A social business? Websites for small business? What should you know about websites and social media for a small business? How to make sense of it all?
You’re a small business, an accountant, a lawyer, a plumber, a real estate agent. How should you embrace social media to get more clients or customers?
It is probably easier than you think and with a clear infrastructure set-up in place, you are able to achieve results with the minimum of effort.
Beyond your social media infrastructure set-up, these easy tips can make a difference?
1. Use Videos on Your Website
When you’re a small, local business, your main strength is your personality, you are unique and yes, you are your business. “How to videos” are a great way of building trust and credibility. How do I hang curtains? How do I sign a legal document? How do I fix a leaky tap? If you share the basic information, a potential client would not hesitate to call you for a more complicated job or detailed assignment. They have already started to engage with you and have learnt to trust you.
You may be thinking – I’ve already got a video on my website. Well, then my thought is, load up a new video. The more videos on your website, the better!
2. Promote Your Phone number and Email Everywhere
You would like potential clients to call you. Make it extremely easy for a potential customer to call you but making your contact details readily available and accessible. Place your contact details (generic email and phone number) in the header, the sidebar, the footer.
3. Use a Static Page for the Home Page
When someone visits your website from search, they often visit your home page. Additionally, your current and dependable, loyal customers will often visit your home page, too. You could show your news feed on your home page but in my opinion, it is best to have a home page that sells. As a small business, the website home page should tell prospective clients and website visitors that
- this is your core business,
- what are you about and
- what they can purchase from you.
4. Publish High Quality Content
Content is king and it is no different for the small business. You are a small business so that does not mean you have to share something on your blog daily. My usual recommendation is that a blog should be updated once a week and it is important to clearly understand your keywords in order to target appropriate keywords in all your news updates. * Our Net branding team is able to assist you in the selection of your targeted keywords.
5. Create a Website with Effortless, Predictable Navigation
How can you keep your website navigation predictable? The answer, place contact us buttons where people expect to find it, which is at the top of the page or in the left sidebar. In addition, use expected works, Contact us | Contact etc. These are the words people are scanning your page for.
6. Publicize Other Small Businesses – Trusted Business Partners
As a small business, you are probably in networking groups and building trusted relationships with other businesses. Sharing links to other businesses that you trust. It not only helps with helping clients to discover other trusted business partners but it also assists your site with its search engine rankings.
7. Include Calls-to-Action On Your Website
What do you want a prospective client or website visitor to do? Do you want your customers to buy your product? If so, ask them. Do you want them to contact you? Provide them with a contact me link. Consider a call to action on each website page
8. Establish Credibility for your business.
We’ve covered the visual assistance of video but the general consensus online is that you must give away something, like a white-paper, to get leads (an opt in feature). This is a bonus but when you are a local business, utilize this to your best advantage. Provide testimonials, customer feedback and ensure your website looks professional and local.
9. Reach a social media network .
Engaging in social media is important. Social media is all about the experience and not about a “hard sell”.
From Net Branding – Websites | Social Media | Content | SEO and Blogging.
If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Mellett on Mobile 0211 229 116.
We are able to support small business develop an online presence and extend their current online reach to target new customers.
