If you have a thriving and profitable business with raving clients across the globe but you are not digital, without an online presence you are missing a large reach. 60 percent of all transactions are now done online. This is our new world. Almost every profession and industry these days require screen time to connect with buyers, suppliers or manufacturers. It is difficult to stay in business if you’re not online.

‍

Consumers are becoming more dependent on online reviews as a source of new business from referrals, testimonials and experiences from other users. A business rated 5-star on Google will have more appeal than a 3.2-star rated one.

‍

To be digital today:

1. You need to have an easy to read, value based mobile-optimized website.
2. Social media presence is integral. Go where your customers are- LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube? Wherever they are, share value consistently across appropriate social media networks.
3. Share content pertaining to your industry and audience. Write blogs or share articles with your comments, point of view to illustrate your expertise in the area.
4. Video content is ideal. Send short 1-2 min videos to educate your industry. People are naturally curious and will watch video before they read an article.
5. Easily deliver content to your audience by broadcasting an email newsletter.
6. Ensure you have an easy-to-find contact area/services page on your website which will make connecting your online visitors to your paid services and products a simple process.

‍

According to the top corporate sales trainers in Toronto, Waterloo and Kitchener, a digital footprint is absolutely necessary in 2019 and beyond for your business to thrive and grow.

‍

The key to your online presence is consistency, with all the noise out there, once you have some followers that enjoy your content, they will wait for it and expect it. It’s like sitting down to watch your favorite weekly show and turning on the TV and it’s not on. How frustrating is that? After a while, loyalty fades as there is another almost as good or better one around the corner.

If consistency is an issue, which it is for most- write a number of articles, blogs, etc. and use a scheduling app to post them accordingly. Spread out your content so it appears on the best days and times for your audience. This varies based on platform. There are some best practices which I will share courtesy of Oberlo. It comes down to A/B Split testing, trial and error and tracking the data. Understand what platforms your clients are on and what time zones your focus is. You may need to re-post at different times to ensure you cover all desired time zones.

‍

For LinkedIn, posting at 7 to 8am is ok for people getting up in the morning scrolling through their feed before they get to the office. However, as LinkedIn is used as a professional tool, most users log on once at work. Ideal post time for LinkedIn is 10 to 11am, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.

‍

For Instagram, the best time to post is during lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and after work 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Most are browsing via their mobile. Best days being Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

‍

For Facebook users, best time to post is between 1 and 4pm. Typically people browse Facebook when they take a break or at low times during the day. Best days to post on Facebook are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Weekends yield the highest engagement with Facebook.

‍

Best times to post on Twitter is 12 to 1pm. Wednesday being the best day to post and weekends being the worst.

‍

For YouTube between 12 to 4pm yields the best response with Thursday and Friday being best days. Saturday and Sunday mornings also provide good engagement between 9 and 11am.

‍

Bottom line, go where your customers are and follow the trends, what yields the biggest response? highest engagement? Once you find out…..Rinse and repeat.

‍