Improve Your Automotive Customer Journey With A Better Experience

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How drivers shop for vehicles is changing everyday.  The automotive customer journey is not the same today as it was before.  The internet is the obvious game-changer.

 

Mike Silva, Director of Operations (Digital), and Charles Lewis, Digital Marketing Strategist of fusionZONE discuss improving automotive customer journey. 

However, certain aspects of car buying, like sales consultants and financing, will be in place for years to come.  Newer internet-born companies like Carvana are focused on the percentage of buyers who don’t want much human interaction.  

The reality is, we’re decades away from a fully automated car buying experience being the default way to purchase a car.  

Right now (and the foreseeable future) includes most potential buyers still visiting dealerships, test driving, asking questions, and then making a purchasing decision.  

So, how do you create a better automotive customer experience? Let’s look at the customer first.  

According to the New York Times, “millennials purchased 32% of vehicles in 2020, and are twice as likely to buy online”.  It’s safe to say the other 68% of vehicle buyers are a combination of GenX, GenZ, and Boomers. 

Here’s why customer experience matters: Customers don’t care as much about price, so you can’t just sell solely on that.  You must give them a reason to return so you can boost CSI scores, online reviews, and other social proof, as most consumers know what they are buying before they visit the store.  

Keep in mind that customer experience and customer expectations are closely related.  Mobile and contactless options have become normal during the COVID pandemic.  Your dealership should build on those new innovations as things continue to get back to normal.

What is the description of today’s car buyer?  A male or female Millennial or GenXer, well informed about the vehicle they are interested in, and likely to communicate online at some point during the transaction.  How can we improve the car buying customer journey?

automotive customer journey

8 Tips For A Better Automotive Customer Experience

  1. Customer Appreciation Events. Schedule events throughout the year for new buyers to get to know their vehicles better with on-site help, refreshments, upgrade opportunities, and even live entertainment. Live events also help tremendously with digital marketing efforts.  You can assist your SEO by posting links to your website about the live event that others can link to.  We all know that live video performs much better than recorded video on social media, so be sure to “go live” at the appreciation event.
  2. Service Drive Perks. Obviously, you need to have Wifi, coffee, water, and refreshments.  Also consider nail salons, video games for kids, or even meeting rooms for corporate and business clients.  The service drive also presents the best opportunities to discuss vehicle trade-ins.
  3. Consistent Branding. Make sure your dealership matches your website.  The offline and online experience should be visually aligned.  Use images and video of the store front and vehicles on the lot.  Whatever specials are posted on the website should have signage in store. You want to make customers aware of all your trade programs and incentives.
  4. Mobile Services. If resources and logistics are available, offer mobile options such as driveway delivery, offsite test drives, onsite oil changes, pick-up and delivery brake repairs and tune-ups.
  5. Incentivize Vehicle Repairs. Offer discounted vehicle repairs during slow periods.  Create contests and other social options to win free services and branded merchandise.  These strategies also help increase your social media followers, likes, and subscribers.  We provide our dealership clients with FastCoupon. It helps you sell more by offering quick and easy to use discounts.
  6. Improve Online Experience.  A white paper by CDK Global states that “[Millennials] spend more than 17.6 hours shopping for cars online before ever stepping foot on the lot”.  This means the use of video is more important than ever.  If your dealership doesn’t have test drive videos or content about your cars, ask about our Wheels TV website plugin.  We can help give the experience they are looking for.
  7. Communicate With Messaging. The reality is, digital marketing is likely a key component of how the car buyer found you.  Be open to communicating entirely through text message, Facebook private message, Instagram DM or Twitter mentions.  We also know that most of the research happens on the car dealership website. Offering an online chat feature is a great way to communicate with interested website visitors.  Ask about our ConnectChat website chat solution that is powered by real people.
  8. Improve Transparency.  The most challenging part about the car buying process is usually financing.  It’s the negotiation process with the sales representatives, then the follow-up with finance managers, before finally getting to a price much higher (due to fees, taxes, etc.) than originally negotiated.  It only gets more complicated when including a trade-in.  Our developers have created online tools to solve this problem.  FastLane Leads is one of our flagship products that seamlessly streamlines the entire process (including a soft credit pull, trade-in value, and payment arrangements), and integrates directly into your dealership website.

