Check out this essential advice from BOIPA on how an Irish business can craft their online presence to set them up for success in online commerce.
In today’s world, image is everything, especially in business. There’s a common misconception that you only need a website if your business operates online, but regardless of where you ‘do’ business, a website is essential.
Not only does it help showcase your brand and offer a window into your product offerings or services, but it also provides a crucial lever for building trust with your customers.
Why having a website is essential
According to a survey taken by 1,000 SME leaders throughout Ireland, only 55% have their own website, and only 53% have social media. These stats are considerably lower than the EU average of 77%.
This lack of digitalisation not only highlights missed opportunities but also confirms that business leaders need more guidance and support with their online strategies.
So where do they start, and what are the key stepping-stones they need to follow to level up their businesses? To help answer those questions, we’ve put together some essential tips for getting online.
How to craft your online presence
Tip: Create a website
It seems obvious, but as we mentioned above, having a website really matters. Consider it your digital passport! With proof of identity, you can show customers that you not only exist, but your intentions are genuine, and your unique selling points are irresistible.
Like anything in life, though, creating a website that talks the talk and walks the walk takes time to craft, which is often why business owners put it off.
A website gives your business a fighting chance of being seen and heard, and it’s the perfect way to capitalise on the psychological side of the purchasing cycle.
The average person conducts three or four internet searches daily, equating to 70,000 searches per second. This stat alone proves that if you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re not getting fed.
As we mentioned at the start, a website is a great way to present your business’s unique brand personality. It’s an outlet to tell your story and showcase what you do or offer in a truly authentic way. It tells the world that you’re not only established but also professional and trustworthy.
Here’s how to break down the development of your website into simple, digestible, and, most importantly, achievable steps:
Step 1. Curate a consistent brand image
It’s important to consider how you want your website to look and sound. You’ll need to think about the tone of voice you want to use in your copy and the style of imagery and textography you wish to include. These elements will give your website a distinct personality that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Step 2. Make sure your website is HTTPS
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, and it enables secure communication and data transfer between a user’s browser and a website.
Step 3. Make it easy to use
The easier it is for customers to navigate your website, the better. They should be able to find what they’re looking for in up to 3 clicks.
Step 4. Use bullet points to break up text
Big chunks of text can be overwhelming and put people off exploring your site further. Bullet points help give the content on your page some breathing room while still allowing customers to deep dive into the details.
Step 5. Include plenty of white space
White space within the design of your website makes the content more scannable, and it helps draw the eye to specific areas of interest.
Step 6. Pick the perfect website host for your business
Consider your website’s needs and compare different providers based on uptime, scalability, security, customer support and pricing.
Step 7. Optimise your website
Build your website with SEO in mind. This will help it rank on search engines and get you higher up the listings.
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Build an email list
Creating a customer email list for your business is a great way to make connections and encourage repeat purchases.
While social media should be an integral part of your online strategy (we’ll come to this shortly), emails have six times higher click-through rates than tweets. They’re also 40 times more effective at gaining new customers than Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Emails offer a more personal approach; after all, a customer must subscribe to your business for you to collect their email. This all-important click signals their interest and intent, which means they’re more likely to engage with any content you send them on the back of it.
It’s also important to consider a customer’s state of mind when interacting with emails versus social media posts. Often, people have to scroll through lots of personal posts from friends, family, and colleagues, as well as advertisements on social channels. There’s much to distract them and it’s difficult to cut through the noise in this instance.
Emails, on the other hand, are more direct. They land in a customer’s inbox and provide a more focused opportunity to consume the content you’re sending them.
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Utilise social media
Despite the apparent benefits of creating an email list, having a social media presence is a must, given Ireland has approximately 4.01 million active social media users.
To ensure your social media marketing is effective, choosing the right platform for your needs is essential, as each one will provide different tools and techniques for getting your messages across.
Your social media page should bring your business’s brand personality and story to life to give people an insight into who you are and how you operate.
Just like with your website, consistency is crucial. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some of the most important things to remember when setting up your social page.
Tip 1. Post regularly
The more you post on your social media profiles, the more aware your audience will be of your business and what you offer. Posting at peak times (9 am-12 noon Monday-Wednesday) will also capitalise on your consistency.
Tip 2. Use hashtags
Hashtags help your content reach the right audiences. Try to use ‘Camel Case’ or ‘Pascal Case’ where the first letter of each word is capitalised (e.g., SocialMediaTips) to make your hashtags more accessible.
Tip 3. Take great photos
Make sure the imagery you pair with your posts not only captures the message you’re trying to convey in the text but is of good quality, too.
Tip 4. Respond to your customers promptly
The whole point of social media is to connect with people, so keep on top of comments and direct messages to ensure your followers and customers feel heard.
Tip 5. Use targeting tools
Once your social media page is up and running, use targeting tools to optimise your content and engage with the right audiences to increase your metrics.
Tip 5. Run promotions
Everyone loves a good deal, so pushing promotions regularly will help raise awareness of your business and boost engagement for further purchases.
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Get listed on directories
Directories help advertise important information about your business, including your location, a description of your services, and your opening times.
You can add your logo to your profile, giving you another opportunity to showcase your brand, and customers can also leave reviews.
The more information you provide, the more likely your business will surface in relevant searches.
The top 3 business directories in Ireland currently are Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), Golden Pages and Yelp, but there are others, so it’s worth doing your research.
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Consistency is key
Whether it’s a website, email comms or social media, consistency is the key to getting in front of your target audience online.
Leaving your online presence quiet for too long can work against your business and could make you look irrelevant in the marketplace. Plus, with so much choice on offer and content available to consume, it can be difficult to stand out.
Try to create fresh content regularly to feed the demand and keep your business in the conversation. Remember, it’s important to work smart, so maximise content where you can!
You can do this easily by creating content streams that can be utilised across all your channels. For example, you could write a new blog post on your website and use your email and social channels to promote it.
Finally, keep your digital assets (images, videos, etc) up to date and aligned with ever-evolving algorithms to ensure you’re always maximising opportunities and reaping the benefits for your business.
We can help
If this still seems like a daunting step, don’t panic! With BOIPA Website Builder you can get up and running with a new website fast with no coding required!
Simply drag and drop text, images, videos, products and more to create a site that sells! We even offer built-in tools like the webstore and live chat, to help you reach more customers.
Plus, if you want to see just how effective BOIPA Website Builder is, look at our case study with Rural Vagabonds, a mobile café franchise based in the Midlands.
We helped them create a brand-new website that gave them the capabilities to maximise their business online in a way their previous website couldn’t.
With BOIPA Website Builder, you can also add CRM capabilities directly to your website to help build an email list and turn visitors into loyal customers.
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Bank of Ireland is welcoming new customers every day – funding investments, working capital and expansions across multiple sectors. To learn more, click here
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