Australians! Jump on the social media bandwagon, and quick smart!
Australian businesses lag behind other countries when it comes to an online presence, particularly small businesses. In a survey conducted by the Bank of Queensland, more than 60% of small business do not have enough time for an online presence, and approximately 90% do not have a website. This overly cautious attitude to the social media bandwagon is not doing Australian small businesses any favours. Action must be taken, because sales have always been social, and trust is now dependent on virtual communication for sales performance and success.
Courtesy of kyan.com
Sales have always been social.
Sales is social, it always has been, however now the conversation is shared with global customers. This conversation can now be had 24 hours a day, and endless in its possibilities. With 92% of the Australian population having a Facebook profile, 62% having an active online presence, and of that 30% having a daily online presence, sales cannot be limited to just in store hours. We need to extend our trading hours to the virtual world, were communication is key to business success. Having an online presence has now become crucial to sales success and performance.
Trust is a must.
There are so many things going for social media, not only due to have more access to your customers, but also their friends, be that local or global friends. But you are also creating a professional and credible image, branding your business online does wonders for gain trust with potential customers. Potential customers are determining the credibility of a business by the number of Facebook likes, blog entries or tweets rather than the number of local business trophies. Trust has never been more important for gaining business and sales success, particularly in the age of the global consumer. Traditional shapers are no longer sufficient, Stop looking and learning about social media, and harness the full potential of social media as the key to sales growth.
Use your yellow pages as a footrest.
Finally, we need to ignore old school skepticism about bad online publicity, and dispense with the notion that social media is just a fad, and embrace social media and the competitive opportunities that it affords. It is now of paramount importance to equip sales teams with the appropriate skills for online customer service, and to encourage them to foster online relationships with customers for future sales. Use your yellow pages as a footrest, and start communicating. Jump on the bandwagon quick smart, because you have a lot of catching up to do. Australians, we need to find the time, and make the effort for a social media presence, because it is the new way to sell.