Depending on the size of your dealership, you may be able to take action on some, if not all, of these tips to improve your automotive customer journey.  We’d love to see you succeed. Please comment below with what problems your dealership is experiencing with customers, or contact us to discuss the digital marketing solutions for your dealership.

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How to Market Electric Vehicles Online

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How to Market Electric Vehicles Online

Electric cars and trucks are more popular than ever before in the US. Data from Experian indicates Americans registered 133,509 new EVs in the first four months of 2021 alone – a 95 percent increase over the previous year.

But how can you convince motorists to purchase your electric vehicle over the ones available at competing dealerships? Through the magic of digital marketing, of course!

Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to market your EVs online.

Search Engine Optimization

  • When a driver decides they want to buy an electric vehicle, they are likely to head to Google to search for one of the following phrases:
    • “Electric vehicles for sale near me”
    • “Best electric cars under [PRICE]”
    • “[EV1] vs. [EV2]”
    • “Electric vehicle tax credits”
    • “How to charge electric cars?”
  • If you want to increase the chances of them choosing to do business with your dealership, you will need to make sure your site appears near the top of the search results for these phrases. You may accomplish this objective by optimizing your website for search.
  • To optimize your dealership’s site for EV-related keywords, all you need to do is follow these steps:
    1. Choose the keywords you wish to target. Tools like Ubersuggest and Long Tail Pro can help you with this step.
    2. Publish information-rich content on EV-related topics. Insert keywords into your posts in a natural way.
    3. Add EV keywords to the headlines and descriptions on relevant pages.
    4. Build backlinks from reputable websites. Guest blogging is one of the best ways to generate these links.
    5. Reduce your loading times. Compressing images and reducing the use of redirects can speed up your site.
    6. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Enter your URL into Google’s testing tool for a detailed analysis. 
  • Taking these six steps will show Google your site is trustworthy and full of useful EV-related information. As a result, it’ll be much more likely to send interested shoppers in your direction.

PPC Advertising

  • Want to start generating new electric car sales as soon as tomorrow? PPC (pay-per-click) advertising may be the answer. 
  • Google Ads is by far the largest PPC advertising platform in the world. Its ads generated about $300 billion in sales for companies across the globe in 2020. As such, you may wish to focus your efforts there. 
  • When creating a PPC ad for the electric vehicles on your lot, you would be wise to keep the following advice in mind:
    • Write in the second person. “Find your new electric car here” is likely to perform better than “We have a wide range of electric cars.”
    • Include relevant keywords. As a general rule, you should try to have your main keyword appear at the start of your headline and again in your description.
    • Outline the benefits of electric vehicles. Tell users how switching to an EV can save them money and reduce their carbon footprint.
    • Include relevant facts and figures. A phrase like “save up to $200 a month on gas by switching to an EV” is sure to draw attention to your ad.
    • Add a compelling call to action. Tell users what step they should take next to purchase one of your electric cars.
  • Once you are happy with your ad, set it to run in the areas your customers call home during the hours your showroom is open.
  • When your ad goes live, don’t forget to monitor its performance and make edits as necessary.

Social Media Marketing

  • 54 percent of people use social media apps like Facebook and Instagram to research products they would like to buy. If you can help them with the research process, they might decide to do business with your dealership. 
  • You can provide social media users with information about your EVs in the following ways:
    • Live Videos: Live videos are an excellent way to give users a tour of your electric vehicles. Be sure to answer any questions you receive during your stream.
    • Product Photos: High-quality interior and exterior images can give shoppers some insight into the look and feel of your EVs before they arrive at your showroom.
    • Reviews: Did a previous customer love one of the features in your EV? Sharing their review on social media can help to highlight the best things about the car.
    • Comments: You will receive lots of questions in the comments of your EV-related posts on social media. Providing detailed answers can give shoppers the confidence to take the next step in the purchasing process.
  • You can also drive electric car sales by letting your social media followers know about the incentives and discounts you currently offer.

Need Help Marketing Your EVs Online? Contact the Experts at FZA Digital!

  • Would you like a team of experienced marketing professionals to help you promote your electric vehicles online? Then please don’t hesitate to reach out to FZA Digital! We have been assisting auto dealerships like yours with their marketing needs for years – so we know what it takes to succeed.
  • Call (424) 232-0810 or fill out our online contact form to talk to a member of our team today!

