According to SmallBizTrends.com, “The first set of holiday data and analytics from Adobe reveals online spending is set to increase by 33% in 2020 over 2019.” It’s also likely that this trend will continue as we enter into 2021 and if the pandemic numbers keep increasing. People won’t stop shopping, but they may stop shopping in-person.

Online shopping needn’t be owned by large entities like Amazon or Etsy. Your business can excel in online commerce as well. But first, you need to be top-of-mind. One way to do that is to produce valuable content so that when potential customers are on your website, they are moved to action and purchase from you.

Online Necessities Before the Content

Before you create the content, work on a few things such as:

· Designing a user-friendly shopping experience and website

· Creating a design that is quick to load and mobile-friendly

· Implementing a review “machine” or protocol in which you make it easy for people to leave reviews

· Engaging your followers on social media

· Honing your voice and brand so that people know, like, and trust you

The last two will help with the content you produce but the content will also help engage your followers and solidify your brand.… Read the rest

The next couple of months will be telling ones. We’re not saying a lockdown is inevitable, but a lot of communities have spent the past week or so escalating their precautionary levels and this article will give you some advice for overcoming slower business times with a potential shelter in place order.

Ditch Your Space

We’re not making any friends with landlords here but there are some businesses that just don’t require storefronts anymore. One way to survive is to eliminate your biggest expenses, and for most, rent (or mortgage on a building) ranks right up there at the top of the list.

Is your business the type that can function without a physical space? What are you giving up? A survey by website provider BlueHost in August 2020 found that 48% of business owners surveyed said they saw no reason for a physical space in the future.… Read the rest

Most people will agree Google is a large part (dare we say owner?) of the internet, at least from a marketing perspective. That means whether we like it or not we have to try to play nicely with the giant search engine. One of the easiest ways to get on Google’s good side is through ensuring Your Google My Business listing is optimized.

While it seems pretty obvious how you can optimize your listing there are still many businesses out there that don’t do it. And yet it’s so easy to make these quick changes and additions.

1. Fill out the entire profile. You know that quote about intentions and a certain road to somewhere paved with them? It’s definitely true of businesses that say, “I’ll just fill this out now and add the rest of the details later.“… Read the rest