If you're looking to attract new customers to your physical location, having a strong online presence is absolutely essential in today's digital age. Let's talk about why and how you can assess your online presence in order to determine if it’s working for you and attracting your ideal customer, or if it’s instead repelling them.
First off, let's get real. Your business needs to be visible online if you want to attract new customers. With so many people relying on the internet & Google searches for research and purchasing decisions, having a website and social media presence is key.
Imagine for a moment that you’re driving home from work and are craving pizza for dinner. You know, that type of pizza with glistening gooey cheese and a delicious puffy crust? There is a plaza around the corner from your house that has a pizza shop, only you don’t know it’s there… why not? Because it doesn’t have a sign on the front of the building. Instead, their front door is open and the smell of freshly baked pizza is in the air. But unless you have your car windows open then you are not likely to smell the pizza and keep driving past it.
But IF the pizza shop had a sign on the front of the building that says “Pizza” which catches your attention, and you see a poster in the window with a delicious looking pizza with that puffy crust… well you are likely to park and walk into the pizza shop. Why? Because you just saw EXACTLY what you were looking for.
The same thing happens to your business online. The images and photographs you use act and function the same as the sign outside of your building. The images need to be scroll-stopping and capture your ideal customers attention, by showing them what they are looking for, and this applies to all brick-and-mortar businesses, whether you are a pizza shop, chiropractor or retailer.
By having a well-designed website and active social media profiles, you can make a significant impact on attracting new customers to your physical location.
Now, let's talk about showcasing your products and services. You have amazing products and services, right? Of course, you do! By featuring them on your website and social media profiles, you can show potential customers what you have to offer and why they should choose you over the competition. This is your chance to tell your brand story and let your unique voice shine through. You can do that easily with planned photography that stops your potential customers visual scroll, and clear copy and messaging to support the visuals.
Having an online presence allows you to build and maintain relationships with customers. Through social media and email marketing, you can keep customers updated on new products, services, and promotions. This can help create a loyal customer base that will return to your business in the future and recommend your business to others.
So, how can you assess your current online presence? It's simple! Here are a few things to consider:
- Website design: Is your website easy to navigate and mobile-friendly?
- Content: Does your website have high-quality images & photographs that accurately represent your business and messaging that offers value to potential customers?
- Search engine optimization: Is your website optimized for search engines so potential customers can easily find you?
- Social media profiles: Are your social media profiles active, with high-quality content and consistent branding?
- Online reviews: Do you have positive online reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp?
By taking a few minutes right now to ask yourself those questions, you can identify areas where your online presence can be improved and make changes to improve your visibility, build relationships with customers, and showcase your products and services. Which will help you to get more clients that walk through your door.
In conclusion, having a strong online presence is absolutely essential for attracting new customers to your brick and mortar business. By having a website and social media presence, you can increase your visibility, showcase your products and services, and build and maintain relationships with customers.
If you are not sure if the photographs and images you are using on your website are working effectively, then download my business first impression checklist to find out. This checklist has 5 simple but effective questions, which will help you evaluate your website and social media profiles visual first impression and if it’s a strong one or if it needs some help.
So, click here to get your free business first impression checklist and see how your online presence is doing today! Let's get those customers walking through your door!
