Stephen Hawkings said, “We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.” This statement is true because most of us spend so much of our time on the internet researching, reading, playing, socializing, and connecting. If you earnestly desire for your local business to do well, it is crucial for you to have a strong presence online. It is the only way you can take your enterprise to the next level.
Benefits Your Local Business Will Enjoy
Around 35 million people have access to the internet in Canada. Since most people are spending most of their time on the internet, you are going to miss out bigtime if you cannot make an impact now.
Increase Your Accessibility: 59% of small and midsize businesses (SMB) or small business owners do not have a website, even though they know it can make a difference. For example, if someone wants to purchase a product online, they want to do it instantaneously through an online store. A website is not a brick and mortar store that closes sharply at 6 p.m. It operates beyond the regular office hours and will bring in leads 24/7.
Establish Credibility: People do not trust companies that do not have a presence online. You should ensure that your business has a Facebook Business Page, a website or a Yelp review to earn the trust of prospects and existing clients.
Get More Leads: After all is said and done, this is the prime goal of any business. Generating leads is only possible only when you have an excellent website, contact forms, social media profile, and email marketing campaigns.
Here are the five ways to promote your local business online:
1. Create an Excellent Website
Many people think that creating a website on WordPress is good enough to get traffic and sales leads. And, there are amateur developers out there that take advantage of the business owners that do not understand the importance of having a website that is search-engine friendly. Here are a few factors that play a significant role when developing a website:
Design of the Website: It is crucial for your website to have an excellent design if you want to attract people. The first impression does matter. You should also ensure that the site is search engine friendly apart from following the standards of the industry.
Mobile Responsive Site: 70% of the population in Canada have mobile devices. It is crucial, therefore, for you to invest your money in getting a mobile responsive site so that people have a seamless experience on your website on any of the devices that they use.
Use an Opt-In Form to Capture Leads: An Opt-In form is different from the Contact Us form which usually found in the Contact Us page, where people can fill out their name and email to submit an inquiry to you. The inquiry can be anything. Most often, people are soliciting their own services. An Opt-In Box has a specific purpose. People fill out the form with name, email address, and/or phone # in order to get a quote, free consultation, free eBook, etc.
But, when you have an Opt-In form, you will get qualified queries and leads. You will have all the information that is necessary about a prospect so that you can reach out to them personally.
It is crucial for you to place an Opt-In form tactfully on the website, so it looks appealing and not irritating. You should plan on putting it as a slide-in or pop up box on one or more pages of the website. Some prefer to place it at the end of the ‘About Us’ page.
XIN BO Roofing did suffer a lot initially even though they had a website. They did not get the leads they desired because they did not optimize the website. Later, they collaborated with us, we at Noah Digital helped in building a new website and optimized it. As a result, there was a steep rise in conversions. It bumped from 0 to 60 in a single month.
2. Google My Business Page
Setting a GMB page is simple and is not as complex as many people presume it to be. After setting it up, you should work on optimizing the page if you desire to generate leads. Google is the new homepage for local businesses. Thus, if you have accurate information on the GMB, you can reach out to a lot of people. Your credibility increases when you provide information such as phone number, email and office address.
Your potential customers will know when you open or close the store. They will know the distance to your office and the route they need to take if they want to come to your store. Google is keen on ranking businesses that are local higher than those companies that are away from a particular region or city.
3. Focus On Citation Building
In a nutshell, a citation is nothing but the mention of your business on other websites. Your company has so much of an advantage if blog posts, online directories, and others are talking about it. Search engines trust only those businesses that appear on various platforms that are credible and authoritative. Conversions can potentially double when you do citation building properly.
At the same time, search engines punish businesses that use deceptive methods to build citations to rank well.
4. The Power of Social Media
Almost 97% of marketers today use social media to reach out to their potential customers. Nearly 64% of Canadians have a social media account. These numbers are growing considerably every year. A local business will have so much of an advantage over their competitors if they focus on this aspect.
Creating engaging content like infographics, visuals, and videos and can help the company to progress well. On top of it, advertising is simple on social media platforms so you can target the right audience.
5. Email Marketing Is Still the Best
Email marketing is one of the traditional methods of marketing that will help in promoting your business to a broader or a global audience. With some online applications, you can now find contact lists. You can also personalize the message that you intend to send to your prospects and measure the results.
If you as an SMB owner did not get a website because of insufficient funds, no problem, now is the best time. Ontario’s government is offering $2500 to eligible young entrepreneurs through the “Digital Main Street Program.”
To enhance your local business’s visibility and connect with potential customers, explore the benefits of our professional local SEO services tailored to your specific needs and goals.
Want to get started? – Contact us immediately for a free consultation.
