5 minute read
In this article you’ll discover:
- Why attracting more attention isn’t always the answer
- How to get more value from the customers already finding you
- Why your online presentation can matter as much as your advertising
- Simple ways to make your business more noticeable without increasing your ad budget
There’s a familiar reaction when business slows down.
We need more advertising.
Maybe it’s time to spend more on Google Ads. Boost some Facebook posts. Try another promotion. Send out a mailer.
Sometimes that’s exactly what a business needs.
But before spending another dollar trying to get more people to look at your business, there’s another question worth asking:
What happens when they already do?
Because getting someone’s attention and convincing them to choose you are two very different things.
You May Already Have More Visibility Than You Think
Every day, potential customers are searching Google for businesses like yours.
They’re looking for dentists, restaurants, contractors, hotels, fitness studios, auto repair shops, retailers and dozens of other local services.
And there’s a good chance some of them are already finding you.
The problem may not be that you’re invisible.
The problem may be what happens next.
A customer finds your business and sees several others at the same time.
One has excellent photographs, current information, strong reviews and a website that reinforces everything they just saw.
Another looks as though nobody has paid attention to its online presence for several years.
Which one gets the click?
That’s not really an advertising question.
It’s a presentation question.
Before You Buy More Traffic, Look at Where You’re Sending It
Imagine spending money to bring customers into a store where the lights are dim, the displays haven’t been updated and nobody has cleaned the windows.
You probably wouldn’t increase the advertising budget.
You’d fix the store first.
The same principle applies online.
Advertising can bring more people to your Google Business Profile or website, but it can’t control the impression they form when they arrive.
If your photographs are outdated, your information is incomplete, your website feels neglected, or your overall presentation doesn’t reflect the quality of your business, buying more traffic simply means paying more people to see the problem.
That’s why I believe presentation should come before promotion.
Start With What Customers Already See
One of the advantages of improving your online presence is that you’re working with assets you already own or control.
Your Google Business Profile.
Your website.
Your photographs.
Your business description.
Your reviews and responses.
Your social profiles.
None of these requires a large advertising campaign to improve.
Start with Google.
Search for your business the way a prospective customer would.
Don’t search by your exact business name. Search for the type of business you operate in your area.
Then look at yourself alongside your competitors.
Who catches your eye?
Who looks current?
Who gives you the clearest idea of what the business is like?
Who makes you want to learn more?
That’s where standing out begins.
Give People Something Worth Looking At
Businesses sometimes underestimate how much visual information customers want.
Think about a restaurant.
You may want to see the food, but you also want to see the dining room.
With a hotel, you want to see the room before you book it.
With a dentist, you may want to know whether the office feels clean, modern and comfortable.
With a wedding venue, photographs may be one of the biggest factors in deciding whether to schedule a visit.
The same principle applies to almost any business customers physically visit.
Show them what they want to know.
Good photography doesn’t interrupt someone with an advertisement.
It helps answer the questions they’re already asking.
Make It Easy to Trust You
“Wow, that is an incredible tour and really brings out the beauty that we’ve tried to showcase in our vineyard, winery, and tasting room. I’m so very pleased that you were able to get this done so cleanly, quickly, and beautifully. Stunning work. Thanks again,”
Eric McKibben – Pepper Bridge Winery & Amavi Cellars, Walla Walla, WA
Standing out doesn’t necessarily mean being louder.
Often it means removing uncertainty.
Is the business still open?
Are those hours correct?
What does the place look like?
Is it clean?
Does it feel professional?
Do customers seem happy?
Can I see where I’m going before I get there?
Every question you answer makes the decision a little easier.
That’s where photographs, reviews, accurate information, a good website and even a virtual tour begin working together.
No single element has to do all the work.
Together, they create confidence.
Don’t Overlook the Small Things
Some of the easiest improvements are also the least glamorous.
Make sure your hours are correct.
Check your phone number.
Look at your website on a phone.
Replace photographs that no longer represent the business.
Add current photographs if important areas aren’t shown.
Respond thoughtfully to reviews.
Make sure your business description still reflects what you actually do.
Look for inconsistencies between Google and your website.
None of these changes is particularly exciting.
But customers notice when everything feels current and connected.
More importantly, they notice when it doesn’t.
Standing Out Doesn’t Mean Shouting Louder
There’s a tendency in marketing to assume that visibility means volume.
More ads.
More posts.
More emails.
More promotions.
But the businesses that make the strongest impression aren’t necessarily the ones making the most noise.
They’re often the ones that make it easiest for customers to understand who they are, what they offer and why they should feel comfortable choosing them.
That’s a different kind of visibility.
And it can be considerably more durable than another advertising campaign.
Try This Before You Increase Your Advertising Budget
Set aside 15 minutes.
Search for your business on Google as though you were a customer.
Then open your website.
Look at your photographs.
Read your business description.
Check your reviews.
Now look at your three strongest competitors.
Ask yourself:
Who makes the strongest first impression?
Who looks most current?
Who gives customers the most confidence?
And most importantly:
“If I knew nothing about any of these businesses, which one would I choose?”
If the answer isn’t yours, you’ve just discovered where some of your next marketing dollars might be better spent.
Final Thought
Advertising is valuable because it can put your business in front of more people.
But getting seen is only the first step.
Once someone finds you, something else has to happen.
They have to become interested.
Then comfortable.
Then confident enough to take action.
Before spending more money trying to attract another thousand people, make sure you’re doing everything possible with the people who are already looking at you.
Sometimes the best way to stand out isn’t to advertise more.
It’s to make more of the attention you already have.
About the Author
Jack von Eberstein is the founder of Online Business Tours and has spent more than a decade helping Washington businesses improve their online presence through professional photography, Google Business Profile optimization, and immersive 360° virtual tours. His work has been viewed more than 250 million times on Google.
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