If you are a business owner then you really should have your ear to the ground of the ever changing world of the internet and how it can affect your business, or you should at least pay someone to keep their ear to the ground for you.
Whether we like it or not the internet has a major part to play in the role of business and it’s only going to be more important in the immediate future so you might as well jump on board and make the most of it before you get left behind. Many old-school business owners are sceptical about the internet and using it to enhance their revenue however this is like cutting off their noses to spite their faces and handing the initiative to their more forward thinking competitors. So how can your business fulfil its online potential?
Create A Presence
Of course the first place to start is to get a website created for your business. All sorts of businesses today are having websites created from butchers and hairdressers to florists; everyone seems to be getting in on it. Many people simply have a website created for their business because they don’t want to be left behind and so that hire a wed designer to give them an online presence but this is only the first step in fulfilling your online potential.
Market Your Website
Many businesses make the mistake of having a website created and then thinking that their work is done and that they have created an online presence that will bring in more customers. The reality is that it is pointless creating a website if you are not prepared to market it online as no one is ever going to see it. The internet is full of billions of websites all vying for attention so in order for yours to be seen you need to conduct a concentrated SEO or PPC campaign to get your site to show up in Google search results when people search for something that is related to your business.
Interact With Your Customers
Another way to fulfil your online potential is to interact with your existing and potential customers through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These sites allow you to promote your brand, get feedback from customers and talk to them about what they want from you. All of this acts as market research while giving you advertising and promotion for free. Another way to interact with customers is to include a blog on your website that gives them valuable information on your industry and allows them to input their opinions and knowledge while sharing it with others.
If you want your business to reach its online potential then you need to firstly get online and then let people know that you are and where they can find you and once they find you then you need to interact with them and promote your business to them encouraging them to share this information with their friends?
Stuart Cooke is a freelance SEO specialist who works with businesses to help them to fulfil their online potential through individually bespoke SEO solutions designed to increase the relevant traffic to their site.