For many local Waukesha business owners, the challenge of recognition and harnessing new customers is the biggest road block between success and failure. After all, if your Waukesha business cannot be found on the internet and smartphone apps, the chance of success is limited at best. Customers need to be aware of your business, where you are located, and how to easily navigate there. Learn how Liberty Web Marketing can help your business become successful.
downtown Waukesha business case example
Over the course of the past few years, the downtown Waukesha business landscape has changed. Currently there are numerous vacant storefronts, leaving many people to wonder what is happening Some businesses relocated simply because they needed more space to accommodate their growth. Others went belly-up because they were not able to gain the needed customers to keep their doors open. This is not an uncommon dilemma in many cities. However, there is one primary reason why the majority of the failed businesses didn’t make it. Can you guess what it is?
Build it and they will come
Despite the qualms of parking or finding a good downtown location to put a storefront*, the fact remains that downtown Waukesha has masses of traffic and visitors throughout the year. This is especially true during the spring and summer months. There are dozens of successful businesses in downtown Waukesha that have been there for years and decades to show for this. Still, some businesses fail…
With recent efforts by downtown organizations such as the WDBA and even the past BID, downtown Waukesha has evolved into an attraction place that draws people in like a magnet. For example, events like Waukesha’s Friday Night Live and the Waukesha Farmers’ Market draw thousands of daily visitors. Then there are art crawls, bicycle races, giant Les Paul guitars, murals, parades, and numerous other special events that have the downtown buzzing with people. A large majority of these people come to Waukesha to shop, eat, and browse. When I considered all the opportunity this traffic offers to businesses, I was puzzled that some businesses still failed… How can you possibly have this many people and not make a success out of any business?
Do you want to know the number one reason why businesses don’t succeed, even when they’re surrounded by hoards of people and other successful businesses?
The primary reason most businesses fail is lack of awareness and recognition by customers!
The statement seems simple enough, right? Well, it’s a little more complicated than you may think.
People don’t know your business name, what you offer, and where you’re located. Many times new customers may be from out of town and they are unfamiliar with streets and navigation. This is Waukesha in a nut shell. Let’s use this scenario:
Perhaps you sell the most delicious freshly baked, mouth-watering muffins. Obviously your product is good, but let me ask an important question. What happens when someone is standing fifty feet down the sidewalk from your business on a crowded Friday Night Live evening, and they search on their smart phone for baked treats? You have a competitor four blocks away, and this person is new to the Waukesha area. Is your business listed in their search results? If not, you just lost at least one customer to your competitor. I would argue that you lost at least 3-6 customers because your delicious muffins would have customers sharing your product information with family and friends.
Now that you have an understanding of “modern” search practices, let me run some numbers by you so you can understand the significance of why you need your business coming up on smart phones.
In an April publication at eMarketer, a study shows that adults will spend an average of 2.5 hours per day on their smartphone, and that:
“time spent with mobile devices continues to grow much faster than usage of all other media.”
In a different publication earlier this month, eMarketer reported that ad spending for mobile devices will see its largest growth ever in 2014:
“Mobile will lead this year’s rise in total media ad spending in the US, and advertisers will spend 83.0% more on tablets and smartphones than they did in 2013—an increase of $8.04 billion.”
Do you see the correlation? More mobile phone use = more ad money being spent to attract customers. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not pushing sales for you to buy advertising… What I am emphasizing is the fact that your business must be branded at the local level. This way, when potential customers near your business search for products and services you offer, your business is right there on their smart phone screen.
Want to know a simple and affordable way to get your Waukesha business recognized?
Call Liberty Web Marketing and ask us about our local SEO services that gets your business branded at the local level.
When you need your business to be easily found on PC’s, laptops, smart phones and tablets, call or contact Liberty Web Marketing in Waukesha and see how we can make the internet work for your business.