Why Your Business Needs a Professional Online Presence

9 in 10…the number of Americans who currently have access to the internet. 

80%…the percentage of consumers who will search for your business on the internet prior to making a purchase.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that you’re probably wasting your hard-earned money on old-school EDDM mailings, billboards across town, and local radio ads. It also means your business needs to build an online presence and....preferably as soon as possible!

By doing so, you can send your ROI soaring, recruit a massive customer base, and build an unrivaled reputation within your industry.

And today, this is easier than ever. Building an online presence can mean something as simple as developing a sleek user-friendly website or creating a professional profile on either Facebook or Instagram.

So, are you ready to finally get business booming?

In this guide, we’re going to review 7 key reasons your business needs a professional online presence today!

Keep reading to learn how your business’s online presence can be a game-changer.

1. Most of Your Competitors Are Online Already

What would you do if you woke up in the morning to find you had no hot water? Chances are, you’d grab your handy-dandy iPhone and do a quick Google search for “plumbers near me.” And, after a few minutes of research and reading local reviews, you’d be on the phone with a local company making an appointment for later in the day.

Here’s the thing.

Unless you’re the only business in your niche within a 30-mile radius, then your ideal customers probably have dozens of businesses just like yours to choose from. Why are they going to put in the extra legwork to find your company if they don’t have to? Well, they won’t—so, your lack of online presence might actually be sending sales directly to your competitors.

And, your competitors are already using their online presence to their advantage. 

They’re sending tweets directly to the Twitter feeds of those most likely to purchase their products. They’re posting engaging content that keeps consumers interested and asking for more. And, their business’s name is gracing the smartphone screens of local customers….your business’s name is hidden deep within the phone book that’s collecting dust in the basement.

Fact: About 90% of businesses in America have a website.

So, it’s time to cave to the tech advances in society and build your online presence. Nothing will impress your customers more than a crisp, easy-to-use, and professionally designed website. And, we can help with that!

2. Customers Have Unlimited Access to Your Business

Do you remember what it was like to visit a business in the old days? You’d pack up the entire family in the car and make the trek downtown. And, when you finally got to the store, you realized it closed an hour ago or that it didn’t sell what you thought it did. You never return to that store or you go to a similar store that is open while you’re still out.

Talk about a waste of time, right?

The great thing about building an online presence for your business is that your operating hours suddenly went from 9-9 to 24/7. Customers can access your website no matter where they are in the world. They can check out your inventory or your business hours as they’re lying in bed at 3 AM….or even as they’re out in your parking lot debating whether or not to come in.

And, mobile users are what’ll transform your business from a local shop to a global sensation. 

For the first time in history, more than 50% of your web traffic will come from mobile users. So, you no longer have to wait for customers to step foot into your business to see what it’s all about (or, use a desktop computer). All they have to do is have a great experience with your easy-to-use and quick website and your sales will be through the roof in no time.

Perhaps the greatest benefit is that you can have customers make purchases through your online store immediately. Now, you can draw in some business income all day, even when your physical store is closed.

3. You Can Reach an Even Wider Customer Base

Advertising your business decades ago was both expensive and a guessing game. How many people would drive by your billboard on the highway at rush hour? Would anyone even be watching television at the time your commercial aired, let alone actually be focused on the TV? Is anyone even interested in the exact product you’re highlighting?

Well, a website optimized for mobile will make getting new customers even easier.

Not only do customers have unlimited access to your website, but they can find exactly what they’re looking for without having to pick up the phone and make a call. And, these days, nobody wants to make a phone call unless they have to. A well-organized website will give them the answers they’re looking for without making it a scavenger hunt.

Now, customers can find your store without having to find your store.

You don’t have to hope that people read the local newspaper and see your ad on Sunday. And, you no longer have to cross your fingers hoping that your ideal customer isn’t filing your mailings into their “junk mail” bin. In a way, it’s every businessperson’s dream—your online presence will bring customers to you instead of forcing you to track down customers.

We’ll talk a bit more about online advertising alternatives later on!

4. Strategies Like SEO Will Help Your Website Market Itself

We’re going to go right out there and say it….advertising a business can be extremely expensive. Even the most simple 30-second TV ad for your business will leave you $25,000 or more in the hole. A small newspaper ad—that could be as much as $500. And, the craziest of all….a well-placed billboard can cost you $20,000 a month.

