3 Ways to Promote Your Business’ Online Presence to Real-Life customers
It is no secret that the world has moved into the online space and that more and more business is being conducted over the internet. It has become so prevalent that online sales have overtaken offline sales in many industries such as apparel and cosmetics. If your business is to survive into the future, it is imperative that you curate an online presence in order to gain customer loyalty and trust. If your business already has real-life customers, you then have the task of converting them into online followers of your business as well and this can be done in a few steps:
1. Create Awareness: There is no way for your real-life customers to follow your online presence if they are not aware of it in the first place. This is why it is imperative that you promote it to them aggressively. This involves having your business’ website and social media handles printed on all your promotional materials and product packaging. Print out flyers that encourage them to follow your business online and have it distributed to customers in your business location. You should also make sure to get your customers’ opinions of your online presence to make sure they are responding well to it.
2. Create an incentive: It is not enough to simply let your customers know that your business has an online presence. The average individual is constantly inundated with business promotions, both online and offline and thus, your business will need to stand out by creating some sort of incentive for them. For example, you may offer a discount for first-time orders from your website or offer a discount code via social media. This will encourage customers to follow your business in the online space and they will likely promote you to their friends and family as well.
3. Create reinforcement: The goal of creating an online presence for your business is not just to keep up with current business trends but to make sure that your business is firmly in the consciousness of your customers. The average individual sees dozens of ads online each day and businesses need to constantly be at the forefront of their awareness if they are to retain their customer base. To do this, create constant content for your followers to engage with such as blog posts, social media content and so on. On your business website, encourage visitors to sign up for your newsletter and send these out consistently. By doing this, your customers are consistently being reminded of the products and services you offer and will likely remain loyal.
When creating your business’ online presence, your already-existing customers can and should form part of your initial virtual audience. These steps to promote your business’ online presence to your real-life customers should preferably be done leading up to the launch of your social media pages and website. These will help with initial traction and should consistent reinforcement be practiced, your new online followers will likely be loyal.