Not too long from now, every business will have a digital footprint. 2020 is a year of many lessons, and among the long list of things entrepreneurs have had to lean into, one clear takeaway is this: being visible online fosters stronger chances of survival.

According to a source, nearly 50% of small firms don’t have a website, and around 40% don’t use social media. With the economy shaped the way it is today, that strategy just isn’t feasible anymore; therefore, entrepreneurs must maximize the powers of the web to generate sales and attract bigger markets.

When leaders willfully turn a blind eye to social media and e-commerce, not only do they put their businesses at risk, they establish underdeveloped brands, too. The failure rate for startups is through the roof, but the figures start showing promise when leaders source their customers from online channels, on top of traditional platforms.

In other words, digital mediums diversify sales streams, de-risk small businesses, and ultimately increase company value.

Here are a few things to consider to establish a resilient online business presence.

Google your business

Creating a strong online presence is the first step to enabling your customers to like, share, and promote your content. Google your brand, and see what appears. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer, and determine if information about your business is easy to find.

Use relevant keywords in your industry and see how your website or web app fares. For instance, type, “Vegan Donuts Miami” if you run a cruelty-free pastry shop in the magic city. Look out for internet trends involving your line of business and check out what leading competitors are doing to stay where they are.

Recent findings suggest that web app development has been a stable solution for entrepreneurs determined to expand their reach and improve their overall customer experience. Of course, a plethora of social media accounts supplements your brand’s searchability, too.

Standardize your platforms

What’s a business without a little healthy competition? Assess your competitors, and find out which platforms they pour much of their efforts into. Are they big on Google ads, Facebook ads, or both? Do they employ creative teams to produce video content or do they thrive with hard-selling on Amazon? Is their primary success built on the popularity of their marketplace app? Several selling strategies bear mentioning, and inventive ways to reach communities and markets has never been easier to complete.

The more platforms you explore for your brand, the more you’ll understand that much of the needed information when signing up is the same. Make sure to be consistent everywhere. The last thing you’d want is for one platform to say one thing while another says the complete opposite. If your Instagram account says your shop is open from 8 AM to 7 PM, ensure that other social media channels contain the same information. Logos, designs, tag lines, and copywriting should also always be uniform. Create a checklist of accounts to confirm if everything’s been updated from time to time.

Marketers refer to this strategy as omnichannel optimization.

Invest in marketing

Whether you hire a third-party marketing service or build an in-house marketing team is up to you. What matters is you understand how crucial marketing is in today’s business climate. From establishing socially aware campaigns to tapping the promotion of influencers, humanizing your brand simplifies your approach to relatability with your audience. Also, when you’re clever enough, what you put out online can go viral. The bigger your online following is, the

Different marketing techniques work for different niches, so find which methods click best with your market. If your budget dictates having to forego marketing-specific positions, turn to web applications that automate your social media-posting game. No-code providers like bubble.io provide many of the best tools for visual programming development, making it easier for you to work on your own, if not collaborate with competent software developers at affordable costs.

Put out relevant content

Never underestimate marketing materials. For the old-fashioned business mogul, it can be tempting to post pictures and publish posts only when they include photos, prices, and schedules of your services, but don’t forget that people are suckers for great content.

Videos, blogs, polls, 24-hour stories, and other similar social media features are fascinating ways to lure your market and keep them engaged. People are less likely to support a page when entrepreneurs post nothing else other than photos of their products and services. Cultivate a brand, and build a world larger than what you commodify.

For example, if you run a tote bag business, talk about how these bags are essential pieces of fashion and how statements totes are valid expressions of one’s beliefs. Feature the artists of your totes, and ask people which designs resonate with them the most and why.

Building a community is never a bad exploration to tap into, and the stronger your fanbase is, the easier it will be to find you online.

Conclusion

Overall, only the strong survive in business, so learn to weaponize the internet in all of its vast glory. Turn to websites and develop web apps to future-proof your business. The tomorrow that’s left for us to look forward to is digital, so when you face tomorrow, make sure your business braves it along with you.

Have awesome startup web apps you’d like to build? Give us a call, and we’ll help you out!