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4 Ways to Optimize Your E-Commerce Store for Organic Search

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For your e-commerce store to thrive, you need to get visitors to your site. Successful companies generally draw this traffic from social media, PPC ads, or organic search (SEO).

If you’ve already perfected the art of attracting visitors from Facebook and regularly run effective Google Ads campaigns, there is just one world left to conquer – SEO. 

Optimizing your site for search can attract a consistent stream of users to your store each week. These visitors won’t be there just to browse, either. Adobe research indicates e-commerce shoppers will convert into a paying customer around 3 percent of the time – with an average order value of $159.

What do you need to do to drive these kinds of results? You can get started by taking these four steps:

1. Carefully Select Your Keywords

If you want shoppers to find your store in their Google search results, effective keyword research can help. Without a strong keyword strategy, you run the risk of:

  • Targeting keywords that are too competitive and difficult to rank for, or
  • Ranking for keywords that don’t receive a great deal of search traffic

The three best techniques you can use to figure out the best keywords for your e-commerce store are:

  1. Social Media Research: Twitter, Reddit, and Quora are excellent places to find people talking about products like yours. Review how they communicate to help you select effective keywords. In other words, “speak their language.”
  2. Amazon Research: Amazon is the largest and most successful e-commerce store in the world. However, it isn’t just your competitor. It can also be a great place to find keywords that work for items like yours.
  3. Competitor Research: Do your competitors regularly appear at the top of Google’s search results? If so, don’t be afraid to visit their website to see what keywords they use.

Keyword phrases that are at least four words long (“rustic wood bed frame”) tend to convert more often than shorter keywords (“bed frame”) – since buyers who search for long phrases typically know what they need and are ready to make a purchase.

2. Improve Your Loading Speeds

According to Google, as a website’s loading speed goes from one second to ten seconds, the likelihood of users bouncing (leaving the page without converting) increases by 123 percent.

If your site has a high bounce rate, Google will lower your search rankings and reduce the number of shoppers that see your products. To avoid this, you should take steps to improve your loading speeds, like:

  • Optimizing and compressing your images
  • Upgrading your hosting from “shared” to “dedicated”
  • Enabling browser caching on your website
  • Prioritizing your site’s above-the-fold content

Taking these steps will help you generate more organic traffic and make sure your customers have a positive experience on your website.

3. Build Inbound Links to Your Website

Link building has long been a highly effective way to increase your store’s search engine rankings. 

When Google’s algorithm sees other websites linking to yours, it begins to consider you relevant and authoritative. As a result of your site’s improved reputation, the search engine giant feels increasingly comfortable sending users in your direction.

Building inbound links is not an easy task. However, you can accomplish it by:

  • Asking influencers to review your products and link to your site
  • Writing guest posts for high-authority sites and linking to your store
  • Using the broken link building technique
  • Writing informative and authoritative blogs

When building links, it is vital to remember that Google values quality over quantity. Its algorithm prefers to see a few links from well-respected sites rather than a plethora of links from shady or untrustworthy websites.

4. List Your Products on Google Shopping

Did you know that 45 percent of shoppers use Google to look for the best products for their needs? The most efficient way to get your merchandise in front of those users is to list them with Google Shopping in 6 simple steps:

  1. Create a Google Merchant Center account
  2. Click the “Products” tab
  3. Select the “Feeds” button
  4. Input your product information
  5. Select high-quality images
  6. Hit the “Save” button

When a user clicks on your Google Shopping listings, they may go straight to your store. Once there, they can purchase the item they needed or take a few minutes to browse through your catalog.

Need Some Pointers? Contact FZA Digital Today

Optimizing your e-commerce store for organic search can drive customers to your website and dollars to your bank account. 

Finding the time to run through these steps can be challenging when your primary focus is on sales. Fortunately, the SEO experts at FZA Digital are always available to provide you with astute guidance and assistance. 

To discuss your website’s needs with a member of our team, give us a call at (424) 229-2923 or contact us online.

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How to Increase Your Company’s Social Media Following

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How to Increase Your Company's Social Media Following

Does your small business have a large following on Facebook? How about Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter? If not, now is the perfect time to begin growing your network.

