Small Businesses Also Need an Online Presence; Here’s Why

There is no such thing as a small business; it must carry great attribute for the owner to dedicate time, money and energy to it. To be able to determine breadth, one needs to put their best foot forward and try to that product. In this era, all you need is an online presence because this is very important. Websites describe the who, what, where of your business; they are the most obvious way to go digital.

However, with smaller businesses, you would want customers to find you too and at cheap costs. I would consider social media as the best way to go digital for small business. More than 80% of the world’s current population uses social media.

An online presence can be achieved by using tools on social media like local listings or google my business, and this comes with many advantages. You have maps and GPS location, the luxury to describe your kind of business and client reviews. Client reviews are, in its way, a form of advertising and one can also be able to supplement one’s message with photos and video clips. You can also include an e-commerce platform.

An online presence enables you to market your goods at no cost or relatively cheaper than any other form of advertising there is. The accessibility when you have an online presence will go beyond your physical location, and before you know it, you are supplying beyond your area. Talk about cutting the costs of traditional advertising, making it easier for potential customers to come to you.

In a recent blog post by Chrysalis Communications in July 2018, if your customers don’t find you online, they could think you are a fraud. In that case, you could be losing out on the opportunity to increase your customer base since this impacts how consumers make purchasing decisions.

It is easier to build a relationship with customers and intending ones, market your brand as this makes you more human, relatable and gives your brand a voice. “Using the internet for marketing brands allows you to overcome distance barriers. The “shareability” of social media allows your customers to easily spread the word about your business to all their friends” (Chrysalis, 2018).

In a nutshell, in this digital age, it is essential for your business, however small to have an online presence whether it is a website, social media or a combination of the two. Even if your business doesn’t conduct its operations online, we expect to see you online. All you need is to have some essential tools as well as for analytics, which include Piwik, Oribi, Kissmetrics, Facebook pixel, Google Analytics, among others and get started. Do not be afraid of promoting that business with fear that it is small.  From the famous Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, start today!

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