Pearl De Guzman, winner of GoDaddy and AXN’s reality show Project GO, shares tips to attract and engage customers in the digital marketplace
In photo, Pearl De Guzman, founder of Staffz, an outsourcing services company for content, graphics, and search engine optimization (SEO)
With consumers largely shifting towards the digital space, businesses, especially the smaller ones, acknowledged the need to strengthen their online presence to help maintain customers and attract new ones. According to the 2020 Global Entrepreneurship survey, commissioned by GoDaddy, the company empowering everyday entrepreneurs around the world, 43% of Filipino respondents said they are looking into creating a business website for their business. Thirty-eight percent (38%) responded that they are interested in e-commerce tools, while 69% said they want to learn more about social media tools.
“There’s a massive shift to go online for businesses especially due to the impact of the COVID –19 pandemic. Now it’s not only products being sold online but also an increase in selling services. Remote work and outsourcing are more widely accepted today than it was before the pandemic,” said Pearl De Guzman, founder of Staffz, an outsourcing services company for content, graphics, and search engine optimization (SEO), and winner of GoDaddy and AXN’s reality show, Project GO.
Taking a business digital entails effectively marketing to engage current customers while attracting new ones. Wondering how to go about it? Consider these tips from Pearl to help make your online presence work harder for you.
1. Employ a Multi-Channel approach
When it comes to the digital marketplace, being engaged in multiple channels can be crucial in attracting more customers. You may already have a website but if no one knows about it, they won’t come to visit. Strategies like SEO, email marketing, and creative content like blogs on your website, and posts on social media, when offered on a coordinated and integrated basis, can all help drive customers to your business website.
“These bring organic traffic to your website and that means what you invest in these channels can help to guarantee you long-term results,” said Pearl.
2. Make Your Website Searchable
Your business website needs to be optimized for ease of viewing and use on a variety of devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Having an optimized website can also help your site appear higher on search engine results, as they consider website optimization for their rankings. SEO facilitates visibility for your website as people search for the products and services that you offer.
“Organic traffic visits are usually by people who already have a specific intent in mind–either they are keen to buy a product or avail themselves of a service. They are much more likely to convert,” said Pearl. She added that when people see your website on the first page of a Google search, there’s an over 30% chance that they’ll click on it.
3. Have an Online Presence that Looks and Sounds Professional
Many entrepreneurs who are non-techies often get intimidated establishing an online presence. But take it from Pearl, with the right tools, it’s not as daunting as it may seem. After initially experiencing a drop in interest from potential clients at the start of the pandemic, she knew she needed to look at establishing a stronger online presence.
“I struggled with researching these things for a month as I am not a techie. So, when I was introduced to GoDaddy Website Builder during the competition, I was really surprised how easy and convenient it is. In just three days, we were able to secure a domain, and build a full, operational and professional looking website,” she said.
Once you secure a domain, another thing to consider is choosing a professional email address. “When we were first starting, we made the mistake of not investing in a professional email, and we sounded spammy every time we sent an email,” recalled Pearl.
“It’s crucial as we are in the B2B space, and we had clients turn us down because we didn’t sound legitimate. A business needs to have a professional email address for added credibility,” she added.
4. Choose a Platform with Accessible Support
Part of business continuity in the digital marketplace is ensuring your platform runs smoothly, as any hitches to your website could slow down operations. “Make sure your hosting platform has easily accessible customer and product support for immediate assistance in case your website has issues,” said Pearl.
Since switching her business website to GoDaddy, Pearl found the one-stop shop for her business online presence needs. GoDaddy has all the digital tools to help you succeed online from choosing and registering a domain name to GoDaddy Websites + Marketing, an easy to use website builder, with a digital marketing suite that includes email marketing, integration with social media, and SEO tools, as well as professional email. GoDaddy also offers a 24/7 customer-service hotline to assist customers along their online journey. To find out more, visit www.GoDaddy.com.