Why? Well, when you have a significant following on these popular social media networks, you will find it much easier to:

  • Alert your client base to sales and promotions
  • Provide excellent customer service
  • Uncover trends in your industry
  • Drive visitors to your company’s website
  • Develop new leads

Wondering how you can grow your company’s social media following and enjoy these benefits? The following tips should help you do just that:

Share Interesting Content Regularly

The secret to success on social media really isn’t a secret at all. If you share compelling and engaging content consistently, you are sure to see an increase in followers.

But what should you be sharing? Well, you can never go astray by sticking to the following options:

  • Industry-related news
  • Educational videos and info-graphics
  • User-generated content
  • Insights from industry leaders

If your target market is laid-back or casual, you can also share some good natured jokes or memes.

At FZA Digital, we recommend posting to your social media accounts at least a few times each week. If you can do so daily – even better.

Make Use of Hashtags

If you want to be seen by social media users, you need to go where the action is. On popular platforms like Twitter and Instagram, that means adding plenty of relevant hashtags to your posts.

Some of the hashtags you should use will be evergreen. If you run a car dealership, #usedcars will always be relevant to your content.

Many other hashtags are more time-sensitive. For instance, #IndependenceDay is only likely to be relevant for a week or two around the beginning of July.

By using lots of hashtags, you make it much easier for users to find your posts. And if they like what you have to say, they may decide to follow your page.

Engage with Your Audience

Social media should be social. In other words, you can’t just throw content up onto your page and walk away. If you wish to succeed on social media, you must interact with your audience.

At a minimum, you should try to:

  • Respond to comments about your content
  • Answer any questions you receive
  • React to posts you are tagged in

Taking these steps lets your audience know that you care about them and their opinions. You may even encourage them to share your page or your content with their friends and family – an action that will likely boost your follower count.

Add Social Media Follow Buttons to Your Website

If you want people to follow your company on social media, you need to make it as easy as possible to find your profiles. You can do just that by adding well-placed follow buttons to your website.

Where should you put these buttons? At FZA Digital, we recommend placing them in the following locations (at a minimum):

  • On your homepage
  • On all of your blog posts
  • On your contact page
  • On your service pages

If you have an existing email list, you can also include social media follow buttons in all of the messages you send. By promoting your social media channels on your website, blog and email list, you should see your following increase over time.

Utilize Paid Advertising

All of the techniques above will help boost your company’s followers on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. But they may take some time to deliver the kind of results you want to see.

If you want to grow your organization’s following in a hurry, you should consider paid advertising. Doing so can deliver results in days that would otherwise take months to achieve.

For instance, on Instagram, you can pay to have your organization’s profile promoted on the Explore tool. The primary function of this feature is to help users discover new brands.

If a user conducts a search and your company’s profile appears at the top of their list, there is a good chance they will hit the follow button.

Before long, your page can amass a sizable following!

Need a Little Help Along the Way?

Haven’t been able to boost your company’s social media followers as much as you would like? Or perhaps you don’t have the time or resources to devote to such a project?

No worries! The FZA Digital team is always available to assist with your social media marketing needs.

We have been helping small, medium and large businesses from across the United States improve their presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for years.

We can do the same for your organization; all you need to do is pick up the phone and give us a call at (424) 229-2923. Or, send us a quick message online. We look forward to hearing from you!

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How to Measure the Success of Your Marketing Campaign

How to Measure The Success Of Your Marketing Campaign

Whenever you are advertising a business, you need to measure your performance. Of course, you can’t measure digital marketing results with a stopwatch. To understand how well your efforts are working, we recommend looking at the following metrics:

New Visitors

The primary goal of many digital marketing campaigns is to generate new customers. When measuring your success, you may be tempted to look at the raw number of visitors that clicked through to your site after seeing your ad. However, there’s another important angle: new visitors.

Raw visitor numbers, which can mean users or sessions, includes both new and returning users. They’re useful on their own, but it doesn’t tell the story of how much new business you generated.

You can learn quite a bit about the efficacy of your marketing plan by solely looking at the first-time visitors from your ad. This figure tells you how successful you were at attracting the attention of people who were previously unfamiliar with your business, its products, or its services.

While new users are a great starting point, you still need to see how they interacted with your site to tell if they were truly interested or left disappointed. This leads us to our next statistic.

Average Session Duration

When your digital marketing campaign drives visitors to your website, it is essential to pay attention to their on-site actions and behaviors. One of the first areas you should look at is the average time spent on your site.

