Family businesses are often more traditional in their approach towards marketing and selling their products or services. However, in this day and age, not utilizing digital tools and online marketing strategies might be detrimental to your business. Most people now browse, find, research about, and buy products online, making it imperative for you to actively promote and sell your products in the digital space.
It is the perfect way to expand your business horizons, and considering the rate at which digital adoption is rising – it is also the right time to do it. By 2040, it is estimated that around 95% of purchases worldwide will happen through ecommerce.
Here are a few ways in which you can build an online presence for your family business:
1. Provide Stellar Customer Service Online
Any brand that has been actively present in the online space will tell you – online customer service is as rewarding as it is challenging. As a family business, you may be perfectly happy with your current customer service channels. However, to be competitive brands need to provide real-time customer support, and engage with their audience regularly. Moreover, digital channels also let customers post reviews and feedback which leads to the creation of an organic word-of-mouth marketing channel for you.
All of that and more is possible by simply enabling online customer service for your business. It can be as easy as actively seeking feedback and reviews on your websites, or as personalized as interacting and servicing customers through your social media channels. Customers these days, expect immediate responses and can just as easily switch to other brands if they get impatient with the service delivery. Managing your customer service online can be a great way for you to ensure that your customers are always taken care of – in real-time.
2. Have a Website to Showcase your Products/Services
Whether you have a small family-owned bakery or a company that is growing by the day, having a website is not optional. A website can be the perfect way to showcase your products/services, communicate with potential customers, and present your narrative to your target audience. Even if you have a small business with limited capacity at present, a website can let you reach a larger customer base, without the limitations of geographical distance.
Here is a great example of a website by a family-owned bakery, Zaro’s:
More importantly, having a website is a great way to reach people who are actively looking for your product/service. You can promote, sell and upsell products just like you would in your store. Moreover, you can add content that your customers would love to read and keep them updated, thus boosting your user engagement levels.
3. Present your family business story through a narrative
Why do you need a narrative, you ask?
Family businesses distinguish themselves from others through the synergy and passion that is shared among the family members who are involved in it. Moreover, who does not love origin stories?
Create a great narrative for your family and how your beloved family business came to be. Talk about the legacy that you have been building and the one you want to achieve through your business. Doing this will not only make your website stand out as credible, but also make it more engaging for the visitors. Here is an example of this by Skinnydipped, a healthy snack manufacturer, and retailer:
4. Build Links by creating Smart Online Content
If you have heard a lot of advice on how to build a digital presence, chances are that you have heard the word ‘content’ one too many times. Content is a broad umbrella term used to refer to any kind of textual, visual, or video communication that you publish online. It can be on your website, your social media, or other digital channels. However, one of the many ways to ensure that the content that you publish, works for you is by consistently building links.
Link building, put simply, is the process of increasing the inbound links to your website which is accomplished by posting links on third-party websites that have a higher inflow of visitors. You can do this by posting blogs, registering in online directories, or publishing academic papers if your goal is to gain traction through your expertise.
Adding visual elements within the content is highly encouraged, regardless of the idea. Nowadays, even some of the reputed online journals require graphical abstract papers to assess your credibility, which can also be a great way to improve the visibility of your paper.
5. Boost your SEO and Social Media Performance
Another definite way to build an online presence for your family business is through the implementation of SEO and social media to assist your marketing efforts. For small family businesses, even simple efforts such as being present on all the major social media channels and following SEO best practices can bring in a lot of impetus to the business. Increasing the use of visual content such as images, video, and infographics can give your brand more visibility and better reach.
Moreover, you can also align your SEO strategies and social media presence with the goals that you have targeted for your business. Ensuring consistent monitoring and improvement of social media and SEO efforts can reward family businesses with a distinct advantage over the others if implemented correctly.
Take the next big leap for your business
It is clear by now that businesses can profit a lot by implementing the right digital marketing strategies and by leveraging their online presence. While there are many ways to do this, having the right strategies under your belt and utilizing content smartly can go a long way in achieving your business goals. However, the primary way to accomplish a consistent online presence is through following a defined set of strategies for SEO and social media, which can bring more people to your website.
