one27 Photography offers product, headshot, residential & commercial architecture photography services across Acton and the surrounding areas. To help them reach a wider audience, we launched their new website last week - www.one27photo.com

We wish the team at one27 Photography the best of success.

There’s search engine optimization, and then there’s seasonal SEO.

One is a constant companion that deserves consistent attention and focus to drive traffic to your pages and visitors to your profiles. The other – when done correctly – can give you a sweet little bump depending on the time of year.

Search engine optimization is easy to grasp, but more difficult to master. It’s the art of getting your content to rank well in the Google search engine.

Our digital lives revolve around the search engine. Whenever we want to know, buy, or do, we head on over to Google (it’s responsible for 94% of organic traffic) or Bing. And ranking is important:

• Three-quarters of people never scroll past the first page of search engine results.
• Most people ignore the paid ads that appear on the front page.
• Leads that arrive via search have an average close rate of 14.6%, but it’s only 1.7% for those from outbound channels.
• 92% of organic clicks are captured on the first page.
• The result in the #1 spot gets 32.5% of clicks.

If you don’t appear on the first page, it’s like you don’t exist. Outside of the top three spots, the click-through rate or CTR drops very quickly even if you are on the first page.

That’s not to say you won’t see a lot of seasonal fluctuation throughout the year. And you can capitalize on that. “Seasonal” refers to more than just the uptick in spending and buying we see in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It includes Black Friday, Cyber Monday, back-to-school shopping in late summer, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, the seasons themselves, and much more.

Whether you’re a small business looking to capitalize on the trends or a seasonal business only open in the summer or holidays, there are steps you can take to catch those waves of increasing demand. With a little planning, you can produce a consistent uptick in your organic traffic at the same time each year.

Meet the Customer’s Needs

Taking advantage of seasonal SEO is not a shady tactic. You’re going above and beyond to meet consumer needs. They want this, and they want it now. If they’re looking for Christmas decorations in November, it’s because they’re ready to buy. They’re happy. You’re happy. Satisfied customers increase traffic and profit.

Google Trends

Your first step is to identify the naturally-occurring highs and lows for a particular keyword or product. If you sell Christmas ornaments, then you know you’re going to see increased demand in the lead-up to Christmas.

Others may be a bit more difficult to pin down. Maybe it changes from year to year, or maybe there’s more than one uptick. There are simple SEO and keyword research tools to help with this part, including Google Trends, which is free.

It’ll show the relative search volume for any keyword. Choose a geographic region, time period, or type of search, and Trends will display a line graph. You can also compare several keywords on the same graph.

Down jackets experience a major spike in demand starting in the fall and peaking in the winter. Makes sense. But let’s say you sell raw honey. When’s your season? You might think spring or summer.

You’d be wrong.

The highest search volume for ‘raw honey’ occurs every year in early January. Why?

You’d have to do some research, but it may be because that’s the time of year when people set resolutions. Healthy eating is a common one, and raw honey is a healthier alternative to processed sugar.

So, as a raw honey vendor, you’d want to accelerate your SEO efforts starting in November, with content that pushes the health benefits of your product. Then, you’re perfectly situated for the rise in demand. When they go looking for it, they’ll find you.

Google Analytics

If you have a website, you can dig into your own data to find the highs and lows for your traffic. Using Google Analytics, you can get valuable insights into your traffic trends over the course of a year.

The Audience > Overview graph provides a convenient snapshot of the peaks and valleys over time.

Check out Acquisition to see where your visitors are coming from. This data provides a roadmap for the seasonal niche events you should be targeting.

Combine it with insight from the Google Search Console on specific keywords and how much traffic they generate, and you know exactly what’s bringing in traffic at any given time, and where customers are going on your site.

Keyword Research

What are the keywords that people are using to find your products or service? You might turn to a keyword research tool to find new opportunities. Make a list of those words bringing in the most traffic, and the relevant keywords you’d like to add to the mix.

