Just because you have an online presence doesn't mean it's a good one! As a matter of fact, having a bad online presence can help to ruin a brand just as quickly as it builds one up. A bad brand online gives angry customers easy access to review sites, and they can direct more angry people right to your digital front door.
Needless to say, you need to make sure that your online presence is doing what you think it does. Here are some of the best ways to determine if your online presence is actually hurting your business.
Inconsistent Information
If you are trying to run multiple social media sites and your landing pages, you need to make sure that all of your information is consistent on all platforms. If it is not, you may find that your potential customers get confused. When prospects get confused, they leave. They usually never return. This is a point that you must consider - you get one shot.
There are many ways to automate the process of updating all of your information. Make it a point to update everything at once so that you don't forget to update a page by accident.
Bad Contact Information
If you have a digital storefront, it is possible that you are connecting your contact information to a phone or to an email. These methods of contact tend to change more often than physical storefronts, mostly because they are easier to change than a traditional real estate address.
When your contact information changes, you must be sure that you update everything on all websites. Again, an automated methodology will work best here. There is nothing worse than going to two websites and seeing two sets of contact information.
Keep in mind this info has to be perfectly precise. Even one incorrect digit in a phone number will confuse your prospects and keep your business from reaching you.
When it comes to your online business listings, copy and paste them between platforms exactly. If you abbreviate the street address in one listing, then abbreviate that address in the same way across all platforms. The major search engines may place you under separate listings and reduce your visibility if you fail to do this.
Missing Ratings/No Reviews
Some companies shy away from reviews because of their honest and uncontrollable nature. People can put anything they want in a review, justified or not. Angry customers may leave an angry review for something that has nothing to do with the product you offer.
However, you must have reviews and ratings present in order to fill out your online presence. This is true of your Google and Yahoo Business profiles as well as for your landing pages. Let people know that you are not afraid of honest feedback, and your company will look more credible in the eyes of your target market.
No Pictures/No Videos
If you are not using multimedia in your online marketing, then you are doing yourself a great disservice. Testimonials are more powerful when you have a picture of a smiling customer next to your storefront or at an event.
Videos are even better, because they give you an opportunity to show your audience your business from multiple angles. The more transparent you are with your business, the more people will trust you. If you do not have this sort of transparency, your prospects will just move on to a company that does. Once they do, it is likely they will never return - especially if you do not make it a point to fix the problem.
Millennials and Generation Z are both coming up in the workforce, and they are quickly gathering the expendable income that all businesses should be looking to market to. Both of these generations will only do business with connected, open companies that are highly transparent.
Take the time to vet your digital footprint before you leave your brand to the wolves. Follow the tips above to know how to check your online presence for holes and weaknesses. Fix what needs to be improved, and take advantage of everything the world of online marketing has to offer!