Most consumers want to support small businesses, because they recognize all of the mutual benefits of doing so. In fact, consumers agree that 91% of the time, they will choose to work with a small business…. if it’s convenient. 

What is the convenience consumers are looking for? 

Speed and convenience go hand-in-hand. So, another way to look at it is that customers are looking for speed and quick response times when choosing a business to work with. In today’s market, consumers don’t just expect quick responses; they want it to be instantaneous. Over 90% of consumers expect instant responses from businesses. But don’t worry, that is not as overwhelming as it sounds!

There are several ways to offer quicker response times and a higher level of convenience for your customers:

• Implement a webchat feature on your website. Having a chat bot makes it beyond simple for customers to get answers to questions and other feedback about your business instantly and accurately.
• Store all of your customer messages in one place. Instead of logging in to each messaging platform, email address or scrolling through your phone’s text messaging app to read through all of your messages, make it easier for yourself and your customers. If all of your messages come to one central inbox, like FreshLime’s Message Center, your business no longer misses communication from its customers and you can easily and quickly respond to all incoming messages in a much shorter time frame. 
• Text your customers. People prefer to communicate through text messages today. When your customers know they can easily schedule appointments, quotes or ask questions through text, whenever it is convenient for them, your business becomes the top choice. 

Consumers love convenience. Consumers also know the value of working with small and local businesses. If they can get convenience from a small business, 91% of the time, that is who the consumer will choose to work with. Making your business more convenient to work with does not have to be a big project and time consuming task. 

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. If any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add, please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!