery is the first step to seeing your footfall rise.
Create Business Profiles on Social Media and Google
This is a pretty simple step toward taking command of your online presence, but it makes a huge difference. Shoppers are searching for you. They’re searching on google for your products, they’re checking google maps for shops like yours, they’re looking for your shop on social media. Shoppers are searching for you, but unless you put your shop on the map, how will they find you?
Having a website is a great way to make yourself discoverable. But even outside of that, if you have social media profiles for your business you can be discovered on google, as well as on the platform you made the profile for. Setting up a google ‘my business’ account can also get you found on google maps, which is a huge step toward getting discovered by customers who haven’t heard of you before, who are looking for the nearest shop that sells the products they’re looking to buy.
Be Active
Just having an online presence is a big step in the right direction. Though if you really want to make the most of it, you need to stay active online. You need to show customers that you’re active on social media to encourage them to engage with you. No one wants to take the time to post to a derelict page that hasn’t been active since it was created. By taking the time to post about your shop on your social profiles, you can increase your reach and engage your existing fans.
And if you don’t do it…
Well, funnily enough, if you don’t do it someone else will actually do it for you. But, believe me, you don’t want that. Why? Because if you don’t take command of your online presence, other people will be able to take control. They’ll control how your shop is perceived online. If you don’t have a facebook profile, and someone posts about how upset they were with your products, not only are you unable to reply, but that unhappy post will also be the only thing anyone can find about you on facebook. People are going to talk about you online and if you want to be part of the conversation, you have to take command of your online presence.
It’s the same for google too. If you don’t create a ‘my business’ profile, someone else might add your shop to google maps. And they might get things wrong. Important things, like your address or shop name. Things that customers need to know if they’re going to visit your shop.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about how to take command of your online presence.
