March's business closures and subsequent restrictions caused by the covid-19 pandemic may have prompted you to start selling your goods or services online. You've set up an e‑shop, a delivery service, or made your brick-and-mortar location more known than ever – because you wanted to stay in touch with your customers and entice them to come to you when they could. We often see a few mistakes when transitioning from a brick-and-mortar business to online. Go through them and try to avoid them – you'll have a better chance of building a community of people who won't let you down.
1. You're not personal enough
Good advice, a pleasant interior, a warm smile. These are all things that make people love visiting your establishment. What about taking a similar approach to the fans who follow you on social media? Share news with them, pass on tips, or shoot a video on your mobile phone showcasing a product that just arrived and you're about to sell. For example, if you run a beauty salon, you can show people new nail polish colours and tell them why you've fallen in love with them yourself and why you think they're great for the upcoming season. The more honest and personal you are, the more likely you are to reach customers in the same way as if you were interacting with them in person.
Tip: If you decide to create a video and post it on your Facebook page, shoot it in portrait mode. People primarily use mobile devices to browse social media, so this format gives you a better chance of them engaging with your post.
2. You see the brick-and-mortar and online as two separate worlds
Whether you run a brick-and-mortar store with an e‑commerce site or a hair salon with a website and social media, try to think of your presence as a whole in which the elements complement each other. It's not news that many people go online to find information that will lead them to buy in-store or choose to pick up in person – they want to save on shipping and possibly see the product in person. So make sure you tell your prospective customers as much about you as possible – where they can find you, what your opening hours are, and whether the store has the product they're looking for in stock.
3. You try to handle everything yourself
Even Superman can't take care of customers, accounting, social media management and performance channel setup – and if he does, the quality of each task won't be 100%. Focus on being the best in your field and leave the rest to the professionals – graphic designers, copywriters and social media specialists. And if your business is not at a stage where you can afford this investment, look for reliable people who are starting out and are able to offer a lower price. For example, you can search the Facebook groups Copywriters and other writers, Jobs for graphic designers, Jobs in marketing, Marketing girls or Jobs in film, TV and post-production.
4. Presenting yourself with low-quality photos or visuals from a photo library
Photos are to the internet what a shop window is to a store. And maybe in the online space they mean even more – people have several shops with tempting window displays right next to each other and can choose where they fit. Poor quality (blurry or even undersized) photos are one of the most common problems we deal with when putting together our business partners' presentation. The investment in a photographer doesn't have to be big, and you can find both a professional and a beginner on Facebook groups – one of them is the Photographers and Photography – Offers/Inquiries group.
5. Not taking care of your social media profiles
While it takes you 2 minutes to set up a Facebook or Instagram page, it's more difficult to create useful content. A lot of the profiles we see on social media for smaller businesses struggle with irregularity – three posts a week is often followed by two months of silence. Do you even function anymore? This is also a question customers ask.
6. You are not using the potential of booking systems
Allow customers to book an appointment at your salon or a table at your restaurant online and you will definitely rise in their eyes. Mutually, you'll save yourself the time spent on making phone calls or writing emails. There are several boxed solutions on the market that can be implemented into your website. At Slevomat, we provide our partners with our own booking system Termino free of charge, through which not only the booking for a specific date and time takes place, but also the voucher redemption. The online booking option is most popular in the Travel and Beauty & Health categories (hairdressing, beauty treatments, dental hygiene and more).
7. Forgetting to educate yourself
People behave differently online than when they physically come into your store. It's harder to engage them and they may judge the quality of your service by your presentation and communication style. Try to stay in the loop and know as much as possible about your customers. Even if you plan to create your social media content yourself, at least hire a consultant to start. Keep an eye on the activities of your Czech and foreign competitors and try to understand why they do certain things and what it does for them. In terms of reading, our marketing specialists recommend titles such as How to Network or Freelancing to get you started. You can also educate yourself online. Check out the Seduo.cz platform, check out Facebook's courses or take Google's Digital Garage.