Don’t forget about long-tail keywords. They may have a lower search volume, but they represent a much higher level of searcher intent. Long-tail is the difference between searching for ‘shoes’ versus ‘brown leather shoes for men’. Lower overall volume, but much more intent to purchase.

Put It All Together

Once you’ve analyzed everything, you should see some clear patterns on what (keywords) and when to use them. Create content to match – content that reflects the peak engagement period and the slow-down period.

Create seasonally-specific calls-to-action, pages, and navigation menus on your site. Highlight the seasonal niche events. Give yourself enough time to generate awareness and momentum. Start your efforts at least a month or two before the peak, and continue them for about a month after it.

Keep your SEO healthy at all times. Create and share high-quality and relevant content. Build and earn strong backlinks. Seasonal spikes can be very lucrative. Find them. And grab them.

Article Source Credits:

Author: Jeshue Betts
Jeshue Betts is the regional marketing representative of LawnStarter.com, an online and mobile platform that connects homeowners with lawn care professionals for care-free and efficient services.

Article Source: succeedasyourownboss.com

Originally Posted on: September 29, 2020

Do you know how to enhance your social media marketing performance using an ambitious yet achievable strategy?

Actually, this is what the majority of marketers think they know. But the truth is many of them are not successful in marketing and usually get low ROI.

In fact, marketers and brands of all sizes and types don’t use social media to its full capacity.

They consider digital marketing to be posting several pics/clips and advertising their products.

This is what any common social media user can do. So what are the differences?

The greatest mistake they’re making is that they think social media is all about the number of followers.

They sometimes don’t care about the followers’ relevancy and the engagement rates they can bring to their accounts.

In other words, they ignore and avoid building a niche community to make their audience consider them as a leader in the community.

Many of them don’t know anything about “Brand Storytelling” on social media, and the only thing they want is to get more followers.

Many of them even try to acquire existing accounts to gain instant access to thousands of followers.

It is clear that building a niche community is not an easy task, and not all marketers can afford to do it.

A versatile and robust strategy is a must in this regard. Otherwise, you’ll repeat your previous mistakes without knowing the reason it isn’t working.

This is so important that many medium and large companies assign their marketing campaigns on social media to agencies.

Table of Contents

• How to Build Efficient Social Media Marketing Strategies
  1. Analyze your social media performance
  2. Define S.M.A.R.T goals
  3. Know your target audience
  4. Choose the right channels
  5. Generate informative content and post them at the best time
  6. Constantly survey your industry
     • Tom Siani
     • Latest posts by Tom Siani (see all)

How to Build Efficient Social Media Marketing Strategies

The most important thing these agencies do is to build efficient social media marketing strategies.

That would be especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic when the staff’s physical presence is limited, and the threat of the coronavirus is still with us.

The time of social media usage per capita has globally increased, and this is a unique opportunity to build a social media marketing strategy.

If you can strengthen your brand identity through informative content and targeting organic audiences, you’ll have a brighter future in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Here is a step-by-step guide through which you can build your own company’s marketing strategy on social media.

1. Analyze your social media performance

First, you have to analyze your current performance to know how well you’re generating leads.

One of the most beneficial aspects of using analytics tools is to recognize your strengths and weaknesses.

Google Analytics is also a great software in this regard.

You can also perform social media A/B testing to know if your ads are of interest to your audience.

2. Define S.M.A.R.T goals

After analyzing your previous performance and knowing what has performed well and what hasn’t, you can define your next objectives.

They need to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound so that you can be sure you reach them.

You also need to define certain metrics to measure these objectives and optimize your activities.

3. Know your target audience

Social media marketing is all about reaching out to the most probable customers and encouraging them to buy from you.

So you have to exactly recognize your potential customers to be able to speak with them like them.

Age, gender, location, job, and many other factors can significantly change people’s thinking and buying.

