You can find seemingly anything online today—but can your customers find you? Bench ads form what is consistently one of the best and most cost effective forms of advertising, but you’ll want to consider building a website or online presence for your business to go along with your ads. Here are a few basic tips and reminders to keep in mind when it comes to optimizing your business for the web:

Give your web visitors a great first impression:

Today, any successful business needs a website to go along with it—is yours as up to date, attractive and functional as it needs to be? Treat your website like you treat the front entry of your physical shop, restaurant or office. It will be the first place many potential customers get a sense of your business, so give them a good first impression. You don’t need to have the fanciest, most complex website out there—in fact, it’s often true when it comes to websites that less is more! Post enough content and information that site visitors can learn about what you and your business are really all about. Of course, you don’t have to do it alone. If web design and social media isn’t your forte, these are services you can also hire outside help to accomplish!

Stay current:

An attractive website, Facebook and Twitter page are important, but they need to be up to date and functional to do what you want them to! Keep your site and social media pages updated and stocked with informative articles, blog posts, promotions, photos… whatever you need to do to stay current in customers’ minds.

Reach out to your customers:

Customers really enjoy feeling heard and appreciated, so use social media to do that for them. Host online contests, invite your customers or clients to share photos and stories, and find other ways to reach out… and always be ready to answer questions or comments as well! This interaction is what can separate you from businesses that are similar to yours.

Tie it in:

Here is where your bench ad can help you immensely. A good online presence doesn’t mean too much if your customers don’t know how to find you! Tie in your online work with your physical advertisements around town. It’s becoming more and more common, as the age of technology progresses, to include more than just a phone number or address on your ad—think about including your business Twitter handle or website, for example, to get viewers of your ad online to learn more. Remember, use these resources sparingly—for example, if you are advertising a party planning business or law firm you probably want to offer drivers and pedestrians your website, so they can learn more about your services when they get home. On the other hand, if you’re using a directional sign to get drivers toward your shop or restaurant, you may want to save signage space for the physical address or phone number and give them more information once they get in the door. If you have any questions about what to include on your sign, however, we can help you find the perfect solution!