If You Build, Will They Come? [Part 4 of 4]

This is the final post in the four-part series on helping businesses go online. In this post, I will discuss digital marketing, answer questions that were sent to me and summarize the previous three posts.

Digital marketing is essentially anything that you do that drives traffic to your website. Now, there is a difference between getting traffic and converting them to customers. The ultimate goal for an SMB should be to generate sales not simply hits on their website. Numerous companies will suggest a pay-per-click model such as Google Adwords or other promoted content on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This will probably give you traffic but can very quickly add up in costs and may not lead to sales. If you are new to this, I found the most effective method was simply sharing with friends, families and existing customers that you now have an online presence. Do a “flyer” and distribute it to your WhatsApp contacts, email subscribers and over your existing social media networks. Chances are that the bulk of your initial customers will be referrals from your existing client base. This will not cost you anything.

Many of us use search engines to find items. Making sure your website/products are listed on the first page involves several factors but using the appropriate page titles, relevant tags/keywords and including “alt text” for images that you upload onto your site will increase your ranking. There is a whole industry built around Search Engine Optimization (“SEO”) and it can get expensive. Depending on your e-commerce platform, there may be built-in SEO tools that will save you time and money. There may also be free credits and vouchers available to promote your website on different platforms such as Google, Bing and Facebook. Many platforms offer these credits- it is a great way to test out different techniques and platforms while getting free exposure for your website but make sure you monitor the account as those credits can run out very quickly.

It will take time to grow your online brand, it will not be overnight unless you spend lots of money. As customers purchase from your site and leave reviews, you will start to experience organic growth. The fundamentals of customer service are important and do not change because you are online. Make sure you answer emails, have a phone number, do not oversell and ship out products in time. In Ontario, there is free help and grants available through the Digital Main Street Program. There are many experts available through such programs who can and want to help you grow your business. They even provide funding for SEO, content creation, training, etc.

Domain Names:

I received a question regarding domain names that I will address in this post. I recommend that you do not change your domain name but connect it to your new e-commerce platform. These platforms will have instructions and support on how to do this. If you do not have a domain name and are going online for the first time, then I recommend simply purchasing it through the e-commerce platform. You may receive a discount and it will automatically be integrated. Make sure you choose the right domain name as it will be your online identity. Here are some excellent resources from Professor Tim Richardson on domain names.

Recap:

Let us recap the main points from previous posts in this series:

• If you have a ‘Bricks and Mortar’ location, then remember that your building on something existing so integrate your inventory systems. Maintaining multiple inventory systems is expensive.
• Integrate your additional sales channels (Google, Amazon, Facebook) through your e-commerce platform and not independently. It will save time and huge frustration from order-processing, customer management to inventory control.
• Do not oversell items and have a quantity hold-back especially if your physical location is open for business. If you have 10 items on the shelf then it should show as 7 online to prevent overselling.
• Shipping and logistics are probably the most difficult element of the entire process so make sure you automate this and avoid doing it manually. Integrating 4D shipping and building partnerships with local shipping vendors for last-mile delivery will ensure your shipping is economical and efficient which customers will appreciate.
• Leverage the grants and resources that are being made available to you from different platforms, governments, and other organizations.

On a final note, I want to thank you for your likes, shares, and comments. My goal is simple, help as many SMBs transition online. No business should shut down because they cannot migrate their operations online. I was heartbroken to hear about their struggles, some even indicated that they spent thousands of dollars on consultants and others shared that they were just going to shut down because this was too difficult for them. It does not have to be difficult and there is help available. Some businesses cannot afford to hire technical expertise and are overwhelmed with all the information out there. I hope that this series helps them sift through the noise- we all must support each other. As always, if there are any topics you would like me to cover or any suggestions on available resources then please share them. Thank you again for all the support. #SupportLocal

Links to Previous Posts in this Series:

1. Going Digital: A Four-Part Series to Help Small Businesses Go Online [Part 1 of 4]
2. Reimagining the crucial last mile of the e-commerce journey [Part 2 of 4]
3. More is not Better- Integrating your Online and In-Store Inventory [Part 3 of 4]