CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > May 2018 33 Point of Rental Running a business today without managing your online presence is like neglecting to put a sign on your business and boarding your windows - you’re losing potential customers because they can’t trust you or, even worse, can’t find you. According to a BrightLocal survey, 97% of consumers used the internet to find a local business in 2017, with 41% of people looking at least once a week. Your potential customers are looking for you online. How can you use your online presence to get them into your business? And how can you build on your in-company excellence to enhance your online presence, creating a positive feedback cycle? Give the people what they want. 75% of shoppers who find local information in search results helpful are more likely to visit businesses, according to a recent Google, Ipsos Media CT, and Sterling Brands survey. Your site needs to include things like your company location, hours, pricing, and if you have the item they want when they want it. Don’t give anyone an excuse to write you off before they set foot in your business. Make sure these things are in your Google business listing as well! Use your “in-person” to build your “online”: If your company has hire software, this information is already available to you - all you have to do is get it integrated into your website. Connect with your staff. There are three reasons to feature your staff in your online presence. First, your staff is your main point of contact with your customers - people respond to familiar faces on social media and new customers who have seen your staff online already will feel familiar with that person when they see them in your business. Secondly, you’re all working together and often workplace proximity associates are friends - when you share photos fromwork, your team can share them socially and increase your business’s reach organically. Finally, you’re reinforcing to your staff that they’re an important part of your business, improving morale. Use your in-person to build your online: Ask your team to share important messages. Encourage them to take photos of work in progress on-site for you to share. Build word-of-mouth. 85% of customers now trust an online review as much as a personal recommendation and 68% of consumers left a local business review when asked. Let your customers sell your business for you! When you’re responding to reviews online, remember to stay positive. Respond to reviews while thinking that you’re speaking not to that person, but to every potential customer with your response. If you get a negative review, encourage the customer to contact you privately to resolve the issue. Once you’ve defused the situation offline, ask the customer if they’d be willing to change their review or add a comment, too! It shows potential customers that you’re dedicated to service when they see bad reviews turn to good ones. Use your in-person to build your online: The easiest and least expensive way to get reviews is to have your counter staff and sales team encourage customers to post reviews online. If you’d like, you can offer a small discount, either in percentage or a set total, for online reviews. Manage and initiate conversation. You don’t have to wait for a review to connect with your customers and potential customers. The Internet gives you an opportunity to pose questions and get answers from people that already know who you are and what to expect. If you have business clients, follow them on social media and offer help where you can provide it. If you are focused on consumers only, then ask themwhat they’d like to see, what needs you can fulfil, how they approach certain projects, etc. and try to build a group around your business. Giving people more opportunities to engage with your brand deepens your relationship and promotes future business. Use your in-person to build your online: You can come up with questions on your own, but typically, your best ideas will come from customers. Listen to customers’ ideas and pose those suggestions to a larger audience! Investing time and effort in your online presence is like greeting someone walking in your business with a smile and a hearty greeting, followed with a “How can I help you today?”. When a customer feels like you’re genuinely concerned about their success and their needs, that’s the beginning of a great hire relationship. Contact Point of Rental today to see how our innovative software can help you operate more effectively and efficiently. Visit point-of-rental. co.uk or call +44 (0) 118 956 9577 . Use Your Online Presence to Better Your Bottom Line