Marketing your business online is like marketing it in the real world -- if you can't convince customers to come to your store, you bring your merchandise to them. You have to be dynamic and sensitive to the market.
You can't always sit and wait for sales to come pouring in; otherwise, you'll become an afterthought in the ever-changing world of business.
With today's strategies evolving through the availability of new marketing platforms, it's becoming easier to reach out to potential customers.
Ryan Daniel Moran, lifestyle design coach and entrepreneur, says, "Your community is your tribe, your best customer base. Every good entrepreneur knows that it is seven times easier to keep a customer than to get a new one, but too little time is spent on actually keeping them.
The simplest way to get new customers is to put your marketing message onto an established channel. But the simplest way to keep them is to continually give them value within your community."
More and more businesses are using the Internet and various applications as tools and avenues for bringing goods to consumers. Others are even organizing online communities to have a better grasp of the market, and the faster you realize that this strategy is beneficial, the larger returns you'll have.
So don't be a dormant company. Deliver the goods where the market is at or, better yet, hike it up a notch and try building a community around your business.
Here are four reasons why you should be aggressive in doing so:
Gaining online credence.
Building a community establishes trust in your services and your merchandise. Research has shown that majority of online shoppers always look for more popular sites and like-minded individuals before making a purchase.
Therefore, having a healthy customer base increases your reputation and adds to the chances that they'll look for your products or services.
Better client rapport.
Having an online group can work wonders for you and your client base. Because your thoughts and their thoughts are made available on the Internet, you can easily get feedback, while they can easily get news and the latest information about your products.
Though you will not be on the same page most of the time, having this dynamic will ensure that you are catering to what your clients want or need most.
Alan Schill, president of the digital marketing firm, Law Firm Authority, states, "In today's hyper active marketing environment potential customers and prospects are constantly being bombarded with advertising messages and are thus becoming more blind to these messages. This makes third party credibility more and more important. Having an online community of reputable sources who share your message is the way to build trust."
Content equals intent.
A community will not only result in the exchange of goods and merchandise, but also the exchange of information. The Internet knows how an online community works and it will be extremely beneficial for your business if you become the central site where information converges.
Housing a database of sorts for your products and services will attract potential customers and consequently help your sales.
Saved marketing expenses.
Marketing can cost you quite a sum, especially if you are aggressive. Building a community around your business, on the other hand, will minimize those expenses because you don't need to look for and convince your target market anymore.
The market is already established around your business and all you need to do is reach out and supply information.