Small businesses don’t need 5,000 Facebook fans, Diggs, or blogs that are updated daily. They need business: clients, customers, shoppers, etc.
It’s much easier than you think.
Use Videos on Your Website
When you’re a small, local business, your main strength is your personality. To highlight that, you should create videos so that your local customers can “meet” you before they hire or buy something from you.
What kind of videos can you create? An Orlando plumbing company created instructional videos like “How to Fix Your Sink.” This was great because if people in the area used his video to fix their sink, they wouldn’t hesitate to call for a more complicated job.
If you don’t want to create instructional videos, create testimonial videos. If you made one of your customers extremely happy, encourage them to film a quick testimonial video that you can show other potential customers.
Also, you don’t need a high-tech, expensive video camera. A Flip Cam or equivalent do the job done just fine.
The more videos the better.
Promote Your Phone number and Email Everywhere
When you work with a local business, you want a person with a soul who has your back. And how do you show people you have a soul? Make it extremely easy to contact you by placing your phone number and email address in your header, footer, and sidebar.
A international Tax Attorney puts their cellphone number at the end of almost everything written online.
Static Page for the Home Page
When someone visits your website from search, they often visit your home page. Additionally, your loyal customers will often visit your home page, too.
The question is, how should you design your homepage? Small businesses that did best used a home page that sells.
Publish High Quality Content
Small businesses aren’t media companies. You don’t have to use Twitter or blog several times per day to build the right kind of audience.
Publish less often and keep the content high quality, but at least publish!
Create Effortless, Predictable Navigation
When you create your website’s navigation, you should make it predictable and easy-to-use because people want to browse your website effortlessly.
How can you keep your navigation predictable? Place it where people expect to find it, which is at the top of the page or in the left sidebar.
Also, when you create the navigation, use the words people are accustomed to seeing. For example, if people want to reach you, they’ll look for “Contact” or “Contact Us.”
Publicize Other Small Businesses
Have you ever walked into a local business and noticed a table with business cards from other local businesses? Of course. It happens everywhere. Local shoppers want to know about other local businesses.
Online it’s no different. People who shop local want to discover other local businesses, so help them do that by sharing links to other local businesses.
Linking to pillars of the community make people think you’re a pillar.
Include Several Calls-to-Action On Your Website
If you’re creating a website to gather leads or interact with potential customers, make sure you’re clear on what you want your prospects to do.
Want your customers to buy your product? Ask them. Want them to contact you? Show them where they can do it.
Overall, inviting people to call or buy your products is important. Some people may not even realize it’s an option unless you specifically tell them that it is an option.
Establish Credibility
The consensus online is that you must give away something, like a white-paper, to get leads. However, when you’re a local business, that simply isn’t true. Being local and credible is enough.
For example, if you’re a plumber, it doesn’t matter if you wrote an ebook on how to be a plumber. Instead, you’re going to want a conversation with your customer—that’s why you use video.
All you have to do is look credible and show your customers that you are looking out for the best interest.