Over the last ten years or so, consumer’s reliance on online research has increased exponentially. According to a recent study by Forbes, 85% of consumers conduct research online before making a purchase! If you are not taking steps to strengthen your online reputation, then you are likely missing out on a lot of business. This may seem overwhelming, so we’ve broken down a few simple steps you can use to get started.

Create a website: Now this may seem obvious, but a 2021 study showed that almost 1 in 3 small businesses do not have their own website. Newsflash – you do not need to be a coder to have a website and you do not need to have a huge budget. There are multiple website builders available that will help you build a professional website. Many will also help with SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Start a newsletter: You are an expert in your area of business – share that with the world! Create a sign-up form on your website and build your email list. You want to focus on creating newsletters that are both interesting and valuable – the primary purpose here is not to promote your services. Your goal is to share information that your readers will look forward to reading.

Claim or update your Google My Business (GMB): This is essential especially if you are a local business whose customers come from your geographic areas. This allows customers to easily find you, your hours and phone number. Images will lend credibility to your GMB as will customer reviews. (so make sure to ASK for them). And make sure to respond quickly when you have new customer reviews. Finally, plan to add posts to your GMB account at least once a week.

Social Media Sharing: You have a lot of choices and will want to put some thought into which ones will be most effective for your business as that’s where you will want to target your efforts. Some businesses lend themselves to more visual platforms (like Instagram) while others do not. Pick a few platforms and get started. Post information that provides value to your industry and/or potential customers. Consider using polls that will encourage comments even if they are not specific to your services. Engagement is the key here!

Facebook Groups: No matter what service or product you provide – there is likely a Facebook Group made up of people in a similar industry. This is a great opportunity to subtly increase your followers (and promote your business) by simply sharing your knowledge.

Research your competitors: Do some detective work to see what your competitors are doing on their social networks. What seems to drive engagement and interest on their pages and posts? What seems to NOT be working for them?

Learn from the experts while you are driving! Today there are many, many free podcasts that will give you valuable information about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and other ways to increase your online presence. Instead of listening to your local radio station – tune into a podcast. This is a great one that we recently enjoyed on LuAnn Nigara’s Build a Better Business Podcast: How to Get SEO Traffic to Your Portfolio.

The bottom line is that increasing your online presence is not going to happen overnight. It will take time and effort along with some trial and error. But it’s something that every business must do to continue to thrive in the future. So get started and jump in!

Solatech has been providing software for the window treatment industry for over 20 years. Put our experience to work for you! Contact us for more information.