There are around 30.7 million small businesses in the U.S. Forty-two percent fail because of a lack of demand in the market.
When the pandemic struck the country, more than 60 percent of small businesses were closed. Despite the advancement of digital technology, most small businesses rely on traditional methods of advertising since they do not conduct their business online.
People nowadays expect to see you online. If you do not put your business out there in the digital market, you might lose the opportunity to boost your customer base and earn more money.
Whatever industry you are in, having a digital presence is not just about selling your service or product online. It is also about expanding your business and engaging more people.
Why Boost Your Digital Presence?
There are several reasons why increasing your business’s digital presence is vital: to establish authority, increase brand awareness, make your business accessible for customers, and build strong customer service.
To Establish Authority
Using your digital presence effectively, whether through an eCommerce platform or social media, can make your business an authority in your industry. With just a few simple clicks, you can showcase your products or services and explain why yours are better than those of your competitors.
To Increase Brand Awareness
Physical stores are open just 8 to 12 hours per day, with most closed during Saturdays or Sundays. With this in mind, your business is missing out on a lot of opportunities to sell products or services and provide information to customers and potential ones.
Putting your business online offers an avenue to market your business 24/7, even overcoming distance barriers.
To Make Your Business Accessible for Customers
Depending on what they want to purchase, most customers still prefer to shop in person. Nonetheless, the Internet makes it more convenient for people to search for products or services online, find the best store nearby, and learn more information such as hours of operation and directions to the business.
Having a digital presence gives you a competitive edge.
To Build a Strong Customer Service
Businesses nowadays are not just keen on earning more money but also in relating more to their audience. Having an online presence allows your customers and potential ones to interact with you on a more personal level, thus making your business more “human” and relatable.
Furthermore, it gives you additional insight into the persona of your customers, and you can use this feedback as leverage for your business success.
How to Boost Your Digital Presence
Now that we have established the fact that a strong digital presence is essential for the success of your small business, here are three strategies to boost yours:
Using Social Media Platforms
Recent statistics show that more than half of the world’s population are social media users. With the outbreak of the coronavirus, the number of hours spent by users increased, as people are finding ways to entertain themselves. You can increase your digital presence by using different social media outlets.
Most businesses now have Facebook profiles. Nevertheless, other social media platforms are also great avenues to market your products or services online. The best examples are Instagram and Snapchat. These outlets are great for photos and video snippets.
Engaging in Press Release Campaigns
A good press release is another way to increase market reach. However, the traditional method of issuing press releases, such as utilizing newspapers, magazines, television, and radio stations are no longer as effective as they were 10 years ago, as people are now more reliant on the Internet for information.
Hiring a tech PR firm is an effective way to broaden your digital presence and market reach in a more cost-efficient manner than relying on traditional press releases. Moreover, tech PR firms are more knowledgeable of niche industries than traditional ones.
Website Optimization
Web optimization is another great way to increase the digital presence of your business. It increases traffic, it is a cost-effective marketing strategy, and it increases brand awareness. Nonetheless, a surprising number of small companies do not have a website.
However, since most consumers now rely on search engines when looking for products or services online, having no website is a significant oversight for business owners. Though social media platforms are great outlets for increasing your digital presence, you have less control over technical aspects since algorithms change over time.
The increased digital presence of your business is essential to surviving not just this pandemic but the ever-changing tide of marketing trends. As an entrepreneur, you should be open to change.
