Businesses of all sizes are becoming more dependent on the Web for sales, marketing and communicating with their customers. Because of this fact, in 2014 you’ll need to incorporate specific services to keep your business competitive in the online marketplace. Otherwise, you’ll stand to lose relevance and revenue to your competitors. Most companies have an online presence that consists of a website, social media campaigns, email newsletters and other methods of communication. Knowing the Web landscape and what it has to offer is key to developing your digital marketing strategy.
Updating your Company Website
Your website is likely the centerpiece of your company’s online identity. Great products and services along with information that’s fresh and well organized will keep your target market coming back to your site and making informed purchasing decisions. The higher the traffic on your site, the better the conversion rate, which means higher sales.
Responsive Web design is also important, and this refers to optimizing Web pages for mobile devices, enabling customers to read content and make purchases while on the go. A company without a website is falling behind the competition in a major way and doing itself a major disservice, whereas a company without a mobile-friendly website is potentially losing customers who’ll immediately bounce to another business with a better Web design.
Using Branded Business Email
Having a business email account is important for communication both internally and externally. When it comes to interacting with customers, a personal account hosted by a free service won’t have the same professional appeal, nor inspire faith in your company. For employees, it’s easy to mix up personal and business-related emails when they’re comingled, which leads to a lack of productivity. Having a dependable email hosting service for your business makes life easier for everyone internally and instills confidence in consumers. Getting a business account is a simple process and is often part of an overall hosting package from a provider.
Connecting through Social Media
The importance of social media for a business can’t be understated. Most social platforms allow you to sign up for free, and new features are making it easier to communicate with customers to promote your products or services. Traditional ad campaigns in print media cost thousands of dollars. By using social media, you’ll be able to reach your customers on a global scale in a cost-effective, high-impact way. However, it’s important to stay abreast of the latest trends and take a commonsense approach to your outreach efforts. Communicating too frequently with Facebook updates or tweets can inadvertently turn people off and send them into the arms of competitors. With the right social media approach, your business can take its marketing efforts to the next level, but this depends on knowing your audience and giving them content they’ll respond to.
In 2014, leveraging the Internet to conduct ecommerce, communicate with customers and spread brand awareness is essential for success. Optimizing your website, business email and social media accounts is key. There’s no reason to fall behind your competitors by failing to enhance your Web presence.