So you can’t have a single strategy for all social media users. Fortunately, there are several useful tools to find and reach out to a niche-relevant audience.

4. Choose the right channels

When you know your audience characteristics, you can target them on social media platforms.

The question is which social network is the best one for your business.

Of course, top social platforms are being used by billions of people, and you have to consider using them.

But you need to be more specific as any social app has its own audience demographic, and you can’t use a single content strategy for all of them.

For example, Pinterest’s users in the U.S. are mainly women. But on the other hand, LinkedIn is being used by CEOs, job seekers, professionals, etc.

So you need to prioritize your marketing strategies based on these differences.

5. Generate informative content and post them at the best time

Content is king! You must have heard this sentence thousands of times. But along with generating informative content, you need to put it in the eyes of as many niche audiences as possible.

Try to use social media scheduling tools to post your content at the best time to get maximum exposure.

6. Constantly survey your industry

Even a strong marketing strategy can fail you if you don’t know the competition well.

If you constantly check out your competitors, you can predict whether your strategy will be successful or not.

You have to track all their activities, including social channels they’re using, content style, followers, posting schedules, etc.

To understand these steps better, you can look at the infographic below.

Article Source Credits:

Author: Tom Siani
Tom Siani is the Content Manager at Blogwaves.com where he shares his years of experience related to social media marketing, brand marketing, blogging, and search visibility.

Article Source: growmap.com

Originally Posted on: October 4, 2020

Once upon a time, LinkedIn was only known as a job-related social media platform "for professionals". Now, with over 700 million active users, LinkedIn has become the second most used platform for B2B marketers.

As a small business owner, LinkedIn marketing should be another priority on top of having an active Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram presence. However, in order to do that, you will need to understand how LinkedIn works to make sure your presence is felt.

Unlike with other social media platforms, obvious sales tactics and spamming your business will not work on LinkedIn. People are not expecting you to sell products or services on LinkedIn. What they are interested in is the information and expertise you have to share. Marketing on LinkedIn requires a different approach if you want to get results.

To help you add one of the world's largest professional networks to your marketing toolkit, we've listed some tips and tricks to help you scale your business.

1. Complete Your LinkedIn Company Profile

Did you know that Company Pages with complete profiles receive up to two times more visitors than those with incomplete page profiles?

For a complete profile, it’s essential to have the following items:

• Logo
• Company description
• Website URL
• Company Size
• Industry
• Company Type
• Location

To fully complete your LinkedIn profile, head to your Company Page and select “Overview.” There you can upload a high-resolution image for your company logo as well as a cover image that represents your brand. Along with that, filling out the "About Us" section will provide your visitors with more information.

Beneath the "About Us" section, you will find more fields to complete your profile by entering your website URL, company size, industry, type, and location. All of this helps make your business' LinkedIn profile look more legitimate and professional, giving potential customers the opportunity to connect with you.

2. Get A Custom URL.

As part of your LinkedIn marketing package, you can claim a custom URL for your business. This makes it easier for people to remember your brand if they want to contact you, especially when they search for your company online. This is especially useful in the B2B sector where people use LinkedIn regularly to learn more about a business.

3. High-Quality Content = High-Quality Returns

Content is king and the more you post, the more likely you are to get tangible results for your business. LinkedIn helps improve their user experience by integrating content natively into their platform, videos included. All content you post should accomplish either of the following goals: teach people to solve a problem or how to do their job better.

Not only will this make you become a thought leader in your space, it will lead to more business by delivering more value to your customers.

It is also important to brand your LinkedIn profile the same way as your website and other social media accounts for consistency. This includes imagery, colours, content tone, and more.

4. Create A Regular Posting Schedule

According to LinkedIn, businesses that post at least once per month gain followers 6X faster than those that don’t. However, you should aim to post at least once per week to keep your followers engaged. To help you post consistently, create a scheduling template so that you can easily plan your posts each week.

