In 2013, every business you interact with has a strong online presence. Without it, a company simply cannot stay afloat. Whether it is the one-man “solopreneur” business or a multinational corporation, it is important for all companies to follow the ABCs of information age marketing.

Accessibility

Chances are the majority of your costumers will access information about your company via a mobile device. The PC and even lap tops are being replaced by smart phones and tablets. For your business, this means creating websites optimized for mobile consumption. Today’s consumer is used to easy access to all their favorite sites. Any extra work on their part to access your site, and you will likely lose them to a competitor.

Be Engaging

Social media is the name of the game these days. Used the right way, social media can garner your business the kind of attention millions of dollars in TV, radio, newspapers, and other “old media” never could. The great aspect about social media is that it is free for companies to set up accounts with most of the big ones. If you have not already, set up accounts on the following social media sites right now:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yelp
• Vine
• Instagram
• Google+
• YouTube

Take ownership of your business on social media before others do it for you. Also, new social media sites spring up every day. Some soar. Some fizzle. Keep an eye out for emerging social networks and claim your presence immediately.

Once online, engage your users. Ask questions. Use contests to encourage your users to promote your company’s website and social media to their friends. Most importantly, find out what people are saying about your business and address any concerns honestly and good-naturedly.

After purchases, don’t forget to encourage your customers to follow your social media pages. Receipts are a perfect place to promote your social media presence, and it doesn’t cost you anything.

Finally, make everything you post on your company website or social media easily sharable. Make sure the content is something people will want to share. Ask yourself, “Is this something the social media world will find interesting?” If the answer is no, figure out a way to frame the post in such a way that it will captivate readers.

Customer Service is Still Key

The old adage “the customer is always right” is still paramount to running a good business…sort of. There will be the occasional squeaky wheel that no amount of grease will fix, and you must be ready to just replace those wheels. But, for the most part, you need to listen to your customers and take their concerns to heart. You want to go above and beyond to please your customers.

Simple gestures, such as thank you emails or a sample of a different product, can go a long way to keep your customers coming back. Going above and beyond for the customer will garner you the precious word-of-mouth advertising every business needs to succeed.