An Online Presence is Essential for Small Businesses

If you’ve ever questioned what benefits your foodservice equipment supply company gains from having an online presence, we’ve got a dozen simple answers. Let’s start with your customers. According to market researchers, roughly 90% of consumers conduct research on products and services on the Internet before making a purchase. Plus, many consumers report being hesitant about doing business with a company that doesn’t have an online presence. Thus, no website essentially means “no sale.” Other reasons having an online presence is essential for small businesses include:

• Clearly showcases your brand.
• Enhances customer access to your brand.
• Significantly boost your potential customer base.
• Instrumental in lead generation.
• Enhances customer service.
• Boosts marketing capabilities.
• Builds customer relationships
• Serves as a digital brochure.
• Facilitates easy customer outreach and operational updates
• Allows you to keep up with competitors.
• Closely tracks your digital marketing results

OK, now that we’ve put your questions to bed, we’ll provide you with some tips on improving your digital presence. In particular, we will focus on boosting your online presence via social media, pay per click (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO), and Google My Business.

Top Tips for Boosting Your Digital Presence Via Social Media

No matter what social media platforms your FES company decides to join, there are some key things you should do to ensure that your online presence gains and expands traction. The first thing to remember is that social media content is constantly flowing, which means you must post content regularly to gain and keep followers. Not only does new content attract new potential customers, but it can also capture the attention of search engines, which can further boost your online presence.

The second thing to remember is that visual content is a far more effective attention-getter than straight text. Thus, ensure you post pictures with your written content and videos to the extent possible.

Third, maintain brand consistency among all elements of your digital presence. Because you want to be easy to recognize, make sure that whatever logos, brand photos, and personnel headshots you use for your website are also used for your social media pages.

Speaking of consistency, ensure you cross-promote content across all your social media channels. You should have relevant linking social media icons on your website, and whenever you post new content, you should share it on your social media feeds as appropriate.

Three Tips for Boosting Via Pay Per Click

As we advised you to maintain brand consistency across social media feeds, you should provide a consistent experience for pay per click site visitors. This means that your PPC ads should incorporate features that identify your brand and that your landing page is relevant to your ad text and keywords.

Your company is paying for PPC ads, so you want to make sure your bounce rate from them is low. The best way to do this is to ensure website visitors have a high-quality user experience. Make sure that website pages load quickly, that your site is easy to navigate, and offers responsive design that adjusts screen views to fit different devices.

PPC capabilities continue to expand, so take advantage of new and emerging features, such as ad extensions, call extensions, voice search, and visual search.

SEO Remains a Key Tool for Boosting Digital Presence

If you’re wondering whether B2B firms such as your FES company need to focus on SEO, read our recent article describing the importance of B2B SEO. Then you should focus on optimizing your website’s SEO strategy. Start first with off-page SEO (backlink profile), on-page SEO (site content), and technical SEO (site architecture and speed). Other key SEO elements include:

• Keywords and their effective placement
• Well-written and relevant content
• Regular introduction of new content
• Audits to gauge SEO effectiveness

Everyone “Googles,” So Google My Business

If you’re not taking advantage of Google My Business, your FES company is missing out on an excellent means for boosting its online presence. Start by claiming your free GMB listing, which allows you to manage how your company’s information appears across Google. Optimize that listing by filling out all relevant details, adding photos, and using keywords in the business description. Also, ask people to provide third-party GMB reviews and make it easy for people to write one by creating and sharing a link. Make sure you respond to reviews and answer any questions that appear in your listings Q&A.

Boost Your Digital Presence with Beedash!

We trust that these tips will help you boost your online presence. For expert help amplifying your FES company’s digital presence, turn to Beedash’s marketing services. With more than 10 years of developing websites and strategizing digital marketing solutions for the foodservice equipment supply industry, Beedash is committed to providing our dealer clients with the latest and most advanced software solutions and digital marketing services.