Today’s small business owners — particularly direct-to-consumer businesses — are faced with a new, unfolding risk to the health of their company.
The risk rises from the intersection of mobile phones and the Internet.
Word-of-mouth and referrals likely remain key sources of new business, but a growing business is finding new customers independent of a business’ good name.
Those customers are found at the intersection of the mobile phone and the Internet.
They are there researching a problem or seeking a solution … they are looking for the service you offer but don’t know who you are.
Your business ‘digital presence’ needs to be in front of them when they are using their phone to search for your service.
Getting your business there can happen by happenstance or piecemeal.
A business dedicated to growing will be optimizing that presence on several fronts in order to ride what is just the start of the mobile wave.
This requires managing Google Business listings, tracking and optimizing website content and utilizing targeted digital advertising if able.
Above all it requires a business knowing its target market and focusing on it.
By contrast, the referrals and word-of-mouth prospects are also searching on their mobile phones. They know who you are but not how to find you.