It’s the final stretch.  You’ve run 25.2 miles and you only have one more left.  The runner just ahead of you, that you’ve had your eye on for 99% of your marathon, just started to sprint.  Sprint!  At this point you probably have a few unkind words running through your head but you’re too exhausted to vocalize them.

So you make your rubber legs move just a bit faster and you ignore your throbbing knees as you push yourself, just minutes away from the finish line.  You’d really like to catch up to that runner who’s paced your race but he is elusive and always just out of reach no matter how hard you run.

Sound familiar?

Maybe not in a literal sense, but this is often how businesses feel about trying to keep up with the latest and greatest gadget or gizmo or “must have” marketing tool that’s out there.  Technology is in a perpetual race against itself, and as such, is constantly evolving.  He’s that guy that is always just ahead of us, no matter how hard we push ourselves.  All we can do is try to keep pace, and anticipate when he might start sprinting.

It wasn’t too long ago that a business with a website was atypical.  Nowadays if you are nonexistent online, you are nonexistent to consumers.  And that doesn’t just mean a website, it involves so much more.

It means being visible online.

So yes, this includes taking a good, long, hard look at your website.  How user-friendly is it?  Is it branded?  How SEO rich is it?  Is it mobile-friendly?

But that’s just a sliver of what to consider.

Don’t forget social media.  Those two words often create a myriad of negative emotions for marketing directors and business owners everywhere.  The most common emotion is probably trepidation with a side of uncertainty.  But you only fear what you don’t understand.  So shove your fears aside and dive into Twitter, Facebook, blogging, YouTube, and LinkedIn (just to name a few).  This will improve your SEO presence, but it is also an important part of gaining credibility among consumers.

More than ever the public is turning to the content you are pushing through social media channels rather than just the content you have on your website.  The more credibility you have with your social media assets, the more potential consumers you’ll have visiting your company website and believing what they read there.

Face it, people aren’t looking for what you say about yourselves – more often than not they’re looking for what people are saying about your company.  And if you want to be a part of that discussion, you have to spread your online influence.  And that includes monitoring and updating your online citations.  Listing your company in applicable directories will only fuel your online visibility.

Bottom line: Consumers are smart.  They know where to find the information they need, and if they can’t find you, they won’t purchase from you.

So embrace the inevitable and put your running shoes on.  It is unavoidable; technology is taking a flying leap forward.  The question is, is your company fit enough to keep pace?

Don’t worry.  If your lungs are burning with just the thought of trying to catch up, we can help.  That’s what we’re here for.