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It is no secret that nowadays, modern day society has opened up many doors for small businesses like ours. The world of web, social media, and online communication has transformed the way customers and corporations do business and has allowed the creation of a global platform where companies can reach people all across the world. Without the internet, we would have never come so far.and for that, we are very grateful!
So how powerful is the web for companies like ours? If you are currently trying to get a new business started, or if you have ever worked with a start-up company, then you will know that 99.9% of the time, money is scarce. Before the emergence of digital marketing, a small budget made spreading the story of a start-ups had a very tough task to complete. Even today, traditional marketing techniques are not cost effective at all. However, the internet enabled us to increase our brand presence – and revenue – without making a large investment.
We have experienced it on our own how challenging it is to lift a company off the ground, especially in the agricultural sector. Therefore, we want to share some useful tips with you to make the world aware of your products!
- WEBSITE IS THE KEY
We try our very best to constantly keep our website uptodate, fun, informative and easy to use. The main reason for this is that we want the first experience consumers have with us to be as positive as possible. These days, most of the people go online and research products and companies intensively before they make a purchase decision. Even if people do not buy your product online they are still likely to come across your website in case the look for products of the same category! So make sure your website is creative, easy to read and reflects your brand personality.
- BE SOCIAL
Did you know that studies have shown that 3/4 of the customers rely on social media to influence their purchasing decisions, with 8 out of 10 also influenced by their friends’ posts? What if we told you that social media budgets are expected to double over the next 5 years or that 80% of business executives define social media as crucial towards their company? Therefore, if you do not have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Youtube, or at least one of them, for your business, you are only reaching a mere 38% of the population. So what are you waiting for!?
Being active on social media not only allows you to form solid, loyal relationships with your consumers, but also to reach clients all over the world – and above all, it animates people to talk about you! Beeing a small company, we depend on these relationships, as it allows us to be spread our story through word-of-mouth and online. But remember, facebook ‘likes’ don’t pay the salaries! You need to engage with your online fan base and encourage them to become less passive and more active!
- MAKE USE OUT OF THE POWER OF GOOGLE
They don’t call it the largest online search engine in the world for nothing! Google is full of information that can help you to indentify people that can help you expand. From finding journalists, over seeking b2b clients, to searching for investors, Google can give you all of the contact details you need. The only thing you need to invest is time to look for them.
- MANAGE YOUR COMMUNITY
Taking all the right steps to ensure that these individual tasks are achieved is actually the easy part. The real challenge (and the one where most businesses fail) is to ensure that all your online community management turns out successfully. In other words, it involves engaging, monitoring, servicing and activating your social media fan base across multiple platforms. This, however, requires time, planning, creativity and a constant willingness to interact and communicate with your customers. But trust me – if done appropriately, it can have extremely positive results. Therefore:
- Engage within your community – Spend time getting to know others in the community and engage in simple and personal conversations.
- Don’t just focus on monetizing – The most important strategy to drive revenue for a business is to build the community, earn members’ trust, and delicately ask for their permission to market your service.
- Don’t just listen, get the community involved – Building a strong loyalty is not just listening but also acting and integrating yourself in the community to become a trusted voice.
Remember, your consumers are human beings just like you! So treat them that way! The online world is an exciting, unpredictable and adventurous place for businesses. So take risks, be creative, and most importantly value and learn from each and every one of your customers. The web is a transparent place, with customers having more power than ever before to praise or criticise every single of your moves.
So go for it!
