7 Ways Business Owners Need to Elevate their Digital Experience

How will you and your business shift to survive the changes of COVID-19? “Business as usual” is no longer an option. We’ve been asked to think differently about how we interact with clients and how we serve customers.

For years in my work as a website developer and digital strategist, I’ve seen some business owners dismiss digital presence. A website of some sort was good to have, but they didn’t worry much about the content that was there or whether it was easy for a visitor to find the information they needed.

Someone looking at a restaurant website didn’t really need to see the latest menu; they would see it when they sat down for dinner. Shops that relied on foot-traffic and in-store purchases and never paid much attention to their online shop are now seeing a significant decline in revenue. A coach who puts everything on her website and has a dozen or more offerings is only going to find people even more overwhelmed and unable to take action than before; they won’t spend time trying to figure out how to work together or reach out when their kids need homeschooling supervision.

Those old, tired marketing approaches aren’t going to work anymore. It’s no longer enough to simply have a digital presence; a website that’s just “there” won’t cut it. Cobbling a few promotions together on social media or hoping that people discover your business via an online search isn’t working the way it used to.

You need to think differently as a business owner. More people are online now than ever before, interacting with the amazing content out there. More people are creating said content, and they’re doing it from a deep desire to connect and support one another. This time is only going to make people smarter consumers.

It’s time to transform your digital presence into a digital experience. It’s time to stop thinking about your website as a static never-changing online flyer and adapt your offerings and your messaging — and most importantly, to humanize an online, digital interaction with you. That’s the only way your business is going to survive: if you’re able to be authentic, create for others, and pivot to new ways of operating as the world changes.

Here are 7 tips to start elevating your digital presence and transforming it into a digital experience today.

1. Create content and tell stories.

Creation is the core of any business, and creating now is more important than ever. If people can’t pass in front of your shop window, what can you create online that draws them in and gets them talking?

For some businesses, content may mean articles or PDFs or videos. For restaurants, it may mean sharing their story online. For shops, it may take the form of client stories shared or the evolution of a new product or idea.

We’re wired for stories. Client stories help us see what’s possible for ourselves; they paint pictures of our possible futures. Stories sell. Create and be innovative. Use video that’s clear and easy to hear, even if it’s not professionally shot. Get out there and tell your story.

2. Be consistent with your visual branding.

There are two big mistakes I’ve seen businesses make with visual branding. First, they brand too early, sometimes even before they have a client. As a result, they don’t really know what they need or even who their ideal client is. They choose blue for their logo because they like the color, and because they’re not creating their brand with their ideal client in mind, their visual brand can quickly become unaligned as the business grows.

The second big mistake is that a business isn’t consistent with their visual branding. Their Instagram feed looks completely different from the Facebook page. Colors may not match. Fonts don’t look the same. Or if you compared their business card to a downloadable PDF to their website, you wouldn’t know it was the same company. This is particularly crucial: using the same fonts, colors, and logo across different platforms helps visitors not only identify but trust your brand. Keep it simple if you need to, but keep it consistent.

3. Speak to your audience.

Businesses can’t continue to market as usual. The world has changed in the past weeks and your clients and customers aren’t going about their usual routines. It’s time to rethink what they need, what their challenges are, and what they’re looking for. Speak to them where they are now, show them you understand them, and change your messaging to reach them.

Your messaging shows your clients and customers that you care about them and that you’re listening and responding. Most of us would question if a business with a website that asked us to “stop by our location today” was even open right now. We wouldn’t want to invite people we don’t know into our homes, even if it is for a free estimate. You can joke about keeping 6 feet distance on all deliveries and you can show people they can trust you because you’re adapting your business to meet their needs right now. That starts with what you tell people on your website, in emails, and on the phone.

4. Guide people on a path.

Guiding people is the essence of digital experience. A great digital experience will consider every touchpoint a potential client has with a business as well as how the client flows from new prospect to committed client. If someone reads about what you offer on Facebook, is there a clear next step for them to take, whether it’s emailing you or visiting your website to make a purchase? What happens after they make a purchase? What does that email look like and what reassurance or information does it provide?

Start by making a map of how people connect with you and purchase from you. What do they see when they first land on your social media account or website? If you’re greeting them with an onslaught of images, content and page links, simplify it. Show them what you want them to do. Don’t give them 500 paths to take; give them at the most 2 paths. Consider how you want them to feel at each point. What can impress them, reassure them, wow them? What makes them feel seen and understood? If you find yourself stuck, survey past clients to get feedback about your process and improve it.

5. Elevate your website.

Just having a website isn’t good enough anymore. Your website needs to work for you. It needs to be an accurate representation of your business and the quality of service and product you deliver. If you want people to know how valuable your work is, that begins with a clean, elegant website.

The content on your website should be targeted. Many businesses, particularly solopreneurs, make the mistake of overwhelming visitors with information, offers, and details. Determine what visitors really need, particularly on the homepage, and reduce the information so people know what you do easily and what sets you apart.

6. Integrate the right technologies into your business.

More is not necessarily better and just because technology is available, it doesn’t mean that it will be the right fit for you and your business. Business owners can be overwhelmed by technology options. A good developer or strategist will help you navigate the thousands of options out there and help you determine what’s right for your business.

Look for software and plugins that simplify your life and processes. If people need to schedule appointments with you, invest in good scheduling software that fits your needs so you don’t have to go back and forth over email to find a time.

Build the foundation, then experiment a bit. The first goal with technology is always to reduce the time you spend maintaining systems. Once that time has been freed up, you can think outside the box. Consider incorporating a chat or AI on your site. Look at ways to enhance the website experience based on how people arrive on your website. There are some incredible new services and software out there that are allowing us to do more than we ever had before.

7. Stop trying to sell. Start serving.

More than ever the economy needs people to engage in business. We need to support small businesses, local businesses, and entrepreneurs. And for those of us with offers to make, we need to make them. But we need to take the focus off of selling and focus on serving people, even in the sales process. That doesn’t mean offering all our services for free, but looking at how we can adapt what we offer given what people need most. It also means considering every touchpoint we have with clients.

Restaurants that offer delivery need to consider how they can make them as easy and seamless as possible, and provide reassurance that their staff is healthy and able to give them a contact-free delivery while maintaining the humanity behind the interaction.

Service providers of all sorts need to ask what they can do to continue to support people right now. For some, it means providing services via video chat. For a coworking space, it may mean renting out their equipment to make home office spaces more comfortable. You can serve and make money. They’re not exclusive. But stop trying to sell what you offer and focus on how you can serve.

And most importantly, get support. Create a group of like-minded friends to share ideas with. Work with a strategist or website designer to help you rethink your digital presence. Seek out coaches and thought leaders who offer valuable content that gives you the tools you need to pivot and change. Because the world needs brave, savvy people like you.