Are You Hiding From Your Customers Online?
BizReport.com shared recent study findings that showed two-thirds of small and midsized businesses are not providing adequate contact information and links to their social media channels.
The following three results were shared on BizReport.com:
– 60% were missing either a toll-free or local telephone number on the homepage;
– Almost three-quarters were missing an email contact link on the homepage;
– Two-thirds were missing any type of form to allow consumers to request information or provide feedback.
It’s easy to think that basic contact information and important links are at the top of the list of necessities for all business websites. So why are so many small and midsized businesses forgetting to utilize and grow their online presence?
Social Media Strategist Caroline Melberg shared her own three tips that business owners can consider to stop hiding from customers online.
1. Make sure your contact phone number appears prominently on your website – certainly on the home page. Because visitors to your site can enter through any page on your site, it is a good idea to put your contact information on all pages of your site.
2. Create a link so your visitors can easily e-mail you. Be sure to avoid putting your e-mail address on your site, as that invites spammers who crawl the web looking for e-mail addresses. Create a link such as “E-mail us” that links to your e-mail address. This makes it easy for your visitors to get in touch via e-mail if that is their preferred method of contact.
3. Connect your website with any social media channels with which you participate. All of the major social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+ have icons that allow you to easily let visitors to your site know the additional places they can get in touch with you.
Of course, these aren’t the only items you need to consider to establish a successful website, but doing these will certainly make sure that your potential customers can get in touch with you when they need your products or services.
Published on: April 25, 2012