Unless you were living in a cave for the past 10 years or so, you must have already developed a fair bit of an idea how the Internet has evolved into an influential component of almost every aspect of our lives– the domain of business and marketing being no exception in that trend. However, if for some unfathomable reason your business has yet to mark its presence on the Web, then, unfortunately, you are way past overdue. But then, as they say – better late than never! The Internet not only allows you to promote your brand and its products/services, but its advantages are multitudinous no matter what type of business you run, or how big it is! Here’re 4 reasons why creating an online presence should be a top priority for virtually any business – large or small – when it comes to promoting their brand, products and/or services without requiring to invest a fortune.
Projects a credible and professional image
Let’s put this straight and simple– the world has gone high-tech and so have your consumers- so what’s the point of you and your business being stuck in the “primitive” era (unless of course, you are part of some secret cult that has sworn to abstain from all forms of technology no matter how convenient and rewarding)? The crux of the matter is that today, everybody- from suppliers to partners to consumers- expects to be able to reach out to your business online. In many ways it is similar to being listed in the Yellow Pages– if your business is not listed there, how could your potential consumers even find you, let alone trust your products/services and become loyal fans? That should be a strong enough reason in itself for you to focus on creating an online presence for your business. Any business that still does not have a strong presence on the World Wide Web alongside a sound online marketing strategy, is unwittingly projecting a negative vibe about its ability to embrace technology and refurbish itself in sync with the drastically changing 21st-century business environment.
The power of social media
Apart from having a dedicated website for your business, you can also resort to social media sites to spread brand awareness and have one-on-one interactions with fans and followers. There are plenty of social media platforms available today, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many others. And if you are focusing on some particular cities or areas for better business opportunities, you can also opt for those localized social networking sites that give you better exposure amongst the consumers from those areas. This, in turn, allows you the luxury of having separate policies for different markets with different requirements. For example, you can adopt a separate social media strategy to cater to some specific needs of your consumer-base in Denver.
Better competition and global exposure
Compared to large-scale businesses, a small scale business usually does not have the luxury of sufficient fund and manpower to market and promote itself into newer territories. Subsequently, the big enterprises always end up having the upper hand in the competition as the consumer-base of small businesses can not expand profoundly after a certain stage. However, you can avert that disadvantage easily by investing in building a Web presence. Today, with a strong online presence and an adequate PR and online marketing strategy, any small business can combat big corporations without requiring to invest a fortune- meaning you can promote your brand virtually anywhere just like those big corporations, albeit, at the minimal cost. For example, if you are a New Jersey based Content management integration service provider, and looking for an opportunity to expand your services into another city – say Denver – all you need to do is list a separate content management integration section on your website specifically aimed at consumers in Denver.
Keep your business open 24x7x365
By embarking for a strong Web presence alongside a set of well-defined, practical online marketing and social media strategy, you can make your business open for 24 hours a day, throughout the year so your clients, consumers, suppliers and business partners can reach out to you anytime, from anywhere.
So, that was in brief how creating an online presence can boost your branding and marketing strategies on multiple fronts simultaneously.
GTECH Designs is a Baltimore-based web marketing firm that is committed to helping impact-makers spend more time doing good. For more information, contact us at 410-775-4100, email us at [email protected], or get in touch with us via Facebook or Twitter.