The ideal duration depends on industry. However, a short duration time (usually under 30 seconds) could indicate that:

  • Your ad was misleading or confusing
  • Your website feels untrustworthy to the user, or
  • Your website is difficult to use or navigate

But what if your users are spending an exceedingly long time on your site? Maybe around 30 minutes?

Before you celebrate, this could also indicate a problem. Your customers could be struggling to find the product, service, or page that they are looking for.

What you should aim for is normally around a 5-15 minute session duration, depending on your campaign type and vertical. That sweet spot will give you an idea if your customers are getting what they need in an efficient manner.

Your Website’s Conversion Rate

So you understand how your users are getting there and what they are doing on your site . The next step? Convert them.

What you count as a conversion will depend on your goal as a business. The common types of conversion are purchasing a product or submitting a lead.

The most straightforward way to see if your visitors are taking these actions is to check your conversion rate.

Not to be vague, but your conversion rate mileage will vary. Typically, a conversion rate of 1% is common in most verticals. If you need help, here’s a handy guide on how to find your conversion rate.
If you don’t see any conversions, you may have a problem! First, check if you have them set up. If they aren’t, do so ASAP.

The most common tool to track goals is Google Analytics. They have a host of guides and resources on how to set up goal tracking if you haven’t done it before.
If they are in there, well, you might have to dig a little further. Here are some questions you might want to check out. We ask ourselves these exact questions improve our own ads.:

  • Does your ad have a dedicated landing page?
  • Is your site easy to navigate?
  • Can we make our ad simpler?

If, on the other hand, you notice that your conversion rate is through the roof, jackpot! You should boost those campaigns until they start to level out and your conversion rate starts to decrease. That is your sales ceiling for that ad.

Your Overall Return on Investment (ROI)

When you invest thousands of dollars into your marketing, you’re not doing it because it’s fun; you expect to get something in return. As such, the most important metric is your return on investment (or ROI).

In most cases, the best way to figure out how much money your company is making is to carefully track each of your leads. At the end of the month, see how many of those leads became customers and how much revenue they generated. Compare that to how much you spent and you have your ROI.

That figure ultimately decides if your campaign was a success. If your returns were quite a bit lower than you had initially anticipated, make some substantive changes to your ad before re-launching. It doesn’t mean it cannot be successful, it just may need some tweaks. However, if you made a sizable profit, see what worked well and emulate that in your next campaigns.

Need Some Assistance with Your Digital Marketing Campaign?

If, despite your best efforts, you just can’t seem to create an ad campaign that delivers the results you are looking for, don’t panic. Help is available.

FZA Digital has been assisting small, medium, and large businesses from every corner of the United States with their marketing needs for many years. We understand what it takes to create engaging ads and convert visitors into customers. Contact us online or give us a call at (424) 229-2923 to learn more about how we can help your company reach new heights.

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How to Create an Effective Facebook Ad

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How to create an effective Facebook ad

According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 69 percent of adults in the United States use Facebook on a regular basis. It is no surprise that small and large businesses have found a great Facebook ad to be one of the best ways to reach customers, drive sales, and increase brand awareness.

Of course, if you would like to promote your company on Facebook, you will first need to spend some time putting together an effective ad. The following tips should help you do just that:

Write a Clear Call to Action

When crafting your Facebook ad, you must decide what action you want the viewer to take when they see it on their screen. Do you want them to call you? Send you an email? Purchase one of your products? Or visit your website to learn more about your services?

Once you have an answer, you can write a call to action that clearly and concisely conveys your message to your audience. Here is a few examples of what that could look like:

  • “Click here to buy this hilarious tee for just $20!”
  • “Call (555) 555-5555 today to schedule an appointment with a member of our experienced team.”
  • “Ready to learn more about how our services can improve your business? Click here to visit our website.”

These simple statements can be the difference between a viewer forgetting about your ads or taking the next step and being one of your customers.

Target the Right Audience

When you take out a TV or radio ad, you have little to no control over the audience that receives your message. It will be seen or heard by whoever is tuned in when your commercial airs. Not everyone will have use for your services or is close enough to your store to drop by and make a purchase.

With Facebook, you have total control over who sees your ads. You can target people based on their age, their location, their interests, their relationship status, and a host of other categories.

If you run a bridal boutique, you can target women in your city who are currently engaged. Similarly, if you want to increase sales for your educational supply store, you can build an audience full of teachers. No need for guesswork; often this information is listed directly on their profile. .

