The world of business and marketing has changed in the past decades. Television, radio, and print have declined as the primary sources to reach broader audiences. With the advent of the Internet — and now, social media — growing a company now requires a strong online presence.
Get Online
Every major company in the U.S. maintains an online presence. A large company without its website is almost unheard of. Small companies rely on social media sites to market their products and services, while larger companies and corporations create huge digital marketing campaigns to push their products/services and increase their visibility. An online presence is especially crucial for companies situated in mid-sized or smaller cities like Worcester in Massachusetts or Knoxville in Tennessee. Smaller populations limit your market and stifle your company’s ability to grow. Going digital allows your company to transcend the boundaries of local advertising and reach the entire nation. Online marketing costs a fraction of television advertising, but well-placed online ads have proven to be as useful as TV ads. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have their uses, but these corporate-owned platforms have full control over the content on their site and can remove you on a whim.
Create Avenues of Transaction and Interaction
Large retail stores are shutting down because people have found a new way to purchase goods: clicking a button. An online shop on your website gives your customers another avenue to transact business with your company. More and more citizens prefer to shop online rather than take their chances at the mall. Since April of 2019, online sales have overtaken general merchandise sales. Thanksgiving’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales have amassed close to $20 billion in online sales as people chose to avoid the crowd and stay at the comfort of their homes. Online shops are less expensive to operate compared to a physical one. They require fewer employees, and theft is all but eliminated. Products and inventory are more easily seen, and you can bundle products together to drive interest. An online shop also allows your customers to give feedback and suggestions on what they want and how you can improve your products or services.
Get Inside Your Customer’s Phones
The average American spends a whopping 3.5 hours on their phone, and you can take advantage of this fact. Create a phone app that can allow customers to transact and interact with your company, as well. A useful phone app will transform your customer’s phone into an advertising platform that bears your company logo. Your loyal customers will eagerly download your app, especially if it comes with benefits like discounts or exclusive benefits. Inform your customers about oncoming promos or events through notifications and encourage discourse and engagement by offering rewards. You can also place ads on specific sites that coincide or relate to your products/services.
The Internet is becoming the hub of interactions and transactions. An online presence is becoming essential for companies and corporations to become competitive in the modern age.