Most people these days realise that their business, no matter how large or small, should have some kind of online presence. Digital marketing may not be at the forefront of their thinking, but when approached on the subject, nodding heads of agreement follows. But commonly it is one of those aspects of business that is put on the back burner or in the ‘too hard’ basket. Worse still it is lumped into the “when I get around to it” business operations basket together with organising the filing cabinet or shredding those old records.

Statements such as the following are commonplace also:

“I have a website, but I really don’t think it is helping us all the much…”

“I set up a Facebook page a few months ago, but I really think social media is just a waste of time”

“Google plus? What’s that?”

With the right strategy, digital marketing will become an essential part of generating leads and greatly assisting your bottom line. In fact, I believe that within the next few years, businesses that are not engaging with their clients via online platforms will fast become a dying breed, finding it near impossible to keep up with their tech savvy competitors.

Selling your Goods in Global Marketplace

Think about this for a moment. It is estimated that right now, there are…

Around 40% of the world population has an internet connection today. In 1995, it was less than 1%.
The number of internet users has increased tenfold from 1999 to 2013.
The first billion was reached in 2005. The second billion in 2010. The third billion in 2014. (http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users/)

The main point here about being “online” is that half the world is there. Marketing is ALL about taking your business to the people who need you – your target market. Traditionally, that would mean advertising in the local newspaper, or on the radio or in magazines that your “type” of client was reading. You would set up shop in suitable suburbs with big signs in an attempt to attract your potential clients.

Today, that shopfront has gone to an online platform. Not only do you now have the ability to reach all of those people in your local suburb, you also have the ability to reach clients across the other side of the country and the world. The local marketplace is now a global marketplace and you need to be turning up with your goods. The ‘internet’ or the ‘web’ is the party a vast majority of the world is attending and you need to be there! So how do you maximise the potential this offers you?

This series of blog posts is going to help you understand the various digital platforms that can help you market your business online. So, to begin, we are going to start with:

Your Website

By now I am sure you know what a website is. A website is like your shop front. It should be a clear and professional representation of your business – who you are, what you do and how your customers can find you, purchase your products and engage your services. You can work through some of these steps yourself if you are feeling motivated, otherwise hire someone who knows what they are doing to help you (such as Forj Marketing – contact us here)

Some points to consider when setting up or re-designing your website:

1. Make it easy for people to find you. The address that people type into that window at the top of the page is called a “domain name”. This is the address that your customers will use to find your “shopfront”, that is your website. Your domain name should be as close to your business name as possible. To help you find and register a domain name you can do it yourself on a website such as Go Daddy. See here: https://www.godaddy.com
2. When designing what you want on your website, make it easy for people to find what they are looking for. The theory is: 3 clicks and you’re out. If people can’t find what they are looking for in the first 3 clicks, or few minutes, they will generally leave your website to go to your competitors. Things such as “buy now” “book now” or “contact us” should be very obvious to people. Amazon has mastered the art of this now with their “1-click-to-buy” buttons. Genius.
3. Make sure your website is mobile friendly, or better yet, designed for viewing on a mobile device. In 2017, figures suggest that more than 90 percent of internet users will access online content through their phones. (See more here) Search engines (such as Google) already rank mobile friendly websites higher than those not optimised for mobile. If people cannot view your site easily on their mobile phones or tablets, you will lose their attention. Make this a priority.
4. Have beautiful, clear and professional photos, graphics and logos. (Read this article: Invest In Photography) Remember, your website is your shop front. It needs to look professional. First impressions make all the difference here. And often you won’t get a second chance. I know myself that when I am searching for a company, the ones that look like a home job are the ones I leave immediately. You should commit a large portion of your initial marketing budget to getting this right. Hire a professional or do some extensive training yourself. This is definitely not something you should be skimping on.
5. Talk to your marketing professional about Search Engine Optimisation. We will dedicate an entire article to this a little down the track. In the mean time, just keep this in mind as being very important element in your website design – it basically helps your website get found when people are searching online.
6. Social Share buttons – Even though you might not be the type of person who likes to get on and chat, share or ‘engage’ on social media, close to 1.7 billion people today have active social media accounts
   (Read more here) . Facebook alone now claims to have over 1 billion active users daily.  Convinced? You should be. Make it easy for all these people to share your information from your website on their social media account by having easy and active “social share” buttons.
7. Social Follow buttons – once you have read all of my articles about the point of “being online”, you will see the importance of having your own social media accounts that represent your business. In the meantime, just make sure your website has these buttons.
8. Rates and Prices – I understand that not every business is able to have rates advertised easily. If you are in a service industry where quoting is usual protocol, then you can always use estimations or examples. However, if you can have set rates and prices listed for your customers to easily view, I would encourage you to do this. Websites can also be designed as “ecommerce” sites so that your customers can not only see your rates, but actually pay for your services or products there and then. Creating this ease at the point of sale will more often than not “seal the deal”. People are busy these days, and majority of online shopping purchase decisions are made impulsively. The other principle here is that your customers can shop when they want to – not just when you are at your desk.
9. Reviews and comments – This is not an essential element but it allows your happy customers to spread the good word for you, and encourages your future customers to trust your company with their time and money. The positive influence of open review processes is showcased in the travel industry. Sites such as Trip Advisor, and more recently Hey Lets (check it out here – its great!) have taken “word of mouth” marketing to the extreme and these review platforms have become essential steps in the decision making process for a vast majority of travellers today. Transparency in business is an essential part of business in the age of technology. Encouraging reviews are a large part of this.
10. Set up your own blog. Search engines rank content rich sites over those that are not. Regular blog posts will help your site appear organic and constantly evolving. Apart from that, blogs (or online articles if you like) also help you to connect with you customers by telling more of your story. People like to support businesses that they know or feel somehow connected to. Stay tuned for more on this too.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Or if you need some help setting up your business website, please email me at sharni@forjm.com.