Online Presence – How companies make their digital footprint stronger!

The main thrust now more than ever is for for all companies to strengthen their online presence.  Since the Covid-19 pandemic, more consumers want to have less interactions face to face. This means that they are more likely to surf the Internet looking for goods or services than visit a physical building.  Therefore, it is important that companies are well represented online.

How many times though have you gone to a company’s website and found missing information or clicked on links that appear broken? This can result in frustration and a loss of customers!

Make an accessible website

I have found that if the company has a easy to navigate website, I am much more inclined to be engaged in the process of finding out more about their product or service. It is also most helpful if the website has a chat option where potential customers can interchange with live agents. However, the converse is also true, a website with boring graphics and hard to navigate tabs make it hard for me to stay interested.

Companies who put a lot of visual stimulation on their websites, including eye catching videos are also going to attract more views. Clearly outlining the cost of the product or service provided is also advisable.   Check periodically that your website has current information and that products advertised online are still available for customers.

Once you have a website, it’s vital that it can actually be found by search engines.  Therefore, companies need to make ensure that they employ search engine optimization (SEO) tools for their website. This is because people tend to trust search engines, so websites that appear high in results pages are more likely to receive traffic.

Social Media

Social media has become a very strong presence online with customers. They rely on their social media to give advice about where to shop and what to buy. Companies need to make their presence known on social media as there are several online  platforms avenues for increased sales.

For example, Facebook and Twitter will serve a purpose for almost any business – it’s a great place to post news, tips, photos and videos and ask and answer questions. In addition Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, FourSquare  are also great places online to promote goods or services.

Engagement is key to promoting any brand. Brand awareness secures not only existing customers but new ones, as  the more positive social activity that goes on, the higher the chance is that their friends will be exposed to your brand and intrigued by what the company has to offer.

Of course, be careful as social media has a ‘dark side’ too, if you regularly provide poor service or products, customers can use this medium to attack your brand causing profits can plunge if they gain traction. However if it is monitored by a social media company or manager, then any problem can be easily addressed and resolved quickly.

Does going fully online seem a bit overwhelming? Some business operators only had a cursory interest about online tools and relied heavily on other forms of advertising and marketing but these are not ordinary times. Currently not having an online presence for a company is like renting a building, starting a business but not placing a sign out front that shows that you are open for business. Sure some business might still come your way, but you are letting thousands of dollars slip through your hands by not going online!   Check out companies which offer online development, one of which is The Gleaner, you can access their website at  Go Jamaica http://golservices.com/  and don’t let any of your money slip through your hands!

Let me hear your thoughts! Drop me a line below!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: companies, online, social media