Increasing your business’ online presence is essential if you’re looking to find new customers in 2019.
Why is it so essential? Well, nowadays, when many homeowners have an issue with their plumbing, they’ll pick up their phone and, rather than call a local plumber, head to Google. Appearing above a competitor on Google could be the difference between earning a new customer and missing out.
With that in mind, here are some simple tips to help grow your business online.
Your company website
A website is the face of your company, a place where potential customers can get more information, find out your location and, most importantly, make a note of contact details.
Step 1: Do Your Research
Before getting to work on your website, you might find it beneficial to see what the competition is doing. Visit a few competitor websites to make a note of the things that they do well and you could apply to your website.
Step 2: Make it Mobile Friendly
Picture a website in your head and you’ll probably see it on a wide computer screen but it’s important not to forget about mobile phones. Most people are likely to visit your website on a mobile so you need to be catering for small vertical screens as well as wide computer displays.
Step 3: Keep updating your website
Building a website is only the beginning, don’t stop and stand still once it’s live. Keep adding to it by publishing valuable information, articles or videos. You could offer visitors some useful plumbing tips that show off your expertise and also help to keep your website relevant.
Step 4: Get Started
Now, we’re not expecting you to learn how to code and set about making a website yourself. There are plenty of services that make building a website easier than ever, with templates that are set up for visitors on mobile, tablet and desktop computers.
Digital Marketing Tips
It’s one thing to have a website but it won’t be very beneficial if nobody can find it which brings us onto digital marketing. Digital marketing is a wide ranging term but, to put it simply, it’s finding ways to connect with customers online - think search engines and social media.
A big part of digital marketing is search engine optimisation (SEO), the practice of appearing higher up in search engine results, namely Google, for search terms relevant to your business. So, for example, if you’re a plumber based in Bristol, you might want your website to be found by people searching for ‘plumbers in Bristol’.
To help kickstart your business in the digital world, here are some tips:
Digital Marketing Tip 1: Google My Business
Google My Business is a completely free way of marketing your business on one of the most popular websites in the world: Google.
Somebody searching for your business on Google is after more information such as a phone number, address or opening hours. Google My Business is the simplest and most eye-catching way to provide all of this. In addition to company details, you can add photos and make your business visible on Google Maps to give your website an extra boost.
Digital Marketing Tip 2: Encourage customer reviews
Google My Business is also a space for customer reviews. Encouraging Google reviews from customers will help to increase your visibility and some 5-star ratings would look good for your business.
Don’t limit reviews to Google though, Facebook Recommendations have become valuable and also appear in Google My Business. After all, who would you trust for a recommendation more than anyone? Somebody you know.
Digital Marketing Tip 3: Build Your Social Media Presence
Setup social media accounts for your business and use them to share photos of completed jobs. A great way to get more people to your website while showing off your plumbing expertise.
A strong social media presence can also benefit your company’s SEO performance, especially locally. When setting up your social accounts, add your location to increase your chances of being found by customers in the area you cover.
Getting your website to the top of Google and gaining a large social media following won’t happen overnight, but this advice will all help to grow your business online.
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