Small businesses need to ensure that their online presence is the best it can possibly be in order to entice customers and clients towards their products and services and to highlight their best qualities. However, the Internet provides plenty of opportunities for companies to make certain errors that can derail their business if they’re not careful.
A Website That Doesn’t Work Properly
In today’s world, there is no excuse for having a bad website that doesn’t allow the customer to do what they need to do when they arrive. A website should look the part, be easy to navigate around the main page and throughout the entire site, and have links to all the social media channels for the business. If you haven’t got all of those angles covered, you need to do so straight away, even if that means hiring somebody to do it for you. It will make or break your business.
Getting Emotional at Online Reviews
There have been instances of businesses reacting badly after receiving a bad review that has gone viral, and that is not the right reason to become popular online. It is inevitable that somebody at some point is going to take issue with something your business has done – whether it’s a late delivery of a product or the customer has taken something that was said over the phone the wrong way. They then may either write a Google or Facebook review or put a comment on social media about the company.
How you respond to these issues could define your company for years to come, so take emotion out of the equation and respond in a professional manner, and come to a resolution where the customer might consider using you again. Just remember one rule, which is to always respond.
Chasing Clients for Payments Too Often
When you signed your clients up, invoicing and payments should have been discussed. If this is the case, and clients are taking their time to pay, be careful when getting in touch regarding their late payment. You could come across as untrusting, and it may become tiresome for the client. Especially if you keep doing it. A friendly reminder once they are a week over the deadline should be enough.
To keep tabs on your finances, use a paystub maker and send your invoices over via the web, and keep a copy for your records. You can use this to decide when to follow up on non-payments.
Mixing Business and Pleasure on Social Media
Social media is a minefield at the best of times, but when small businesses take to it without any training or consideration for how they should come across, that’s when accidents happen. Small businesses should see if there are seminars and training sessions to be found in their local area if they are unsure of what to do because when business and pleasure combine, you run of risk of causing offense, confusing people and potentially coming across as inappropriate.
If you’re an online marketing company, it’s best to stick to your interests and your areas of expertise, rather than taking to tweeting personal opinions. Social media is about connecting your business to clients and industry people, not alienating yourself from them.
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