Taking the time to target the right audience can increase your odds of converting viewers to customers and reduce time spent reaching out to the uninterested.

Choose an Eye-Catching Image

When scrolling through Facebook on their phone, tablet, or laptop, users don’t typically spend a lot of time viewing any one post. So, how can you get them to take a longer look at your ad?

Quite often, the best way to get a user’s attention is with an eye-catching image.

The exact image you should choose will depend on your company and your audience. Generally speaking, you would be wise to stay away from drab, text-heavy images. You will have much more success with vibrant, colorful images featuring a short slogan or tagline.

Be Ready to Make Changes

When running ads on Facebook, it is not uncommon for people to believe that their work is complete after they hit publish. After all, once you get everything set up perfectly, you just sit back and wait for the sales to roll in, right?

Unfortunately, social media marketing is rarely quite that simple. It is essential that you check your analytics for as long as your ad is live. Doing so will allow you to tweak your post on the fly and get every ounce out of your ad dollars.

A small sampling of the alterations you may have to make after your ad goes live would include:

  • Condensing your target audience
  • Tweaking your call to action
  • Linking the ad to a different page on your website

By making these changes, you may be able to improve your conversion rate and increase your ad’s return on investment.

Need Help With Your Facebook Ad?

Advertising on Facebook can be a superb way to introduce your company to new customers and increase your year-over-year sales figures. However, if you feel like you are struggling to achieve the results you had hoped for, it is important to remember that help is available.

The team here at FZA Digital has been helping businesses promote themselves online for years. We understand what it takes to create a Facebook ad that attracts eyeballs and converts to valuable leads and sales. If you would like to learn more about our services, just pick up the phone and give us a call at (424) 229-2923 or contact us online.

 

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Working from Home During COVID – Part 2

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Welcome back!

If you missed part 1 of work from home during COVID-19, you can check that out here. 

Post-industrial revolution, we’ve spent decades training people to work in offices and neglected working from home. For those who have the opportunity to work from home, there are useful  skills that need to be sharpened. 

Managers play a pivotal role in training teams to leverage video conferencing and other digital workflows as customers demand face-to-face interaction. As they say, the show must go on, and the internet is equipped to help you stay open. 

Follow these tips to help your team transition, albeit temporarily at home:  

Transition In and Out of Work Mode

So you’ve lost the morning commute, congrats! What you might not realize is somewhere in the traffic, you lost alone time. Reclaim this time in your own home.

Transitions mean having defined working hours and setting a boundary for when you are and are not working. Create a new routine that kicks off your work day, such as making coffee, or reading the news first, before you start working. Don’t start working from your bed when you wake up! Give yourself even those crucial steps to get to your workstation. 

Something that may seem small but is a massive help is getting dressed for work everyday. While it’s tempting to wear sweatpants and a hoodie, putting on or taking off clothes will help put you in the right mindset for the moment. 

Designate a Home Office

Creating a dedicated office area doesn’t mean turning your house inside out it means having a defined space for where you can be productive. Work within your means; you don’t need a whole room for an office. Your workspace should only be used for work. If you need to take a break, leave your workstation. Have separate areas dedicated to each part of your day. 

Offer Video Conferencing Tips 

When setting up a video conference, you’ll want to create a quiet space with good lighting. You should still dress appropriately for your position. Remember to smile and engage with the camera. Otherwise, you will look distracted to your customer as your eyes will be looking away from them while they talk to you. 

If you’re performing a walkaround or using a handheld device, consider purchasing a stabilizer for your phone. This will give live videos a smoother, less nauseating experience for the viewer  A small investment can help land the sale. 

Support Online Security Measures 

We transmit and receive huge amounts of confidential data each day. As your own IT manager, ensure that you are using secure web browsers across all devices. Mobile wallets and financial information can be hijacked, so be careful what you leave on your phone.

  • Set strong passwords (consider a dedicated password manager like Dashlane) 
  • Keep software up to date, as these contain security patches 
  • Set up fingerprint or face recognition
  • Use a VPN, like ExpressVPN to heighten your security 
  • Set up remote wipe capabilities

Back-Up Your Data

Now that your data is secure, it’s also wise to consider how to back-up data. As you may be relying on your laptop and not your office computer, storing files in an online storage cloud means when you return to the office, you can easily retrieve that data.  