We’ve found that LinkedIn content performs really well if you include a descriptive caption, eye-catching images, and relevant hashtags. As a bonus, you can add emojis, questions, and bullet points to switch up the look and feel of your content.

5. Every Connection Can Lead To A Business Relationship.

LinkedIn is a social network for professionals to connect with other professionals. As a business owner, you can connect with prospects, partners, and other business owners to reach your goals. You will also be able to reach your target market with the ability to nurture them through the buyer's journey.

Once these connections have been strengthened, you can decide which should be developed into business relationships and which can continue as connections.

6. Join Groups And Stay Active.

By joining relevant groups, you will be able to participate in relevant discussions to better reach your target demographic and learn what your competition is doing. Groups are an excellent way to listen to what your audience is talking about and answer any questions they might have. On top of that, being a part of a group gives you access to more connections than ever before.

7. Boost Your Email Marketing List.

Linkedin lets you communicate with fifty people at a time, a feature that should be taken advantage of to increase your email list. You can include a link for them to sign up for your emails directly along with a special offer. Offer to look at something of value for them in order to generate goodwill and get some replies.

8. Target Specific Segments With Sponsored Posts

Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn offers a very specialized advertising platform that is unparalleled. You can zero in on the exact industry, company size, and job roles to reach the people who typically buy your products or services.

For example, if you are selling translation software to small businesses in Canada, you can set your campaigns to only show for businesses with under 100 employees, that are based in Canada, and only to executives at those companies.

9. Promote your Company Page Beyond LinkedIn

A LinkedIn marketing strategy on its own will not get you results. It is essential to promote your presence across different channels in order to maximize your growth.

For example, have a link to your LinkedIn profile in your marketing communications, email signatures, blog posts, and more. You can also add a LinkedIn “Follow” button to your website and make it easy for people to share content at any point throughout their reading experience. By adding a LinkedIn “Follow” button to your landing pages or using sticky social media sharing buttons in your blog posts, you set yourself up for long-term success.

LinkedIn is an untapped market for many small business owners. As one of the top digital marketing service providers in Toronto, Webware.io wants to help you take advantage of every tool there is to help you grow your business.

If you’re a small business owner and know that you need to take advantage of social media platforms like LinkedIn, but don’t have the time to learn and manage these tools on your own, we can help you. Webware.io gives you the expertise, tools, and support to help your business navigate your digital channels. To learn more about our services and how we can help maximize your business’ exposure online, please click here.

If you have any questions about how we can help with your digital marketing needs, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact our experts here.

Updating your website during COVID-19 highlights that your business is aware and concerned. It tells your customers that you are keeping an eye on the situation due to your concern for clients. Not only does doing so help consumers get a better idea of any new policies (such as shipping changes or rescheduling) and measures you’re taking, but it also shows you in a positive light. Updating your website also shows that you have taken the appropriate measures to protect customers in case of any interactions and that you care about them enough to change policies.

 Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Start with the Header, Not Just the Heading

There’s a reason the update on the CDC website catches the eye instantly: it’s because their website sports a large, attention-grabbing banner at the very top of their home page—with a big, menacing artistic interpretation of the virus. Considering current customer interest in the virus, you’ll have to do something similar. Give them visual cues before you give them textual, anecdotal consolations.

The header is a great place to start. But there’s a catch: this header shouldn’t just be a decorative piece that you use on your home page. While you probably get the most traffic re-routed to your home page, most users don’t land on this page when they come across your website. Use Google Analytics to find out which of your internal pages receives the most traffic. If we were to take a guess, we’d say that most traffic was landing on… landing pages.

After all, Google ranks pages—not websites. Here are a few tips on what to do with the header:

• Keep the text short and attention-grabbing. For instance, which of these is easier on the eyes: COVID-19 Update or SARS-CoV-2 Reparations.
• Action-oriented language works best in this case. If you’ve added too much text to your main notification, declutter and keep it simple. Something like “Follow our updates” or “Read our new shipping policy.” Don’t write a thesis.
• Create an ALERT bar—but make sure users have the option to collapse it, because it can get annoying.
• Use bold colors and block texts.
• Keep it easily customizable.
• Use high-quality, high-resolution images.

