However you’re doing business these days—in person or online or both—you know you are providing a great service or product for your clients. There are many ways you could be serving your clients, and undoubtedly, you’d like to be serving even more happy clients. There are many ways to do just that.
In this blog, we’ll talk about 4 ways to help existing and future clients find you with the help of your website and online content.
Before we get started, here’s a quick story of my experience a few weeks ago:
I wanted information on a particular service from a local store and decided to call. I estimated that within 90 seconds I would know the answer to my question (since it wasn’t listed on the rather vague website). I would know if I could do a little business with them.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Robot message voice states, “Sorry the voicemail is full and cannot accept another message.”
Huh. I clearly understand this from my girlfriend’s phone but not from a business. To make this story short, I tried for 2½ days, receiving the same message each time. Their website listed no other phone number. No email. No website Contact page.
Finally, I had time to drive over. Surprise! They were open for business. I told them (in case they didn’t know) that their voicemail was full, and the phone wasn’t working. The casual reply was that it might be fixed the following day. Well, the good news is that they were not losing sleep over it or having anxiety attacks.
I get it that sometimes we have little to no control over a situation.
Or do we?
I’m going to say that we might have more control than we think. There are always options.
Let’s go over these 4 ways to help existing and future clients find you with the help of your website and online content. I know you’re serious about your business and want people to find you without the trouble I had a few weeks ago. With these tips, they’ll find you—even if there’s a dead phone line…for days.
- Provide your phone number (and maybe even an alternate number).
One of the pet peeves I hear people talk about is that they can’t find a phone number to a business they’d like to call. If they have enough interest and desire to want to give you a call, make it easy for them.
Post your phone number on your website, your LinkedIn profile, your business card and your promotional goods. Yes, believe it or not, I’ve received business cards with no phone number, and I’ve seen websites with no phone number listed. It can be frustrating.
I know that you don’t want to receive a call at 0-dark-thirty, but you do want people to reach you without frustration. Just imagine that everyone will be respectful with the number, and you’ll gain business easily and gratefully.
You have something people need. You offer something people love. Let them find you.
- Offer an email address or a Contact page.
Everyone has their preferences. We can honor that. Some people like to use the phone; others like to email or fill out a quick form to receive a call back. It’s easy to offer these options. If you like to text, you can offer that option too.
You provide a service that helps people realize their dreams. Let them see how easy it is to find you and watch those dreams come true.
- Include a website scheduler to book a call with you.
You can also make it easy for interested website viewers to schedule a call with you. You can specify the length of the call and the intended purpose. They can see your website calendar (the portions of your calendar you want them to see) and they can choose a time that works best for them.
Before I added this feature to my website, I thought it might be a bit intrusive or difficult to manage, but it’s actually a blessing—and much easier to manage than back-and-forth emails about what day or time might work. You’ll find a variety of scheduling software available—some free; some paid. Just check the features to make sure it will work well for you and your customers.
As an example, the software I’m using shows my calendar for the next three weeks. Although I don’t have to manage it for months at a time, I do keep similar hours available for certain days of the week. That keeps it easy for me too. Once someone books a time on the calendar, it automatically shows up in my email and on my work calendar. Perfect!
You provide a service that is valued. Make it accessible. Let them book an appointment with you.
- Make it easy to find your website and content.
How do people find your website in the first place? Good question. Many people will find your website from your business card. Business cards are still a wonderful reminder of the people we meet. Perhaps you met them at a networking event, or the card was given to them by a friend as a referral.
It might be that you were in a virtual event together and they captured your contact information in the Chat box. Typically, this information might include your name, phone, email address, company name, and website and LinkedIn URL addresses. You might state your tagline or what you do in just a few words so it’s memorable. It can be hard to remember everyone after a networking event, but your contact info will help—and it will likely encourage them to check your website or LinkedIn profile.
You will also have your website listed in your email signature block. When you send an email to someone, they will have all your contact information readily available, including your website.
The broader answer to this question is that online searchers can find your website by typing in search words that apply to your business. In my case as an example, if you were to type in mpls content writer, you would find my website (russellresourcesllc.com) listed below the ads. This happens because Google knows that my company/website serves people who are looking for a Minneapolis content writer. You will also want the content on your web pages and blogs to clarify who and how you serve.
The SEO (search engine optimization) conversation is for another blog because it’s complex and ever-changing with Google’s enhancements and algorithms. It’s always a work-in-progress but is designed to help online searchers find what they need. Google has refined the process in many ways, and we can all do our best to provide relevant, informative, engaging info on our websites to keep Google happy. Even better, we’ll be keeping our clients happy with information and tips they can use.
Visibility opens doors.
When we are visible, clients will find us. The content on our websites and online platforms can graciously provide customers with what they would love to find and receive. With a little planning, you’ll be easy to find and ready to serve!
If you’d like more information on the scheduler I use or tips on where to include your contact information on LinkedIn profiles or your website, please reach out. A phone chat would brighten my day!