Not keeping all of your online profiles up to date can cost your business dearly. However, not every business can afford to hire a digital marketing agency.
So how can you yourself check if your online profiles are not costing you money by losing clients that are trying to contact you? That is what we will be discussing in this blog.
What is it costing your business?
How much does it cost when potential clients can’t get hold of you?
Let’s say you make R1000 profit per new client that you sell to. If 4 people tried to call you last month and you usually close 25% of people that phone you, you are losing R1000 per month just because potential clients can’t get hold of you.
What basics need to be in place?
There are a lot of online platforms where your business may be listed and where potential clients might be trying to find you.
If any of your contact details on these platforms are wrong, have changed or contain a spelling mistake, clients might be contacting one of your competitors.
So make sure that your phone number, address, email address, website link, social links are all up to date and working on each platform. We’ll list a few platforms that you need to check in a bit.
Go onto your profile on each platform in an incognito or private window of your browser to make sure it looks good. But also make sure that all the links work and that your contact details are correct.
Platforms that you need to check
Your own website
Your own business’ website is the most important marketing platform for your business. This is where customers go when they try to find you.
Make sure that all the contact details are working, that you link out to your social media pages.
But the most important thing you need to check on your website is that it is mobile friendly. Most users now visit websites from their mobile phones.
Does your website display correctly on mobile phones? Do all the links work? Can people click on your phone number to call you and on your address to visit you?
If you need help with any of these elements, get in contact with our website design team and we will gladly assist.
Social media pages
There are many social media platforms available for your business to use. The most popular of these are Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube.
Do you still need to get your business on Facebook? Read our blog on how to start a facebook business page.
Look on all of these platforms and make sure that your contact details are up to date and that prospects can see your page and get in contact with you from the page.
Also, to help your business grow, you need to post regularly to at least the most important platforms for your business. Try to post once per week and at the least once per month.
Can’t get to this because you are too busy? Let us manage your social media marketing for you so that you can focus on running your business.
Google Business Profile
Your Google business profile is an easy way to win at local SEO. If this profile is up to date, customers searching for your business on Google or Google Maps can easily find you.
Customers can also visit your website, call you, ask questions, send you a message and review your business.
Many people use customer reviews on Google Business Profile to choose which business they will buy from or visit.
Make sure all your contact details are correct, that all the links work, and that your business name is correct.
Also, ask some of your happiest customers if they will be willing to review your business on Google.
You can also update customers with an update, an offer, or an event. This can really boost your presence on the biggest search engine by far in South Africa.
Do you need help getting access to your Google Business Profile? Give us a call and our expert team will help you.
Online directories
Online directories such as Yellow Pages are a great way to gain exposure for your business. Creating great listings on these sites can really boost your sales.
You can easily find which directories your business is listed on by simply searching for your business name on Google. Scroll past your website and social media pages to see where you are listed.
Be sure to add pictures, a description of your business and the contact details of your business on each directory and add a link to your website if it’s allowed on the free version.
Check for messages often
Ideally, you should be checking for new messages from clients on each platform every day and respond promptly. However, not all business owners can get to this as we are very busy.
Try to fit it into your schedule to spend 15 minutes per day to look for new messages or posts about you on each platform.
Alternatively, you can enable notifications to your phone for each platform. Or opt to receive an email every time you get a message.
This will help you to stay on top of your online marketing and make sure you are not missing anything.
Make sure your phone system is working
Many businesses miss calls because their phone system is not working properly. VOIP calls do not come through when your phone loses connection or when there is load shedding in your area.
Make sure that you are with a reputable VOIP company and ask them to send you a report of all the phone calls you missed on a monthly basis.
Conclusion
Now you know how to make sure you are not missing any potential business from your online platforms. Once all these things in place you should be making a little bit more sales each month which may create the momentum you need in your business.
