MARKET INSIGHTS The “Your Website is Lame” New Year’s resolution checklist Five tips for improving your online presence and exciting your customer base By Steph Koyfman We’ve talked about this before, but hardware retailers frequently fall short in the web category — still. But what better time than January to deepen your resolve, and resolve anew? It’s more important than ever to maximize your web presence. We present to you this updated list to help you begin 2017 on the right foot. Make sure your site is responsive Not responsive as in “has a pulse” — although that part’s important too. Responsive websites have quickly become the new internet standard for their ability to seamlessly adapt to screens of all sizes. This means you can easily toggle from a full-sized web- site on a computer monitor to a tablet- friendly version, which then snaps into place as a simplified mobile site when viewed on an iPhone. In this sense, responsive websites literally “respond” to the size of the screen or web browser, creating a more legible experience for the grow- ing number of consumers who do their browsing on mobile phones. Accord- ing to Cisco, global mobile data traffic grew 74% in 2015 alone. And for these users, display is important: According to Adobe, nearly 8 out of 10 consum- ers stop engaging with online con- tent that doesn’t display well on their device. If having an unattractive mobile site could be so off-putting to your potential clientele, just imagine what 26 an attractive site would do for your numbers. Fortunately, you don’t need to hire a professional web developer to ac- complish this. Many DIY site builders, like Squarespace and Weebly, have responsive design built into its pack- age, allowing anyone to easily create a modern website themselves. Add (or remove) one new social media platform The message that’s frequently di- rected at retailers is that they need to have their bases covered on the social web. But striking the right balance on social media sometimes means less is more. If you’re the type of business that barely has a functioning Facebook page, you might want to set your targets on expanding your social pres- ence this year. But if you’ve been struggling to maintain a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google- JANUARY 2017 HARDWARE + BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER Plus, Tumblr, Pinterest and Snapchat, there’s a possibility that you’re trying too hard, and that it’s not ultimately doing you any favors. The key is to meet your customers where they are. If the majority of your target demographic has no idea how to work a Snapchat filter, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie — or in this case, converse in their native emoji tongue. Try your hand at video marketing this year Have you heard? Video is huge, and it’s only getting bigger. An Animoto study found that 80% of millenni- als use some form of video content when researching a product or ser- vice. Roughly 70% are likely to watch a company video when shopping around. Additionally, websites with video content on their landing pages receive 41% more traffic from search and grow company revenue 49% faster year-over-year, according to Aberdeen. If it’s a strong social me- A Kuiken Brothers’ timelapse video HBSDealer.com