If a prospective customer needs to know a shop’s hours, location, phone number, or if they sold a certain product, how would they go about finding this information?

The answer – online search.

About 90% of today consumers will search online before going to a business. Why? Convenience.

If you don’t have a web presence, any potentially new customer will be unable to find you, and this will hurt your chances of growing your business. You are forcing them to choose your competition. There was a time when using traditional marketing methods like direct mail, flyers, newspapers, and magazines were all you needed to reach potential customers. Now you have to combine the old with the new, having a web presence allow you to communicate with consumers on their terms.

Did you know, that most people do their online shopping during the hours of 8:00pm to 10:00pm, after dinner, and before bedtime? A professionally designed website, along with a social media strategy adds credibility to your business, it helps you make a good first impression and shows that you are committed to your business. In addition, it can be an excellent customer service tool, letting customers know when and where you can be reached 24/7.

Using your website and social media presence, you are able to provide up-to-date product information, seasonal advertising, weekly specials, and more, in a more cost-effective manner.

In closing, remember if your competition already has a web presence, you are losing out on growing your business.