Everyone will be aware of the Facebook/Instagram malfunction of 2019. Frustration and boredom everywhere… But the way in which it affected your business may have surprised you.
Many businesses try to keep it simple. People go straight to their Facebook page for contact details or, everything they want seen is on their Instagram page. However, one thing we should all be taking on board, is that we simply cannot rely on social media. If it is your only businesses platform, when it goes down anyone who searches online that day will. not. find. your. business.
How to future proof your business online:
A website is NECESSARY
People can find you and contact you directly without relying on social media. With a bit of work you can even get your business ranking near the top when people are searching on Google.
Create a Google My Business listing
Simply Google “Google My Business” and create an account. This allows your business to show up in the map section at the top of Google when searched for. You can keep your hours of operation up to date here, include a link to your website, directions, and images.
Reviews
Don’t just rely on positive reviews posted to your Facebook business page, reviews on Google are just as important. They provide search engines with more information on your business and, can improve your search engine ranking.
Market yourself on more than just social media
Having all of your eggs in the social media basket means when it goes down…nobody sees your marketing efforts! Consider other avenues to market your business, Google Ads, email marketing and blogs are all effective ways to get your business noticed without blowing the marketing budget.
Keep an up to date database of contact and clients
Businesses often rely on their social media followers as their “database” of clients – however, without access to your social media accounts there is no way of reaching them. You need to have a list of clients and contacts kept in a secure database.
If you need a hand future proofing your business online, let us know
