I'm an addict

I panic if I can’t find it, I travel miles to get it if I leave it at home by accident, I sleep with it (by my side), if it runs out of battery I’d give it the kiss of life (if I thought for a minute it would work). If it pings or rings I answer immediately, I check my social media updates and email every 10 minutes (minimum), I plan my new bathroom design in Pinterest, I manage my social life on Facebook, I follow famous people I admire or loathe on Twitter and given a spare 5 mins on a train or even sitting in traffic (sssh), I flick onto Facebook – in short I am totally enslaved to my phone.

And I know I’m not alone. Just look around you, everyone is texting, Facebooking, Tweeting, emailing, taking selfies, searching, downloading vouchers, price checking and looking at reviews – and that’s the thing – your customer might be me. And if it’s not me it’s someone just like me – another addict!

Even if you’re selling directly to other businesses, your customers will go online to see what they can find out about you, your products, your other customers – and what they find there directly influences their buying decision.

Now to my point – if you haven’t guessed already. Your presence online is arguably the most important thing your company should be thinking about. It’s estimated that over 80% of purchasers will have visited a website, read a customer review or blog, watched a product video or searched online before they buy.

The simplest way to find out how your company would fare is to try searching yourself – not the name of your company but the function of the product you are selling.

Can you find you? Is your content mobile friendly? Are you interesting and engaging? Do you leave people wanting to find out more? Do you give people something useful? Are you nurturing them to the next stage?

In short – would you buy from you?

By publishing useful information in the form of blogs, infographics, videos, top tips and helpful advice guides – you are giving your prospects what they need just when they are looking for it. What’s more, they are far more likely to purchase from you than a competitor who doesn’t put their stake in the ground. If they like what they see they will share your content across their own online networks, enabling you to reach an even wider audience.