23 Jul How do your customers find you online?

No matter what the size or type of your business, everyone knows that having an online presence is crucial in this day and age. However many Taranaki businesses are still not doing it, or at least not doing it properly!

Social media has made it possible for everyone to be online no matter what their budget, which has led to a surge in competition. This is why most businesses are shifting their focus to this platform in order to increase sales. Social media marketing is a great way to drive repeat business and to attract new customers, which is great as it doesn’t impact hugely on your budget either. Platforms such as Facebook are an important part of your customer service, allowing consumers to discuss your products or services and with 84% of consumers trusting word-of-mouth above all other forms of advertising (Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising Survey 2013) it’s important to allow and encourage this discussion online.

Building an effective online marketing strategy

However it’s important to remember that social media isn’t a replacement for other
e-marketing activities but it’s a critical component of an effective marketing strategy. As a design, print, marketing and web agency supporting clients with a broad range of services from graphic design to e-newsletters and web builds we know what works and what doesn’t. Keeping up with marketing trends is vital for our business to survive and over the last few years we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of clients requesting websites above all else.

A website is a cost effective alternative to advertising

This isn’t a surprise as websites, unlike your office, run 24/7 so can be viewed at anytime from anywhere and since nearly everyone in New Zealand has access to the internet, it’s a perfect tool to advertise your services. Also, your website can be updated as often as you like with no added cost, so if you have a new product to promote – putting it on your website should be your first point of call. Paying for a new advert every time you have something to promote is costly, but with a CMS (Content Management System), you can easily add and edit the content on your site whenever you like, as often as you like, at no extra cost. Websites also act as a confirmation to customers that you actually exist so if you’re not online, no doubt someone else who offers the same services as you will be.

A cheap website may not be an effective one

Creating and updating a website is fairly straight forward but getting people to it and being found in a search result is another thing completely. This is why SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is as important as having a website. Not investing in a good SEO strategy as part of your website build is like trying to run a car properly without petrol. If you’re a small business, it’s unlikely you’ll have big budgets, or additional staff to invest in a complex online strategy, but there are certainly some simple steps you can take.

“If your business is not on the internet then your business will be out of business.” Bill Gates

If you’d like help on building both an online and offline branded presence Contact TGM Creative on 06 759 8957 or email info@tgmcreative.co.nz.