Owner, Affordable Carpets & Blinds
Staying up to date in the marketing world isn’t the easiest thing to do especially when you have the responsibility of running your own business. Julie Pompi, owner of Affordable Carpets and Blinds in Jacksonville, Florida, learned this the hard way last year when she started seeing her sales drop due to lack of mobile marketing.
I stumbled over [BizIQ] and it made a big difference in the sense that now I’m getting fresh calls
“My old website wasn’t mobile friendly and I kind of got kicked to the bottom of Google. I just wasn’t paying attention to that and then I stumbled over [BizIQ] and it made a big difference in the sense that now I’m getting fresh calls,” Pompi said.
What Pompi didn’t prepare for was Mobilegeddon, a significant algorithm change that Google made in April 2015 that altered the way the search giant determines rankings. This new update highlighted mobile friendly websites and made older outdated websites drop in their Google rankings.
BIZIQ took the stress of mobile marketing off her shoulders while helping Pompi increase her online traffic.
Pompi has always put a huge emphasis on customer service and taking care of her clients but in the digital age, this wasn’t enough to keep sales coming in. This is an issue that a lot of companies might run into and if not addressed early on it can be detrimental to small business.
“I’m not saying I’m the most popular person in Jacksonville but [customers] know I know what I’m talking about. I try really hard because my reputation is really important to me and I’m not looking to sell everyone. It’s mainly about building relationships,” Pompi said.
Pompi has built her business from the ground up by being honest with her customers in every situation. “There are some stores out there that make some funny promises. I don’t sell [customers] one thing and give them another, which some places do whether it’s on purpose or accidental. I just try to give my customers a competitive price.”
When it comes to my customers I don’t make promises I can’t keep
Pompi says, “Aside from advertising I really have to pay attention when I’m taking an order. I’m constantly babysitting the order and making sure we’re on schedule. When it comes to my customers I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
Pompi said she would strongly encourage other small businesses to start with a high-quality website, and she feels it’s important to let the professionals help. “I don’t think you can deal with it on your own. Even if you’re at a store front you really need that online presence. There are a lot of competitors out there, especially for me. I’m in one of those industries where there is probably too many people in the business.”
“I’m not looking to kill myself, you know.” She said when asked about her business goals “I just want to have my fair share of work and keep the crews busy.”
Once Pompi got back on track with her online presence she saw a boost in new customers and realized the importance of having a mobile-friendly website. So no matter how large or small your digital dilemma may be, it’s important to understand mixing things up can create resolutions that may end up saving your business.
