On some posts, as an Amazon Associate, I earn an affiliate commission from qualifying purchases.
It is so surprising for me to talk to business owners and see that they diminish the role of the online world to the extent that they do. The truth is that there is no longer such a thing as a traditional brick and mortar business. The sooner all business owners realize this, the sooner they will make the necessary changes in their promotion strategy.
As business owners, we have to look at consumer behavior. It changed a lot in the past 10 years. People do not read ads anymore, they do not call an information line and they rarely speak to a sales representative. The truth is that Google is now THE RESEARCH TOOL OF CHOICE.
Before the customer walks inside the store or calls the business, he/she Googled you!
Modern buying journeys start and usually even end online. The smart companies will facilitate this journey and will actively look for customers online.
Your Business May Already Be Online
The evolution of the customer behavior was so strong that most brick and mortar businesses are already featured online. In most cases this happens without the owners even being aware of the fact. Just look online for the stores near where you live. There is a huge possibility that most of them are already featured. If you ask the owners, they will usually be surprised that this is the case.
Time To Move Online
Websites allow you to write reviews about service providers and about products that you tried. They collect data from the offline world and move it online. This basically means that you need to move the business online because of a really simple reason: you want to control how you are presented online.
Even smaller stores now need an online presence. Service providers like dentists also need to be featured online. Basically, only a really small number of brick and mortar businesses do not need such a presence. The only example that comes to mind is the small neighborhood market that only covers customers in a limited region. Any business that can reach customers in the entire city now needs to be online.
Google Your Business Now!
Do it! See where you stand and what people say about you. Then, build a website, create social media accounts and start interacting with current and potential customers.
Image Source: Think Shore
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.