To make matters worse, there’s no guarantee that anybody will even see them!

Having an online presence means that your business is essentially advertised 24/7 without you needing to do much of anything. Well, that’s as long as you’re doing what every reputable business is doing these days—optimizing their website for search engines like Google. It sounds complicated, but it’s an easy way to take your business to the next level.

Fact: About 90% of online content gets no traffic from search engines.

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, will finally put your business on the map. Just hire an SEO pro like us and we’ll help to get your website ranked for the most important keywords you want to target. Now, instead of hoping nearby customers search “local candle shops,” you can get global customers interested in keywords like “homemade candles.”

SEO may take several months to really take effect, but once your website is ranked on that front page on Google, it’s there for a while. It’s an investment that really pays itself off and puts your business on the forefront to those looking for your niche.

5. It Can Improve Your Business’s Branding

The only thing more important than the products you sell or the services you offer is the brand you represent. This is what you put on display for your customers to show them what your company is all about. In some cases, your branding can be something as simple as a colorful or easy-to-recognize logo.

Or, maybe it’s the content you’re posting on your website.

As a business owner, you know that making sales and booking clients is what keeps your company financially afloat. But, you also know that you have to work on setting yourself apart from your competitors and proving your business to be better than the rest. So, are you ready to really show your customers what you can do?

Then, your online presence needs to include content marketing.

Thankfully, there are so many ways you can do this! You can create engaging blog posts that teach the public some little known secrets about your industry. Maybe you want to create light-hearted Facebook posts to represent your business as one that’s jovial and relatable. Or, perhaps you just want a professional and educational website with superb copywriting.

Whatever it is, we’ve got you covered!

6. Customers Can Interact & Provide Feedback/Reviews

What do you do when you’re looking to buy a shirt for a special occasion or purchase a brand new vehicle for your commute to work? Well, you get the opinion of those closest to you, of course! As it turns out, many people consider online reviews to be similar to getting an opinion from a close friend or family member.

And, a shocking 90% of consumers will read reviews before making a purchase decision.

So, providing customers with a great experience in-store is about just as important as letting them rave about your business online. And, your online presence will give your most pleased customers the forum to share their opinions and recommend your business. It’s like they’re screaming how great your business is from the rooftops….and people are listening!

If you’re still not impressed, think about this.

Before websites like Yelp and Google were around, how did you know a business was worth visiting? There’s a good chance it was by word of mouth. While that’s great for getting personal recommendations, it doesn’t do much in the way of recruiting many customers at once. So, reviews online for your business will bring the masses to your business instead of just one.

7. Online Advertising is More Affordable Than Ever

You know this by now….owning a business comes with a lot of costs. And, one of the worst offenders that’ll drain your business account is advertising. You spend thousands of dollars on marketing tactics that you aren’t sure even work. This can be detrimental to your ROI and it’s something not all business owners will ever get the hang of.

But, your business’s online presence is about more than just having a website.

Online advertising is not only extremely affordable but also incredibly successful these days. At around $1.72 per click on a Facebook ad, you can guarantee more customers find their way onto your social media pages or on your actual website on the cheap. Your customers are on social media, so your business needs to be there too.

From bulk.ly: "Businesses report an increase in engagement, followers, and production when social media was implemented into their online marketing strategy."

It’s easy to do and it brings your business’s name to the newsfeeds of future customers. Plus, there are TONS of amazing tools out there to help you automate the process and increase your ROI.

Think about this: There’s a ton of planning that goes into designing a flyer on the computer, printing out hundreds of copies, bringing it down to the local post office, and then setting up an EDDM route. There’s no room for spelling errors or mistakes and you’ll never get your money (or reputation) back if there is.

Online advertising can be changed with the snap of your fingers. You can even test out several ads at once to see which ones are actually drawing your customers’ attention and which are just duds. Once you figure out what works, you can use that to your advantage. This is just not something you can do with typical advertising.

Conclusion

So, are you wondering how to get started and bring your business to the next level? Then, you might just be in the right place.

At Invicta Enterprises, we’re here to make building your business’s online presence easier than ever. We can help you to optimize your website and social media profiles to generate more traffic, ramp up sales, and blow your competitors out of the water.

To get started, all you have to do is fill out this brief questionnaire to get a quote for your website!

And, as always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.