An online presence is the combination of all of the identities you’ve created and interactions those identities have established online. It is like setting up a virtual version of your business. In this digital era, it’s important to have a strong online presence if you want your business to flourish.
Whether you’re just starting to create an online presence or your business has been around for a while, there is always room for improvement in order to stay ahead of the game. By following these tips, you can increase your business’ online footprint and use it to start getting more customers.
Engaging content
Creating and sharing useful content will help define your brand’s voice and create trust with customers. When it comes to content, most people only think of blogging. However, there are many forms of content to capture customers and potential customers’ attention. Content can include podcasts, videos, infographics, case studies, e-books, webinars and of course blog posts.
Regardless of what type of content is being produced or shared, make sure it is being published regularly and is informative and entertaining. Posting this content on your business’ website allows you to create more keywords for search engine optimization (SEO), which leads us to our next point.
Search engine optimization
By definition, search engine optimization is the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine. In simpler terms, SEO is a way to direct customers to your website via search engines such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo.
SEO is important to boosting your online presence because when customers search for something online, with good SEO, your website will appear higher up on the list of results leading to more traffic on your site. As mentioned before, make sure to create content that uses keywords and meta descriptions in order to optimize your SEO.
Social media
From Facebook, to Twitter, to Instagram, there are plenty of social media platforms to choose from. Engaging on social media is a great way to get people to recognize your business and boost your online presence. With social media, you can provide social proof of your products or services, have real-time conversations with your customers, and increase your brand awareness. There are millions of daily users on social media, so use this to your advantage. After creating two or three profiles, create and share compelling content in order to build a strong following and develop trust between your company and its customers.
Online communities
Online communities are a great way to get the ball rolling in the online world. Websites such as Quora and Reddit are comprised of people who share the same interests pertaining to your business. The great thing about online communities is that you can get very specific with topics. These communities can be segmented by location, language, niche, etc. and participating in them gives you the opportunity to reach put out content and start conversations with the people who best match your target audience.
Email marketing
Without a doubt, email remains one of the quickest ways to reach and acquire customers. Segment your lists by current customers and new subscribers and create customized messages for each person who signs up for your email campaigns. Use opt-in forms on your website to collect emails or ask for an email address when your customers make a purchase. It is okay to send emails regularly, but not too frequently. For example, send weekly newsletters and occasional promotions. Email marketing is great a way to nurture the people who are interested in your product or services.
Grow your online footprint
Creating and maintaining an online presence is a great way to keep and attract new customers. Just remember to always keep improving your website, content, and overall social engagement in order to remain relevant amongst your customers.