2. Make a Separate Landing Page

If your services and products have been particularly impacted—positively or negatively—just a header won’t be enough. Let’s say you sell masks and PPEs; in this case, it’s best to have a separate landing page for COVID-related products, because several visitors are bound to click through for those alone. Moreover, keep the URLs consistent for these pages.

This will help users bookmark the page, and search engine spiders will have an easier time crawling and indexing it.

3. Update the URL

If you do have a separate landing page for COVID-19 updates/products, you should really optimize its URL. Not only is this SEO-friendly, but it can also help you keep track of your content in the future. This also helps SERPs group all your blog posts together.

4. Updating Business Hours? Spread the News

Most businesses that are delivering products—and those that depend upon dispatching people working on-ground (such as plumbers)—have changed their business timings. If your business has also undergone a similar change, ensure that this is reflected not only on your website, but also on:

• All your social media pages
• All listings and local directories

Similarly, update all your logistical and scheduling details. It’s best to have a 24/7 customer service option on the side. This helps users know that you’re still here for them, 24 hours a day, despite the pandemic and all the problems it poses.

5. Keep the Content Relevant

We’re assuming that blogs and articles are a regular part of your SEO campaign. And perhaps you also do infographics and videos, which are great add-ons. We’d suggest keeping the content relevant to the times and uploading COVID-related blogs, articles, and interactive videos. Make sure your business is somehow related to what you’re putting out there—make a connection.

Use royalty free images to keep the content visually attractive. The goal is to ensure that your customers are hooked to your content. It’s even better to have a comment section below the blog posts, to encourage visitors to leave comments or start a discussion. This helps you interact with customers, relays useful information about your business, and is also useful for other onlookers who might be scrolling through.

6. Add Cashless Payment Options

If you haven’t already implemented it, having a cashless payment option on your website is imperative. E-commerce rules in the pandemic, and no matter how small a local area you operate in, it’s best to offer online orders and delivery options during this time. Ensure that your checkout process is simple, easy, and quick. Customers shouldn’t face long delays or glitches when they’re trying to order something. Send quick notifications.

And don’t forget to optimize for mobile. Most of your customers won’t just be shopping online—they’ll be doing it from their smartphones.

Article Source Credits:

Author: Joseph Dyson
Joseph Dyson is a website optimization services and SEO specialist from Search Berg. He’s been closely following the COVID-19 pandemic, especially how businesses have been impacted by it. Under his guidance, many businesses have updated their websites for the pandemic, and have seen a boost in organic traffic, CTR rates, and ROI.

Article Source: www.smallbusinessbonfire.com

Originally Posted on: Sep 24, 2020

At Advanced Axis, the team offers entry-level sales & marketing job opportunities across Pennsylvania. To help them reach a wider audience, we launched their new website - www.advancedaxisinc.com

We wish the team at Advanced Axis the best of success.

Fish Pot Studios is a film production company offering video & film production services to clients across New Orleans, Louisiana, Los Angeles, New York, United States, and London. To help them reach a wider audience, we launched their new website - www.fish-pot.com

We wish the team at Fish Pot Studios the best of success.

Steri-Shield Expert Anti-Viral (to disinfect & protect) offers residential & commercial COVID-19 disinfection and sanitizing services across Irvine, CA. To help them reach a wider audience, we launched their new website last week - www.expertantiviral.com

We wish the team at Steri-Shield Expert Anti-Viral (to disinfect & protect) the very best of success.

Fenton, Collins & You LLC The Tax Trio offers individual, business tax preparation, bookkeeping & payroll services to clients across Orem, Salt Lake City, Utah.  To help the team reach a wider audience, we launched their new website last week - www.taxtrio.com

We wish everyone at Fenton, Collins & You LLC The Tax Trio the very best of success.

