Why Every Small Business Needs an Online Presence (yes, EVERY)
Let’s face it, unless your small business has been a staple of your community for ages, when someone needs something (coincidentally, your product or service), the first place they’re going to think to get it is Walmart, Target, or any other large chain. These chains are inescapable since they’re physically everywhere, advertising all over the media, and are in the zeitgeist.
How can your small business compete with that??
It is incredibly daunting and sometimes even feels worthless to pose any competition to these large corporations, but believe it or not, customers want more unique options and want to support businesses they can relate to and believe in. These are the customers you need to reach, and EVERY small business online presence is essential so that they can find exactly what they want.
Close to 100% of people search for local businesses online, so online visibility for businesses is more important now than ever because if you don’t have any kind of online presence, then you won’t be found at all!
Here are the main reasons why the importance of online presence for small businesses can’t be overestimated:
Reach Customers Anywhere Any Time
Big benefits of having a website are that you can reach current and potential customers anywhere at any time. On a website and/or an online store there are no business hours and place of business, but just whenever and whereverworks for your customers. You don’t have to wait for them to physically enter your store in order to make a purchase, they may never even come in because they’re too tired or too busy! If your small business online presence is strong, they will find your business in their own time, get excited about shopping at home, and be more willing to buy since they are in control of the process.
The importance of online presence comes into play also in the quality of your website. If your website is welcoming, helpful, easy to navigate, and optimized for mobile, customers will be more likely to recommend your business to others based on the ease and enjoyability of the customer experience, resulting in your business growth.
Increase Visibility and Expand Reach
So you’re starting to see the benefits of having a website, but you can’t just reach the customers you already have, you can use your small business online presence to get your name out there and expand your reach outside of your community, even all over the world!
A global consumer base would have been impossible for a small business even just a few years ago, but it’s much easier to find and interact with international businesses online now through streamlined search engines and social media. It’s also now easier for small businesses to deliver internationally. This is why more than half of online shoppers regularly buy from international companies and online visibility for businesses is incredibly important.
You may be a local business, but all these non-local transactions are yours for the taking!
Make it Easy for the Customer
Life is too complicated, and no one wants to endure extra steps in making a basic or even a luxury purchase, they just want to get what they need as fast and easy as possible. This is why you can really set yourself apart by making everything from finding products to payment to communication as easy as possible for the customer, which will result in customer loyalty for business growth. The easier it is to get what they need, the more they will come back.
This is especially true when it comes to payments, and this is where you need to make it the easiest to close the deal. Making the actual payment is a vulnerable point for the customer, and if anything went wrong or if it were complicated at all, the entire buying experience would be ruined for them. Whether in-store or online, having a reliable payment processor with a pleasant interface is one of the great customer satisfaction strategies.
Social Media Marketing
Whether you’re selling through social media or using it to direct customers to your website, social media marketing is a huge component of online visibility for businesses. Through multiple approaches like paid advertisements, casual posts to drive engagement, or working with influencers to promote your products and services, your small business online presence will explode through social media simply because your customers and everyone they know are on it.
There’s no denying that if you want to get something in front of as many eyes as possible, social media is the way to do it. According to Forbes, 40% of people admitted to buying something because they were swayed by social media, especially on purchases they were originally on the fence about or didn’t plan to buy in the first place.
Build a Relationship with Customers
The major importance of online presence for every small business is not just to be available when it’s time to buy, but more importantly, to build a relationship with customers even outside the checkout process. Customers like to support the businesses they care about, so make them feel like a valued part of the family. Afterall, without them, you would be nowhere.
Engage with them in fun ways on social media by having them comment, like, and share posts. But there are also other ways, and the benefits of having a website comes with being able to set up loyalty programs, distribute coupon codes, and have surprise flash sales only found on your website. When you bring your customers into the fold online, they are more likely to spread the word and recommend your business to others, increasing your small business online presence, your customers, and your revenue.
Increase Sales with an Online Store
It goes without saying that the benefits of having a website is so that you can host an online store to multiply your sales and revenue. Even if your small business is booming in your physical store, adding an online store can help online visibility for businesses since so many more people can find you online.
Even established brands have suffered because they didn’t adopt online stores quick enough, the biggest one being Primark. They refused to sell their products online since they thought that they had a loyal enough customer following, but when the Covid Pandemic hit and all shopping moved online, they lost over one billion pounds in sales. While it was true that they did have a very loyal customer base who would’ve bought products, because Primark didn’t have an online store, no one could buy anything even if they wanted to. Primark has since embraced the online store.
Conclusion
The importance of online presence for EVERY small business cannot be stressed enough. It may seem that you are too small of an operation to take on an entirely different side of the business, but you are leaving success and money on the table online and even in your physical store if you don’t boost your small business online presence. You don’t have to do it alone, either. LincSell can help tailor your online presence and store to what works for your business.
You can reach customers anywhere at any time, increase your visibility, expand your global reach, build meaningful and rich relationships with customers, gain more customers through those interactions, all in addition to increasing your sales, revenues, and popularity.
Why wait?? Get online! Book a Demo and see what LincSell can do for you!
