Running a company in 2016 takes not only savvy business planning and sound financial principles, but also an appreciation and knowledge of the Internet.
Sure, some companies can get along just fine without using the web to their advantage. Many others, however, are all but dependent on it for success.
With that being the case, where is your business headed this year and beyond, especially as it pertains to the web?
Internet Success Starts with Being Social
When you stop and think about it, the Internet offers a plethora of opportunities for businesses, so why wouldn’t they want to take advantage of it?
If your business has been a little slow in catching the Internet train, you truly have been missing out on a lot. In fact, you probably have kissed some potential revenue goodbye.
Still, there is no time like the present to make sure your business is active on the Internet, especially when it comes to online shopping. Face it; more and more consumers are turning to the Internet for their product and service needs.
So, are you ready to reap the rewards?
Start by looking at whether or not you are set up to sell goods and services online. If not, remedy that situation as soon as possible.
In terms of having online shopping, your brand can expand in a number of ways.
Setting up an online store is really not all that difficult, so don’t feel like it is too much of a task to do so.
You will want a WordPress Shopping Cart for starters.
In order to make your online shopping ventures a success, make sure you have the following in place:
- Working shopping site – Yes, it sounds like a no-brainier, but a site that is full of errors and shortcomings will be a turnoff for most shoppers. Worse yet, when those shoppers tell friends and family that your site is not up to par with others, you could lose out on potential revenue. Do regular reviews of your online shopping site to make sure it is running at full efficiency;
- Inviting site – Is your online shopping site inviting or quite frankly rather dull. If it is the latter, be sure to spruce it up. Sites that come with informative offerings, catchy images and videos, and communicate well with consumers always stand out from the crowd. Having photos and videos on your site is not an option, it is a necessity. More and more businesses are realizing just how video can do wonders for their brands. Keep the videos to no more than 60 seconds, as consumer attention spans oftentimes tend to wander after about 30 seconds or so. Also make sure your photos are positive, i.e. happy people (especially kids) tend to draw customers;
- Social site – What if you had this awesome online shopping site, but just about no one knew about it? Unfortunately, that can happen if you’re not using social media to your advantage. Be sure to promote your site on social locales like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and more. Along with the social promotions, also make sure they are timely promotions. If you’re having an upcoming sales, it is good to spread the word on social media a week or two before, then do a reminder post the day before. While you want and need to post on social networking sites, don’t come across as too sales heavy. If you do, you run the risk of turning off potential and current customers;
- Mobile site – As a larger percentage of consumers turn to mobile sales, it is important that your online store is along for the ride. This means making sure your online store is “mobile friendly” and not something that is hard and frustrating to download on numerous devices. Make sure the copy and images/videos of what you are selling online fits nicely on mobile devices.
Running an online store offers business owners so many possibilities, but it must be done correctly.
A big part of that correct equation is making sure social media is in the mix.
When you use social networking to promote your online offerings, you and your brand stand to cash-in.
Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com