The Bubble™ offers a wide range of creative services including vehicle wraps, banner designing, fabrication, ad specialties, augmented & virtual reality services to clients across Arlington, TX.  To help them reach a wider audience, we launched their new website - www.bethebubble.com

We wish the team at The Bubble™ the best of success.

Bio: Michael Guta is a Staff Writer at Small Business Trends, focusing on technology and business systems. He has a B.S. in Information Communication Technology, with emphasis in Technology Management. He has used his degree to consult in the implementation of information and communications technology in developing regions. This included finding viable technologies where there is limited or no network and power infrastructures in place. He writes on tech-related subjects for publications, global companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The fact that 92% of U.S. small businesses have reinvented themselves during the pandemic says a whole lot about this bunch. Small business owners are scrappy go-getters with no quit in them. And the survey from GetApp proves that very point.

Small Business Reinventing During Pandemic

According to the survey, 92% pivoted their business in at least one way, but many have pivoted in multiple ways. This means only a small minority, or 8% didn’t pivot their business at all to adapt to the current environment.

When these businesses are pivoting, they are changing their business model on the fly. And when they do, they are hitting paydirt. One of the respondents in the survey highlights the need to quickly change a company’s business model.

Sally Matsumae, owner of Asahi Imports, a small Japanese grocery store and delicatessen in Austin, Texas, is such an entrepreneur. Matsumae goes on to say, “With shortened business hours and everyone’s fear of leaving their homes, we had to quickly figure out a way to offer online shopping and curbside services.”

Adding, “With the pandemic, we had to act fast. We had to scramble to get some sort of system that shoppers could use to tell us what items they wanted without having to step into the store.”

So, what are the five business model changes that are helping these companies survive?

The 5 Business Models

These business models are primarily being driven by digital technology. And as the survey reveals, you can use the technology no matter how small your business. The key is to adapt to the changing conditions and implement the solutions to better serve your customers.

Online Delivery Channel

Many small businesses have been thinking about launching online delivery. But before the pandemic, it wasn’t absolutely essential. This is what Matsumae also says regarding this very issue. “I’ve always wanted to have an online store, but unfortunately it was always one of those things on the to-do list.”

In the case of Matsumae, the business added an online inventory to its website along with an embedded Google Form.

According to GetApp, “Ultimately, what matters most is getting your business online—how you do it is less important.” So, look at all your options and find out the best solution for your business, customers and location. An online marketplace that lets your customers buy or order online is a must during the pandemic and beyond.

Virtual Service

Whether you are a music teacher, personal trainer, or chef, you can create virtual services to supplement your income.

In the survey two out of five small businesses are creating a new virtual service. This not only lets you keep your local customers, but you can also find new ones around the world.

Offline Delivery Channel

While an online delivery channel will keep your customers engaged, don’t forget about offline delivery. Curbside pickup and home delivery is another way to keep your business going.

If your business can’t afford its own delivery service at the moment, consider services such as Uber Eats. As the report points out, make sure to look into the cost of these services. With profit margins so low, the cost might not be worth the benefits.

On the other hand, even with razor-thin margins it can be a great way to build your customer base. And when social distancing is over, they will remember to come to your business in person.

Design a New Product

Designing a new product may not be possible for many businesses, but for those that can, it is another opportunity. Manufacturers can pivot their production to address a need in this market. Whether it is masks, sanitizers, or other PPEs, there is an opportunity.

By reconfiguring your resources to address a new need, you can keep your business going until things pick up.

Target New Customers

Targeting new customers is always a goal for any business. However, in this particular scenario finding new customers that want to buy your products is especially important. This is because businesses across the board are losing a percentage of their customer base.

While you are looking for new customers, don’t forget to try even harder to keep your existing customers. Cashflow is a big problem for small businesses, so keep that in mind as you try to find new customers.

