With the rise in online shopping and easy access to tons of product reviews, your local business needs a distinctive digital presence to stay competitive. Whether this means having a website with online selling, multiple social media platforms, and/or great online customer service, these can all attribute to your customers’ perception of your brand. To be competitive, you need to be able to provide various online strategies but at a higher standard than your competitors. Let us give you a helpful guide!
Invest In Your Website
An attractive website is always a great idea to keep your site’s users interested – lower that bounce rate! Of course, you will need to create a website that is designed with your target market(s) in mind. They are, after all, the ones you’ve built your brand around. Additionally, your website should have quality images, proper grammar/spelling, meaningful text, fast page loading speeds, be mobile-friendly, and more. There is so much you can do to improve your users’ experience.
Create an Intuitive Online Buyer Experience
Low quality product pics, bad descriptions, and slow loading speeds are just a few things that reflect poorly on a website’s online buying system. Definitely a no-go. Online shopping and product/service research is extremely prevalent in buyer behavior today. An easy and intuitive buying system will lower a customer’s frustration when browsing for a product. With less frustration, a customer will be more likely to buy a product from your site. For services, a website with an easy appointment scheduling feature or informative service pages will increase the likelihood of a call to action. Checkout, request a quote, and schedule an appointment are much more likely to be clicked on with a user-friendly buyer experience.
Improve Online Product Logistics
For businesses that sell products, both B2B and B2C, it is essential to have good supplier relations and logistics. This goes hand and hand with a customer’s online shopping experience. Customers not only want an easy way to make an online purchase but they want to receive their desired products in an accurate and timely manner. Businesses who have taken Amazon’s approach to supplier interactions and product logistics are very competitive in this area. Believe us, it shows!
Diversify Your Social Media Platforms
With numerous social media platforms to choose from, it is no wonder that businesses now need someone or a group of people to run their social accounts. It is extremely beneficial for a business to have accounts in major social media platforms that have users that fit under their target market(s). This is a great way to get your business’ name out into the community through engagement with current and potential customers. Use these platforms frequently to encourage customer engagement – connecting with your customers is so important.
Increase Mobile Compatibility
Many people make purchases and search for reviews when they are on the go. That being said, phones and tablets are a great mobile-friendly way to do this when life doesn’t give you a minute to sit down. This fast-paced way of life does not allow for slow mobile, and even desktop, loading speeds. Your business will be sure to have high bounce rates with a mobile website that loads slower than the patience of a potential (and very busy) website user. Stay competitive by being mobile compatible!
Staying competitive in this diverse business world is important to your local business. While competition is everywhere, it is very possible to rise above it by integrating these helpful tips. Please contact Upright Communications if you need assistance with competitive differentiation. We’re here to help you.
Sources:
https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/it/digital-strategy/key-components