Stay up to date and thriving by making announcements ahead of big changes and keeping your business listings and FAQ current—your customers are watching.
Table of Contents
Developing new online platforms to connect with your customers is an important first step in setting up an online business, but it’s only the first step. When you set up an online presence you need to make sure that you stay up to date on your platforms.
How do you make certain that customers see all the information – whether updated availability or new products – that you want them to see? We are here to help you keep your online platforms up to date. You will want to make sure that you look at your website, social media, and business listings to ensure that all your information is pointing your customers in the right direction.
Stay Up to Date Online
Maintain Your Business Listings
When someone looks up your business on a search engine, they are going to see the business listing first. This means they might not even look at your website if they are looking for your business hours or availability! Look at your listings on Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Bing Places. Make sure to scrub your information on social media like Facebook and Twitter as well!
Use Google Business Profile to update your hours so that people know when you’re available now that you’re online. You can also change your business description and even make local posts that will show up in Google Search and Google Maps. Post regularly to keep your customers certain that you’re giving them the most current information possible.
Maintain an F.A.Q. Page on Your Website
Make sure you have a page that has all the immediate information someone would want to know when they first find your website. A “Frequently Asked Questions” (F.A.Q.) page should give a newcomer concise information on your business, what you do, when you’re available, and how you can be contacted.
Make sure that your F.A.Q. includes information on any recent events that could change your normal working hours or procedures. You can even make a new page that’s specifically for questions related to such events, separate from the everyday F.A.Q. Make sure that any pages you make to answer customer questions are easy to find and accessible from your website’s homepage. Keep your F.A.Q.s clear and to the point.
Stay Up to Date on Staying Up to Date
Approach Your Updates Strategically
When you update any information, you want to make sure that your customers will know what is happening. Whether you’re updating your hours or announcing a new product, you can make sure that the information you put out is consistent and easy to find. Take a look at all the platforms that you use for your business. For social media, blog posts, and newsletters, make plans to keep all of them up to date as you make new announcements.
Schedule out new announcements ahead of time. If you’re going to have a new product available, draft out what you want people to know about it beforehand. Use a planner like Google Calendar or a task organizer like Asana to make sure that you’re drafting any updates ahead of time.
Then make sure that all your media is providing the correct information and you are linking to the correct place when sending customers to your website. You don’t want the information in your newsletter to be different from your Facebook posts! When you manage your priorities, you’ll have more time to ensure that your customers get accurate and regular updates on your business.
When you stay up to date, keeping your information current and maintaining clear communication with your customers, you inspire trust in your business.
