Show customers your personality with a few easy-to-implement small business website techniques.
When it comes to promoting your small business, you’ve hopefully already put time, effort, and an appropriate monetary investment into your website. You may have even referenced websites from bigger companies as inspiration when building your site. While imitating the big guy may have seemed like a good idea at the time, research has shown that it can actually harm a small business’s online success. Why? It’s simple: consumers what small businesses with character.
Whether you are running a generations-long small business, one that you started out of your garage, or a side hustle you started up in college, it is an important part of the story of how your business came to be. Consumers like to know these little tidbits of information, as it helps set you apart by giving your business a personal touch.
So how can you cater to consumer preferences for doing business with a company that feels like a friend? Make sure to touch on the top 7 things that customers want to see on your small business website.
How Your Small Business is Different
Every small business should be certain their site answers the questions of who you are and what you do. But even this isn’t enough to appeal to most buyers. You also need to be sure to focus on what it is that makes your business different from the rest. This helps make you more appealing to modern buyers, who care just as much about the personality of companies as they do the quality of their products or services.
A Clear Sense of What You Have to Offer
Some businesses fail to describe their products or services well enough on their website for fear that it will discourage visitors from contacting them directly. But the fact remains that, if the information is too sparse, you are losing a lot of potential leads. People don’t want to have to try and figure out what it is that you do or offer; help lead them through the tunnel with enough information to entice their interest, no matter what industry you are in.
A SSL Certificate
If your website collects any customer data, even if it is just email addresses for newsletters, you should seriously consider investing in a secure socket layer, or SSL certificate. This means that any customer information you collect will be encrypted, protecting data from being compromised. If you don’t have one, make sure you are taking other safeguards, and let visitors know what they are so that they can be assured it is safe to give you their information.
Proof of Quality
It’s easy enough for you to use your site as a way to talk about how great you think your products or services are. But consumers are far more likely to take the word of your previous customers than yours. Things like reviews, testimonials, case studies, awards, and recognition from other companies or websites go a lot farther in cementing your reputation in your industry. You can even rely on social media platforms to help boost your reputation, if they are properly managed and used on a regular basis.
Options to Give Feedback
Consumers want to do business with companies that care about their experience and opinions. That’s why your site should have an option for visitors to leave feedback. It can be a form on your site, or a link to your email. While some business owners may worry this opens up an avenue for unnecessary complaints, the fact is that resolving complaints is an important part of building customer loyalty. And you’re likely to get some great feedback that you can use on your site or social channels.
Personalization
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between a big company and a small one is in their ability to provide personalized service. Small businesses have the time – or can make it – to add little touches to make customer experience more personal. This can mean a short note on invoices, including special incentives or coupons with orders, or following up after a sale to check in on customer satisfaction. It is these touches that help to set small businesses apart, and make it more appealing for customers to do business with them.
Your Contact Information
This last item may seem like a no-brainer, and yet many small businesses decline to include all of this information. It may be because your business operates out of your home, or you only focus on ecommerce sales. Regardless, having at least basic information about where you are (and all relevant information about how best to get in touch with you) helps build your credibility – and make it easier for leads to contact you for more information or to place an order.
Small Business Websites Should be Unique
Small businesses are much different from large ones in ways that customers appreciate. By highlighting what it is that makes you unique, you can help generate interest from the large percentage of shoppers who prefer to do business with companies that have their own story and personality.
When it’s time for your business to build an effective and engaging website, Gulf Coast Web is here to help. With over 25 years of experience in managing web design for business across all industries, we have the knowledge necessary to build a site that appeals to your audience, generating you quality leads and conversions. Our staff consists of highly-trained web design and digital marketing professionals who are both passionate about their jobs and excel at what they do. And unlike many other design agencies, we have a content writer with over 10 years of experience on-staff to handle everything from website copy to blogs to social media posts. Contact us today to book a consultation with our team. We look forward to outlining exactly how we can help you grow your business with our digital media agency services.