If you run a local business, you rely on local customers and clients to make a profit. Reaching your local target audience may not be quite as easy as it once was, though. While local businesses still strive to serve smaller communities, the world is increasingly connected; It’s hard to find a person who doesn’t carry around a smartphone and regularly look at information from all over the planet anymore. Where the Yellow Pages and prime locations once loomed large as ways to reach customers, there are now social media, email newsletters, and search engine optimization (SEO).
If you’re having trouble reaching customers on the internet, then your business is going to suffer. Below, we’ll lay out some common problems that your business may be dealing with. Fix the issues, and you’ll reach more customers!
You’re not on social media (or you’re on the wrong platforms)
Social media can seem like a silly thing sometimes (and it certainly can be silly and strange). Make no mistake: Social media is incredibly powerful, and it’s an important tool for reaching your current and future customers.
Facebook alone has 2.38 billion monthly active users. That’s more people than live in China! An absolutely massive portion of the population uses Facebook, which means that it’s prohibitively likely that many of your customers are on the social media platform. Plus, Facebook might not be the only social platform that they’re on. There are other major platforms to consider, including Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.
Be aware, though, that not all businesses are equally suited to every social media platform. You should consult with digital marketing and online reputation management professionals to figure out which social media platforms are worth the investment.
Your website isn’t optimized for search engines
Having a website isn’t optional these days. If you’re a local business with no online presence, would-be customers are going to think twice about paying you a visit. Having no website is like having no sign outside your business space; it’s going to make people wonder what’s wrong with your company.
But even if you do have a website, you may not be reaching customers with it. After all, customers aren’t usually going to type in your website’s full URL. Instead, they’re likely to reach you through search engines like Google.
Google is out to help its users (and itself), not you. So don’t be surprised to see competitor businesses show up in search results for subjects related to your business. What you should do, though, is work to move your business higher and higher on these rankings. Customers tend to click one of the first few, so a move up the search engine results rankings can translate into major financial gains.
To improve your results in local searches, you’ll need local SEO services from a trusted digital marketing and SEO company. Talk to the professionals about your goals and needs.
Your website isn’t mobile-friendly
No matter how good your website is and how well optimized for search engines it may be, it won’t get you far without a mobile version. When we visit websites, they check out what sort of device we are using to access them and present a mobile or desktop version accordingly. Or, at least, that’s what they should do. If you don’t have a mobile site, though, your website will be a disaster for customers using mobile devices. Given that the vast majority of people these days are carrying around smartphones, that would be a very bad thing.
Setting up a mobile site is something that you should do in partnership with outside professionals. If done wrong, a mobile site can mess up your SEO, so be careful and get help!