Valentine’s Day is a time where we tell the special him or her in our life how much they mean to us.
Instead, today we challenge local business owners to consider how much their businesses mean to them. How much effort have you put into your business in person? What about your efforts online?
Are you taking advantage of the best resources to reach your customers? And, most importantly, are you showing your customers how much they mean to you?
With so much competition out there, are you sending a message to customers to “Be Mine”?
– Be engaging. When a customer mentions you online make sure that you start a dialogue with them. Word of mouth used to be the primary form of communication for a business. With the introduction of new technologies that have surfaced over the past 10 years, this conversation has quickly shifted to social media, review sites, and other online spaces. Conversations between customers and with your business are happening more rapidly than ever before.
– Evaluate your online presence. Go on a search engine such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo and type in your business name, or your service and location. What results appear? What competitors show up? Having a website, mobile site, and making sure that your business can be found online is easier than it has ever been before. Customers are using online resources more than any other platform to find a business that provides services they require.
– Make sure you know your industry. While having an online presence in general is important, it is also important to know when your peak seasons are. For instance, a college running an online advertisement would make sure to do so during application season, whereas a pool supply store will find more success running during the summer. Also, if you provide an affordable service and are a smaller retailer you’re going to be going after a different clientele than a large corporation might go after. Be sure to align your advertising and online efforts with what your potential customers are looking for.
– Identify your core products and services. When advertising online, it’s important that a company realizes its own strengths and weaknesses. Where you might make a great deal of money with one product, it is also important to realize that some other products may be lagging and may need more publicity in order to get you more business. By specifying your services online, you will find more qualified leads and will be able to avoid some of the inquiries that do not align with your product and service offering.
– Nurture your existing clients. – Make sure when you have a client base, you are thinking of ways to get these existing customers to keep using your services or products. Since most markets are heavily saturated with businesses that have little to no difference, it’s important that every company thinks of a way to stand out. A simple incentive program or discount to existing customers for future services can help a company differentiate themselves, keep a customer, and can create a good buzz regarding said business.
– Endure your industry. – What worked for your industry 5 or 10 years ago, or even a month ago can quickly be replaced with a new marketing method, especially with technology changing as quickly as it does. Make sure that you are constantly keeping up to date with the latest techniques in your industry and current best practice standards. Inability to adapt to changes can end with your company becoming irrelevant, and can ultimately put you out of business.
Stay on top of your marketing game, and ask your customers to “Be Mine” today. Happy Valentine’s Day!
