Small businesses have found their digital feet in recent years. By transitioning to online sales platforms and delving into social marketing, companies have expanded their markets and increased sales.
If you’re going to outperform the competition, it’s time to up your game when it comes to your digital footprint. But what exactly do we mean by that?
A digital footprint is the combined power of a brand’s online actions, from updating a website to posting on Facebook. Taken as a whole, a company’s digital footprint has a wide-reaching impact on customers across the globe. It also gives customers a broad and accurate impression of company culture and customer service.
Like a physical shop, your online presence is expected to be clean, well-maintained, and easy to navigate. Presentation is everything, from the branding on your website to interactions on your social media platforms.
Whether you’re still asking “what is digital acceleration?” or you’ve been dipping your toes in the digital waters for years, read on to discover six simple tips for increasing your digital footprint to drive sales.
Revamp Your Website
Your website is the hub of your online activity. Every social post, email, and outreach article should lead back to your domain. It pays to invest in someone with the skills to create a professional and accessible user experience.
A simple, streamlined, and well-branded website helps to build the trust and confidence of potential customers, making them more likely to buy and to return for future purchases. In fact, 75% of a business’s credibility comes from web design, and 83% of online customers are more likely to shop with a competitor after a poor user experience.
While it’s easy enough to design your own website using services such as WordPress or Squarespace, there’s a lot to be said for investing in an experienced web designer, who can envision and guide the customer’s journey from homepage through to purchase. Employ enterprise architecture principles to map your data and identify opportunities for optimization.
Make It Mobile
Image sourced from oberlo.com
Mobile devices are driving the online shopping revolution, with customers making purchases at the tap of a screen from anywhere in the world.
While your website may be sleek and streamlined via desktop, if it isn’t optimized for mobile use then you risk losing customers. Websites designed for mobile devices focus on fast-loading pages, easy navigation and link placement, and content that automatically adjusts to landscape or portrait viewing.
You may also want to consider designing a mobile app, allowing customers a bespoke environment to shop, track their purchases, and contact customer services.
Think Sales Funnel
Whether accessed via desktop or mobile, your website should be all about ease. Help customers on their journey down the sales funnel toward checkout with features such as a drop-down shopping cart, a wishlist, or a shareable gift list. Use website visitor identification technology to help you segment your audience and provide better personalization.
Making reviews and testimonials readily available will also boost sales by increasing credibility. 75% of customers say they regularly read reviews before making a purchasing decision, so bring their research to them by including relevant reviews for each item you’re selling.
Avoid losing customers by including an accessible FAQ section or pop-up chat option to answer their questions before they buy. Feed these requirements into your SaaS content marketing strategy to make sure they’re a priority.
Tap Into Social
Social media makes up a significant part of a company’s digital footprint, with 77% of businesses using social media to reach customers. Research your audience and discover which platforms they’re most likely to use – then connect with them there.
Regular posting boosts your visibility and reputation with customers. Equip your business’s process library with a content calendar of pre-written posts on each platform. Mix up your media with photos, infographics, and videos to keep customers engaged.
Socials such as Facebook allow businesses to sell directly from the platform, and businesses that use social selling create 45% more sales opportunities than other brands. Make sure your social selling spaces are customized with your branding and linked back to your website, creating visual continuity and building trust.
Raise Your Rankings
While complex at first glance, SEO is a vital tool for improving your digital footprint and driving the right audience to your website. When customers google a particular product, it pays for your website to be at the top of the SERP (search engine results page).
A B2B SEO content expert can help optimize your online content to match the most popular and relevant search criteria across all engines. SEO tools such as Google Analytics will also give you feedback on who’s searching for your business, and what search terms they’re using.
This automatically compiled information can help you build relationships, improve customer experience, drive sales, site visits, and give you an edge over the competition.
Consider Customer Service
As your digital footprint increases, so will the number of prospects reaching out to your business online. With 77% of business leaders seeing positive ROI on investments in immersive experiences, professional and personable communications are more important than ever.
Online customers expect a range of contact options and may reach out to you via email, live chat, social media, or phone. Remember, due to social media it’s easy for customers to share their interactions with businesses, whether positive or negative.
Ensure a consistent top-quality experience across your channels with workforce management software. This will help you anticipate the volume of requests and ensure the right people are on hand to respond.
Conclusion
With online retail sales projected to hit $8.09 trillion by 2028, there’s no excuse not to get online. But remember – a website on its own is the equivalent of leaving a beautifully made business card in the middle of a desert.
Getting traffic to that website takes time and investment, across a whole network of platforms and tools. It can seem daunting, but the effect on sales, customer relationships, and repeat custom will speak for itself.
Why is FinancesOnline free?
Leave a comment!