After a year in a pandemic, we’ve all grown accustomed to a new way of life. With more and more aspects of our lives now taking place virtually, we rarely need to actually leave the house to buy things, sell things, learn or socialise.
Even the most technologically challenged people have become familiar with Zoom, Teams, and other online services simply because they had to. There was no other option! It was either embrace these new technologies, or miss out.
But now, with restrictions starting to ease, you might be forgiven for thinking you can leave your carefully constructed online presence behind – but we’ve compiled a few compelling arguments to persuade you to still around and maintain a strong online presence, even after the restrictions are lifted!
- You’ve changed
The chances are, as a business, you’re working remotely far more than you were, whatever your product or service may be. You’ve evolved your business to survive this rollercoaster of a pandemic. But the thing with evolution? You don’t really go back.
Even after lockdowns end and restrictions are a thing of the past, your online presence will remain vital to the success of your business, because everyone else has changed too.
- Humans are lazy
Buying items and ordering services online is easy and convenient, and we humans will forever favour the easiest and most convenient way to do things. We are masters of efficiency. Now that we’ve got these options, we won’t be losing them.
It’s a well known fact that in marketing you want as little friction as possible in the buying process, because the more steps the person needs to take, the less likely they are to part with their hard-earned cash.
So, if you can make engaging with your business quick and easy, allowing customers to make a purchase or book a service from the comfort of their sofa or whilst doing the school run, you’re more likely to make a sale!
- The Future is Virtual
Now, we are not saying that bricks and mortar shops will be a thing of the past any time soon (we certainly hope not!); nor are we suggesting that there’s any replacement for a cool, crisp, freshly-poured pint at the pub. But after a year indoors, the world has become accustomed to having whatever they want delivered to their door, from drinks to meals and more.
Virtual solutions for your business are likely not the temporary plaster you thought they might be when you put them in place in March 2020 so now is a great time to sit down and evaluate the longevity of the processes you have in place, and how they can be refined to streamline the process for both you and your customers.
Is there an easier payment gateway you can use? Is there a better way of managing stock online, or having live availability for appointments?
- Make your business boom
Not only will getting your online presence and process simplified mean more business, but it’ll mean less stress for you, and cut costs on other forms of marketing too now your online presence is stronger. This will leave you free to spend your time working on new products and services, and expanding your business
Working virtually will open up a whole new world of clientele too. Not only will you be able to service your local customers, but people from all corners of the globe will be able to access your product or service, potentially making you busier and more successful than you ever imagined.
- Best of all? You can do this all in your pants
Not only will you have evolved your business over this past year, but so will the platforms to facilitate your business. Payment systems, stock management solutions and everything else you might need will have had over a year to refine and boost their offerings making it easier for you, as their customer, to use their services. It’s all linked and it’s all win-win!
So, hopefully you can see clearly that the importance of an online presence isn’t going to be disappearing any time soon. Even as the world slowly opens up, it will never be the same again. It’s time for all of us to look instead to the future, inspired by the huge technological leaps and bounds we’ve made during what has been a trying time for us all.
What one small thing can you do today to improve your business online and look to the future?
Thank you to our guest Blogger Chantelle Davison – Choice Words By Chantelle