Challenges of Pivoting

GetApp says businesses that are pivoting are three times more likely to report higher revenue. Fifty-one percent say they have increased against their forecast because of the pivots. It goes all the way down to 16% for businesses that didn’t pivot.

This, however, doesn’t mean there are not any challenges. The top challenges are lack of skills for the new approach (22%), shortage of funds (16%), and setting up new online delivery channels (14%).

When you see your business environment changing, taking action is key. Waiting for things to get better might work, but you are not in control. By pivoting to fully address the challenges head-on will keep your business going and point out new opportunities.

Did you know that 83% of customers require some type of support before completing an online purchase? One way to offer customers a valuable and memorable customer service experience is by offering live chat support on your website. Installing a chat widget on your website allows your customers to open a chat box and instantly connect with your business without leaving the website. For both content and ecommerce websites, using chat to communicate with your customers in real time can be beneficial for your bottom line. 

Here are 5 reasons why you should consider offering chat on your website:

1. Boost sales.

With the ability to answers questions right away, assist a customer through a purchase, or offer an on-the-spot promotion, live chat can help improve sales numbers. One study showed 44% of respondents agreed being able to use to live chat to ask questions during the ecommerce purchase was one of the most valuable features a website can have. 52% of customers will abandon an online purchase if they can’t find quick answers! Live chat allows you to step in and save a sale that’s about to be abandoned or help a customer decide between you and your competitor. Online chat also provides a great opportunity to up-sell products and ensure repeat customers  63% of respondents who chatted said they were more likely to return to the site, and 62% reported being more likely to purchase from the site again. 

2. Offer better customer service.

Chat is an amazing platform to connect with your customers. Chatting in real time can help you quickly identify pain points and understand issues that may be contributing negatively to your business. When it comes to quality service, customers are looking to have their questions answered ASAP. On average, customer queries on chat are answered within 42 seconds! That’s fast! Having an FAQ guide for your customer service reps can further improve response time. In addition to quick answers, the ability to chat in real time with a customer to offer technical assistance or provide a coupon code means you can diffuse negative experiences and retain customers.

3. Online chat is convenient. 

Customers now prefer live chat support to phone support. Convenience is one of its most attractive qualities; customers don’t have to leave the website to ask questions about a product or service. They don’t have to open their email or find a phone, or look you up on social media. Customers appreciate a business that values their time and they are likely to show appreciation through word of mouth advertising or repeat sales. Providing convenient service with quality information through live chat support helps strengthen your customer relationships and your business.

4. Reduce customer service expenses.

Case studies show that live chat software can reduce phone and customer support expenses. One employee can handle one phone call at a time. With online chat, the same employee could manage 4-5 chats at the same time, reducing the amount of overall customer service agents needed. Whether your customer service is handled by you or a call centre, the addition of online chat will improve the efficiency of your support team. 

5. Build credibility with your customers.

Being able to chat with an employee, or better, the owner of the business, improves credibility with your customers. Using a website can feel impersonal and adding live chat adds a friendly, small business experience that customers appreciate. Ensure your team is trained and  equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide a valuable customer service experience. Maintain credibility by providing customers with quick answers that are relevant and easy to understand. Once you implement online chat as a customer service option, keep regular live chat hours and respond to any offline queries right away.

Conclusion

A live chat strategically located on your website can help your business build a strong rapport with customers. Most live chat services offer the ability to chat right from your mobile so it’s easy for small business owners to stay connected. Zopim, LiveChat Inc, Olark and Intercom all offer live chat platforms for websites. Get connected with your customers and start reaping the benefits of online chat for your business today.

Webware.io provides the services, support, and expertise to help you small business navigate the online channels. To learn more about our services and how we can help maximize your businesses' exposure online, please click here.

If you have any questions about how we can help with your digital marketing needs, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact our experts here