It has never been more vital for a business to have a solid online presence. Naturally, if customers don’t know who you are, they won’t be able to spend their money on your products. Getting their attention could be as simple as having a single-page website to advertise your services.
Stating that 60% of small businesses around the world still don’t have websites, in June Google released a free website builder to lend a helping hand.
Whether you’ve only got a couple of pages or you’re running a sprawling site, these tips can extend your online reach.
1. Translate your website
Back in 1996, over 80% of Internet users were native English speakers, but by 2010, that figure dropped to 27.3%. Since then, our society has become increasingly globalised, and it’s showing no sign of stopping. Translating your website could therefore help you tap into the plethora of multilingual or non-English speaking audiences out there, and the potential sales profits that go with them. On the subject of their website translation services, Global Voices say, “The ability to communicate your brand message, service and USPs accurately in the mother tongue of the target audience is essential to a company’s success.”
Even if you’re not looking to expand into foreign markets, you could be forgetting about all the foreign languages on your doorstep. In London alone, 22% speak another a language other than English, and out of these, almost 32,000 said that they are not able to speak English well or at all. So if you don’t want to risk ignoring potential customers both home and abroad, consider translating your website.
2. Integrate a social media strategy
Close to half of social media users are using social platforms while they are thinking of making a purchase, and 40% of users are actively choosing what to purchase based on what they have seen on social media. Getting your products and services in front of this audience could be an extremely worthwhile experiment.
Not only that, but the high and growing number of businesses with a social media presence means that, if your business does not have one, you run the risk of falling behind the competition.
If your business already has a social presence, but you aren’t sure why it isn’t working as well as you’d like it to, or how to optimise it, Hootsuite have put together a handy social media audit template. Armed with this insight, you or someone on your team can start to establish where there might be room for improvement in your social media usage.
3. Develop an unconventional offline marketing plan to promote social engagement
Customer satisfaction should be high on the list of every business’s priorities. Marketing experts Mckinsey have said that consistency is essential for achieving this, “especially at a time when retail channels are proliferating and consumer choice and empowerment are increasing.”
Not only will a complementary offline marketing strategy boost your online efforts, it will also strengthen the consistency of your brand. From street art, AR and VR experiences, and freebies, tried and tested guerilla marketing techniques are all highly shareable on social media.
If you can find a way to make guerilla marketing work for your brand, make sure it complements your online marketing strategy. Even simple practices such as using your offline media to promote the use of a hashtag could increase your online presence exponentially.
