Your 2021 Digital Check-Up

We all know that this been a challenging year for so many local businesses. You’ve had to adjust on the fly to maintain profits and keep your employees and customers safe and engaged. Some businesses have increased their digital footprints like never before. As we turn the calendar over to 2021, let’s take stock using some simple steps to polish your digital footprint. 

Review your current web site content

Spend some time reviewing your website content. Ask your friends, family, and customers to take a look around the site and perform an audit. Be on the lookout for any outdated items such as old menus, staff members who may have moved on or retired, address and phone number changes, etc. Make adjustments that reflect your current business goals and strategies. For example, if you’re focused on getting more customers to visit your physical location, consider updating your directions and your COVID-19 safety protocols. If you’re offering new promotions during 2021, consider posting those on your web site. If you have access to your web site analytics, dig into them to find out which pages your customers are visiting the most and understand how you might enhance those pages to make the content really stand out. 

Check up on your competition

Take a trip around the web sites of your competitors to see what they are up to in terms of content, photography, and video enhancements. Look for information on product or service descriptions, updated photos considering masks and social distancing, and positive customer testimonials in text and on video. All of these items can be used as a benchmark to see how your web site stands up to your competition.

Refresh your social media accounts

“Set it and forget it” is not a phrase that you should use when you begin your social media journey. It’s important for you to stay active and engaged with your customers through your accounts. It might be time for you to change your Facebook profile or cover photo. If you have multiple social media accounts, consider matching your branding to align with your social media family. Make sure that your contact information is correct. Have a plan for responding and engaging with your customers if they post a question or comment. Explore new ways to use your platforms such as Instagram stories and reels. Timely checkups like this can help you determine if you need to take time for a social refresh.

Find and highlight your customer reviews

The most powerful asset to any business model is positive customer testimonials. There are so many ways that customers can offer testimonials in the digital landscape. Those include Facebook, Yelp, Glassdoor, Angie’s List, TripAdvisor, etc. Check out this comprehensive list and try to find and evaluate existing customer reviews for your own business. Use positive reviews by placing those on your web site or reuse them on your social media platforms. Positive reviews can drive more traffic to your business in 2021.

Make friends

They say two heads are better than one. Reach out to other local business owners to see how they’re doing. Find out how they’ve addressed this year’s challenges and what they may have learned the hard way. Leverage the collective strength of your combined web presence to bolster one another’s web presence. Links from local and relevant businesses serve to boost your website’s search engine performance. Links to other businesses will help your community. Explore opportunities for cross promotion and to learn from people who see the world through another lens.

Written by Blog Contributor: Jennifer Hicks