Sasee Magazine

According to Google, 97% of consumers use the internet to search for local businesses. Whether you are a customer or a business, you need to be there too. A businesses’ online presence is centered around a website; in essence, it’s the most important asset to invest in and the starting point of any online marketing (closely followed by social media).

A website should contain the fundamental information customers need and are looking for. For example, when my girlfriend and I are deciding where to go for dinner and a restaurant doesn’t have a website with a current menu, opening hours or contact information we move on to the next one. I know we’re not alone in that if we can’t find these details, we’re far less likely to visit the establishment.

Once a website is live, it’s vital that it can actually be found by search engines such as Google. After all, 89 percent of consumers use search engines to research a product, service or business before making a decision. To take advantage of this, businesses need to invest in SEO (Search Engine Optimization). In layman’s terms, activity that attempts to improve search engine rankings.

While shopping local is encouraged and supported in our community, having an online presence means saving your customers time and effort. Social media, especially, allows current and potential customers to easily interact on a channel that plays an important role in their everyday lives. Although not every social media channel will be relevant to each business, it’s definitely worth looking into various options. For example, Facebook and Instagram will serve a purpose for almost any business to post promotions, offers, tips, photos, and videos.

Traditional media is always a great way to get your message to customers, but the Internet never sleeps, and every channel offered online gives businesses a virtual 24/7 storefront. A small business might avoid investing in their online presence because it is too time consuming. But, there are several tools and outlets any business can use to help simplify and manage everything.