In today’s world, it is imperative that you are easily accessible across all media, platforms, and environments — both digital and analog. From your email signature, to online contact information, to handshakes and business card handoffs, if your lead can’t find you or the information that they’re looking for, the sale is already lost.
Here are some tips on how to make sure that customers and potential clients can find you and pertinent information for your small business.
Email Signature
Think of your email signature as a digital business card on steroids. A few lines at the end of your emails can do more than advise your name, phone number, and website URL. Here are a few other key areas you can cover in your signature:
- Skype ID – Giving people access to you via online chat could open doors to customers and many customers appreciate having this level of access to a supplier.
- Twitter ID – Twitter can be a great business tool, assuming you Tweet about your business or industry, to stay in contact with your clients. When you’re followed by a client or prospect it gives you yet another avenue to communicate and illustrate your expertise.
- Facebook – Add your business Facebook fan page into your email signature. Using Facebook for marketing and customer relationship building can be very powerful. If people ‘Like’ your optimized page, you’re increasing the opportunity for future business development. (Look at national brand Facebook pages for ideas on how to make the most of your page)
- LinkedIn – Add a link to your LinkedIn profile (take the time to optimize this profile well) and you can connect with people professionally. LinkedIn can be a very useful social marketing tool. The wider your LinkedIn network, the more credibility you can build within your field.
- Google+, Pinterest, or other Social Media Profile – Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are relevant to almost every small business today. However, depending on your industry you may be active on a number of additional social media sites or a want to promote engagement on a specific site.
- Most recent blog post – You can add an RSS button to allow people to subscribe to your business blog and you can also add some code that integrates the most recent post title. By doing this, your emails become another vehicle for driving traffic and readership to your blog. If you optimize your business blog, you can use it to capture leads and feed Call-To-Action driven traffic to other sections of your website.
- Link to your newsletter. The more newsletter readers you have, the more opportunities you have to insert people into strategic sales funnels.
A small amount of space (just a few lines) used well at the end of each email have the potential to provide all of the information that someone needs to know to contact you or obtain the desired information about your small business.
Online Profiles
Think of every empty field in an online profile as a missed opportunity to provide your contact information for a potential client or information about your company’s offerings.
Be sure to complete the professional online profile and about pages on your industry directories and on all of your social media sites.
Take the time to populate as many fields as you can where there are opportunities to link to your website, other social media profiles, blogs, and other areas where you can illustrate your expertise in your field.
Every referral to your website comes with it the opportunity to increase traffic, improve SEO, and the end goal of closing a deal.
Your Analog, Old Fashioned, Paper Business Card
Just because we’re all living in a digital world, doesn’t mean that business is not still conducted face-to-face. When you meet someone at a presentation, conference, or networking event — even though you’re likely going to input all of the data into your CRM as soon as your back to your desk — you still need a business card to trade information with new prospects and potential partners.
So make sure to optimize your regular business card, too.
List your Facebook page URL and your Twitter ID. You may even want to put on a QR code that people can scan with their mobile phone to link to your website and / or your Facebook page.
Like with your email signature, it is important to include the most pertinent information for your business and industry.
Facebook Business Cards
Facebook business cards are a trend that some businesses are using that mimic their Facebook timeline, too.
More than ever, some businesses are using Facebook even more than their own business site. This is evident when you see mainstream advertising campaigns for global brands that don’t even bother to list the company’s website at the end of the commercial or print ad. Many just list the URL for their Facebook page as this can be a window to other online marketing sites and profiles you have developed.
One of the keys to success for your small business is accessibility. By optimizing your digital and analog business cards, signatures, and profiles, you unleash the huge potential of online marketing and digital advertising.
This was a really interesting blog and I especially agree with what you said about business cards as well. Business cards will never go away, it is such a unique thing to have.
I like the idea of facebook business cards. Very innovative. :)