The world is heading into uncharted territory. The coronavirus is throwing uncertainty into all business and everyone is trying to work out how to react. One thing is for certain, as more people are encouraged to self-isolate we are going to see a slowdown in some areas. In situations where a client would visit a store, attend a seminar or meet with a client, you may find that they will choose to conduct these activities online. Some businesses are well-positioned to respond. These are the ones that will benefit from the number of prospective clients looking to change their behaviour in how they conduct business. Having a strong online presence is now more important than ever. But what makes a good online presence? Below are my recommendations that you should take into account to make sure you don’t go unnoticed in a sea of content.
WEBSITE
Having a good and clear website is essential. Your website must be optimised for SEO. This means that it will be found in a google search. Navigation should be clear and it should load up fast. It should also look good on both a PC and a phone. Most content is now consumed on a mobile device so you need to take this into account.
SOCIAL MEDIA
I still meet people that refuse to accept social media as a serious platform to conduct business. The fact is that the majority of your clients are participating in social media so why would you not be taking part in it. Social media should be treated as a business tool. Only post things that are going to support your business and make sure that it is a professional-looking profile. It is a great platform to show off your products, services and professionalism.
CONTENT
You are going to see a large increase in the amount of content published in the next few months. As people are forced to stay away from others and spend time in isolation, they will go online and look for content. This leads to brand awareness and establishment of trust with specific brands. The more you participate, the bigger the piece of the pie you will get back.
E-COMMERCE
If you sell a product online, have a great site with amazing photography and videos, if you are a trainer, get your training recorded and produced and upload it online as a product if you offer your consulting services, how can you deliver it online? Others are already doing this and the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus will force people down a different engagement method that they have not used before. Delivering valuable content both free and paid will be more important than ever.
BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO ANY OF THIS!
Get help. There is an abundance of professionals that can help you with this. We can help in creating all this for you to make sure you are well-positioned in the market. But even if you don’t choose us, you should look for assistance in doing this correctly. Even if you don’t choose us to do this for you we are happy to steer you in the right direction.
THIS IS JUST TEMPORARY
They say it takes just 21 days to form a new habit. Coronavirus is going to be a problem for us for a lot longer than that. This means that a percentage of people that start doing business online for the first time will continue to do so after this has gone away. Some changes will be permanent so make sure you are well placed to compete in this space.
How will you be engaging with your clients online?