Apps like iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox make storing files online a cinch. You can select the corporate plans to gain editing and access the right to stored data. This is ideal for file-sharing so that you can avoid the high-risk of emailing sensitive documents. 

Creating a Healthy Work/Life Balance 

Gabriel Weinberg, the founder of DuckDuckGo, said the following: 

“Working remotely, people are never forced to get a drink after work. You’re not substituting work socialness for community socialness. They are in their own communities. So you’re really getting real diversity of thought.” 

Be cognizant of how your team morale is each week or day. Everyone deals with stress in different ways and keeping a finger on the pulse allows you to smooth over small concerns before they become big waves. 

Create team incentives or add an element of fun to meetings to boost the mood. Your team will return the favor with improved productivity.  

We at FZA Digital hope you are staying safe! If you’re ready to generate more leads and digitize your business, we’re ready to take your call at 424-229-2923. 

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Working from Home During COVID-19

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Working from home may sound like a dream come true, but for many, this new lifestyle may come with a few challenges. Newly remote workers in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic may find it disorienting to be taking calls from their dining room or have kids present for a meeting.

Rather than focusing on what you don’t have, which may be foot traffic and a retail location, we’re encouraging you to work with what you do: the internet. There are more potential buyers online than ever before, and if you’ve never made a sale online, now’s your chance.

Keep reading to learn our digital tips for remote workers that can help you work efficiently with team members, collaborate on projects, and boost your revenue.

Do What You Would Do at Work

Treat your home office like you are traveling to work. Creating a schedule (and sticking to it) will help you set clear expectations of when you should be in the zone – and when to log off. Get dressed every day. Sure, wearing sweatpants may be fine the first day, but putting on work clothes will help distinguish weekdays from weekends.

A great tip that many moguls tout is to do the thing which you are putting off first. That could be the most complicated tasks, that one phone call you’re dreading, or the most tedious job. This will give you a productivity boost and set a positive outlook for the day.   

Stay connected to employees, co-workers, and customers by leveraging video chats, phone calls, text, email, and messaging apps. You should also aim to move often and take your lunch break: eating and moving are important to keeping you sharp. 

Audit Your Online Presence 

If you feel restless, we recommend performing an audit of your online presence. Web traffic is soaring, with noticeable increases in mobile traffic. Make sure that your website can be viewed easily on mobile and tablets. Click around and pretend that you’re a customer. If something feels off then it most likely is to your customers.

You should also review your directory information. Customers during the COVID-19 pandemic are reaching out more to businesses to confirm hours of operation and ask questions. Be sure to check if your information is current on all the major platforms.

You can also use this time to leverage your SEO strategy and gain the digital advantage. If you do not have an agency or have been doing it on your own and need a bit of help, FZA Digital offers SEO services. We can perform the audits for you and identify where your website needs the most help.

 

Teams, Collaborate Digitally 

During this time, it’s a good idea to communicate more than usual. Schedule brief video chats for your team to connect. Keep them short (around 15 minutes) and to the point. Check-in one-on-one with staff to see how they’re adjusting to the change of routine.

You’d be surprised how many tasks can now be completed effectively online using free or nominally priced service software. Yes, everyone and their mom is on Zoom, but do you know about other tools for project management and storage?

Some options we recommend are:

As every business has different needs, we recommend signing up for a few options and asking your team what you can offer to make their day easier.

 

A Positive Attitude is Key

Finally, it’s important to keep a positive attitude. This doesn’t mean walking around with blind to the situation. But it’s important to recognize and accept some things that are out of your control and focus on what you can change.

Taking time off may seem counter intuitive. However, In the grand scheme of your well-being, how much more productive you can be once you return will outweigh your short break.

Here are some other simple but fun ways you can break up your day:

  • Goat 2 Meeting – For a modest donation, Sweet Farm will video conference a goat from their farm to your next Zoom meeting.
  • Audible (temporarily free) – One of the world’s largest suppliers of audiobooks is offering a huge selection of free audiobooks as long as the world is at home.
  • Netflix Party – A Chrome extension that allows you to watch Netflix while also video chatting with your friends and family.

We at FZA Digital hope you are staying safe and keeping busy! If you’re ready to dominate online, we’re ready to take your call at 424-229-2923.

 

 

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