A decade ago, having an online presence meant having a website. Today, a local coffee shop is expected to post daily java specials to Facebook, tweet with their customers, share photos of new drinks on Instagram, pin seasonal latte recipes on Pinterest, upload videos of barista tricks to YouTube, connect with other cafés on LinkedIn, generate positive reviews on Yelp, and maintain a Google+ business page.
Just a website? That would be manageable.
To compete in today’s digital world, it’s necessary to have a presence on the two largest social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, to create digital connections with both your existing and prospective customers, ultimately resulting in more purchases and more dollars spent per customer.