Hey!
So you’ve seen how digital has transformed our daily lives, but now, let’s get practical. What do the growing number of online opportunities actually look like for you?
In this video, we’ll discuss the core components of digital, how they relate to YOUR business and how to get started. Let’s say you’re a mechanic whose business has grown strictly through referrals and word of mouth. So far, you’ve not had any digital presence, but now you want to take your business to the next level. How will being online help your business succeed? One of the biggest advantages to being online is reaping the benefits of search. Having a digital presence means you’ll be visible when people go online and search for a business like yours. So let’s assume someone searches for “mechanic Swansea” and your shop appears in the results. How can this benefit your business?
Well, the possibilities are virtually endless. When a customer clicks a link to your website there’s so much they can learn about you.
They might watch a video you posted about car maintenance that demonstrates your knowledge.
They could read testimonials from happy customers.
They might look through your pricing guide, find your shop on a map or find out you offer free towing within a 40-mile radius.
Maybe they’ll fill out a form to ask a question or request a quote.
They might even click over to your social media sites where they’ll find even more tips, photos and videos.
You might not start by having all these features on your website, but these examples should give you a sense of the many ways you can benefit from being online. And guess what? There’s more!
Your online presence can also give you valuable insight into prospective customers: what they want, and how to give it to them. How? Well, digital allows you to show targeted advertising to people right when they’re looking for what you offer. For example, using search advertising, you can show ads to potential customers. Such as people searching for “auto repair Swansea.” You can also restrict the ads to show within a certain geographic radius of your shop. You can learn to use analytics tools to find out if people clicked on your ad, visited your site, and took certain actions. Like filling out a form or watching a video.
Exciting, right? But how do you get started? Well, first, don’t be intimidated: the tools and technology available today are easy to learn, easy to use and easy to acquire. Many are even free. In fact, for many businesses, the biggest challenge to being online isn’t getting used to the tools, but putting together a plan. We’ve got lots of videos that are going to help you do just that, but let’s run down a quick list of the major things you want to consider.
The first is scope. Web, mobile, social … there are so many options. Where do you want to start, and where do you want to go?
Next is Technology and Content: Decide if you’ll handle the technical and creative aspects of the site yourself—which may take more time—or get help, which may take more money.
Finally, you’ll want to consider Cost and Time: Set a realistic budget and an achievable schedule with clear milestones—and commit fully to both. Every day, thousands of small business owners are making the web work for them. The opportunity to reach customers from around the corner and around the globe is too big to ignore.
It’s time to take the plunge and go digital!
- the core components of a digital presence
- how they relate to YOUR business
- how to get started.
Check your knowledge
Karl, a 50-year-old mechanic, runs the local garage in a small town and is considering taking his business online.
How could going digital benefit his business?
- He’d be more visible to customers
- He can target ads at local customers
- It’s easier to communicate with customers
- Less need for customer conversations
- More insights into customers’ online behaviour
- He can modernise his company logo
By going online, Karl can make his business more visible, and use targeted ads to specifically advertise to local people within a certain distance of his garage. He can have conversations with potential customers and get insights into their behavior.
Being online wouldn’t necessarily reduce the need for customer conversations as Karl’s business involves a lot of face-to-face communication. But it will help people looking for mechanics to find him in the first place.
He can modernize his company logo any time – it’s not specifically related to being online.
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