Starting up and maintaining a business in the region can be tough. Trying to grow your Charleston Business can be even tougher. From rising real estate costs to the low usage of public transportation, getting customers into your establishment is a challenge.
Combining digital marketing with a physical presence is important for growing a business in a competitive market. So here are 4 areas where you should be putting your focus in order to expand your reach and become a part of the community.
1. Build your SEO and SEM strategy around your business’ strengths and community needs
Knowing what your key terms and topics are is important when building out a plan for search optimization and marketing online. Key terms that address your clients needs should always be a part of your SEO strategy. But having the right plan for paid search (SEM) is beneficial when you are pushing for faster growth.
Start by identifying the keywords that prospective customers are searching to find services like yours. Consider what people want most from you and identify a group of keywords that encompass all of the branches of business you specialize in.
You can create an SEM strategy that schedules out a rotation of keywords to identify the best keywords for conversion. This way, you are experimenting with focused groups as opposed to attempting to use generic keywords. You can target specific buyers each month, and then use the analytics to adapt your targeting efforts over time.
2. Analyze your customer behavior to create client retention over time
Any business can tack on a customer loyalty program with relative ease. But without leveraging customer analytics, your loyalty program might fail. Show your customers that you know what they want and build a program around their habits.
The important thing to ensure here is that you are translating customer insights into your program. Look at how customers engage with all of your services. Are they often buying two specific services together? How long does it typically take until they need your services again? Simply being a member of a loyalty program typically leads customers to spend up to 18% more.
One strategy would be to consider what your customer has already purchased, then determine what they might want to buy next and market that product through email or re-targeting. You can reward customers for returning to you through bundles and special offers. Every part of your loyalty program should be planned around what customers buy and how often they buy it.
3. Connect your business with customers
Communication is the most important aspect of any relationship, professional or otherwise. So keeping an open line of communication with your customers is a great way to maintain a strong relationship, reduce churn, and grow you Charleston business. 48% of consumers say that they are more likely to make a purchase when a company is active on social media.
Utilizing social media for customer interaction goes deeper than just making regular posts, though. Give your business an online personality that users connect with and can relate to and respond quickly to client inquiries.
The goal is to have a conversation with your audience. Not only will this make customers feel appreciated, but it will also help you appear in front of more people. Facebook algorithms boost posts that have interaction. So answer customer questions and ask for feedback. Make sure that everything you post leaves the door open for some form of interaction.
4. Join networking events and trade shows
The Charleston business community faces a number of challenges. An excellent way to grow your Charleston business is to build your connections. Meet with other business leaders and collaborate on ways to solve Charleston’s economic challenges.
The Post and Courier’s Inside Business Live is one such gathering, in which business professionals and expert panelists gather to create a dialogue around various topics affecting Charleston businesses. Show that your business cares about local topics or issues in education, real estate, transportation and more.
The event is held quarterly and is a good way to get your business started with networking events. Putting a face to your company among community peers can lead to a number of useful things. Networking is a great way to establish strategic partnerships or sponsorships. Even meeting people in other industries can be rewarding for your business.
