• Paul
• On May 17, 2019

Marketing and innovation are the two most important functions of a successful business. Today, both of them are driven by digital technology. If you’ve already established your business to some degree, have you even considered including offline marketing in your strategy or using a non-digital alternative to perform a daily operation?

The reality is that in most cases, the internet offers a vastly superior solution for both marketing and innovation in business. Building a strong social media presence is much more effective and affordable than advertising on a billboard, in the same way using accounting software is significantly more efficient than sifting through countless piles of books.

It’s clear that the digital world is extremely important to the success of a business in this day and age. However, there’s a lot to cover and wrapping your head around every aspect of the internet and what it offers can be challenging. That’s why we’ve put together a quick guide detailing what you need to know about business and success in the digital world.

Grow Your Presence

Being discovered by your target audience on the internet is impossible without a strong presence on as many relevant websites as possible. This includes social media hubs such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram – depending on which sites are appropriate. For example, Flickr would only really be relevant for photography companies.

Establishing and growing your social media presence can benefit your business in a variety of ways. You can increase your sales by posting special offers, receive valuable feedback from customers, make new product announcements and much more.

You should also have a strong presence on review websites. Having a Google My Business page is an absolute essential in 2019 and beyond. It gives people in your area a way to find you, read more on your business, and leave feedback on their experience with you. It’s also highly beneficial for your website’s SEO.

Speaking of which, do you have a well-designed website that’s properly optimized and filled with great content? If not, you most definitely should. There are countless benefits to having a website for your business, from the wonders it can do for your marketing efforts to giving customers a way to communicate with you and offer valuable insights.

The further you can reach into the depths of the internet, the more exposure your business will receive. That said, garnering a positive reputation is also important.

Respect Your Customers

It’s a common mistake that many business owners make: A customer leaves a complaint about the poor service they received and the owner responds by attacking them instead of offering to resolve the problem. This happens publicly, the event is shared, and the business in question suffers.

It’s important to build a positive reputation around your business. Even if you’ve made mistakes in the past and customers have left negative reviews, simply taking the initiative to publicly reply to them and strive to resolve any issues will ensure that nobody judges your business purely on that one bad review.

Keep an eye on your social media pages, Google My Business listing, Yelp and any other website where people can leave feedback on your business.

Never Stop Learning

With how rapidly the internet is evolving, it’s important to keep an open mind to new ideas and concepts. Whether it’s taking a moment to read up on new SEO trends or taking your education further through an online MBA in accounting, finance or business intelligence, your efforts will pay off and your competitors will pay the price.

Produce Quality Content

Many businesses make the mistake of treating social media and their website like a traditional advertising board. They’ll post nothing more than their own products and perhaps the occasional special offer. But if you think about it, why would anyone want to follow your social media pages if all they’re seeing are ads?

Instead, you need to focus on creating a balance between advertising your products and producing quality, informative content. This can include blog posts or articles on topics relevant to your industry. Having this type of content on your website can drive traffic and increase leads.

It’s important to ensure that not only the content you produce is high-quality, but that the place you put it onto is, too. Your website needs to look good, perform well and drive traffic effectively. Without this, even the best content won’t garner any interest from your target audience.

Conclusion

The internet is a lot for any entrepreneur to wrap their head around. But with enough motivation and persistence, you can use this powerful tool to skyrocket your business into the stratosphere.