The new year is a great time to reevaluate your business model and marketing strategies. Many of us are guilty of putting things off until we reach some real or imaginary mile marker somewhere down the road, make 2016 that mile marker and get yourself and your business in gear! It’s 2016 and there are a list of must-haves that you need be taking advantage of to give your business the best chance to succeed online. If you don’t think having a modern, professional, and easy-to-find web presence is important, here’s a stat for you: 97% of consumers search for local businesses online (source: lighthousemarketing). So if you’re still only relying on word-of-mouth, you must have some pretty amazingly loyal and talkative patients or customers, but imagine what you could be doing with a strong web presence! Here are some tips to get your small business internet marketing in Phoenix up with the times!
1. Mobile-friendly, responsive website
If you haven’t heard this one before, you’re probably held up in a safe-room bunker somewhere waiting for the end of the world – or you just don’t get online much! If you’re still holding out on redesigning your website with a mobile-friendly, responsive design, 2016 is definitely the time. The the graph of people browsing online and searching for local businesses from their mobile devices is beginning to look like a drawing of one half of Mount Everest! Sixty percent of ALL Internet activity in the US originates from mobile devices and about 1/2 of total Internet traffic is through mobile apps (source: cmocouncil.org).
2. Blog your heart out
Blogging and mobile compatibility are perhaps the two biggest factors involved in getting found on search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing! Google is always hungry for fresh content, like an insatiable beast. Blogging about information, events, and updates relating to your business at least once a week on your modern, responsive website is a necessity to compete in the world of internet marketing in 2016.
3. Connect with your clientele
Whether it’s through online reviews, social media, or e-mail marketing, reaching out to your clients, customers or patients is vital to keep your business top of mind. Being a trustworthy business that does good work is always the first step, but just being passive with your web presence will not enable you to compete with the heavy hitters in 2016. According to Moz.com, eighty-eight percent of respondents used reviews to determine the quality of a local business; and on top of that, a majority of respondents, 93%, reported that they checked reviews before dining or shopping.
If you’re ready to give your business an internet face-lift worthy of competing with the big boys and girls in 2016, contact New Wine Web Design today!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (1/14/2016) Johan Larsson (Flickr)