How to Have a Strong Digital Presence
Let’s face it: businesses that have a poor or non-existent digital presence are invisible to a large clientele, and as a business owner without a strong online foothold you may lose out on possible future sales and loyal customers. A critical factor in the success of many businesses is through presentation, which can be achieved via personal branding and social media. For small businesses and entrepreneurs, a strong digital presence is even more important.
Here are a few ways you can improve your digital presence.
Utilize social media platforms.
High-value social media platforms, like Facebook and LinkedIn, are a great way to reach audiences and other professional businesses in your field through common interest. Moreover, these platforms are a great way to demonstrate the “face” of your brand – the personality, the interests, the values, etc., and allow you to better connect with potential customers and make your brand more “relatable.”
Social media is low-effort, low-cost, and can subvert the way you initially perceived how a business can interact with its target audience. You can encourage discussion, create polls, stream live, or even chat with customers through private direct messages. All in all, social media platforms encourage relatability and can draw in more customers – and even potential business partners!
Start a blog.
“Content is king” – we all know that. When you offer valuable, insightful content that is high-quality, you contribute to your online presence and offer free information to your clients which may both attract potential customers and even retain existing ones. By creating a blog, you can embed a wealth of information that your customers depend on and can engage with as they please.
When you create your blog, you can also add your brand’s own personal spin on it. Incorporate a voice specific to your brand and how you feel it should sound to your audience. Incorporate your values – i.e, if your brand is big into the environment, make a few posts that are centered towards switching to reusable household items vs single-use!
Finally, Google and other search engines will rank valuable, high-quality content with the right keywords much higher than any pages generated by your generic content mills. You can enhance your online presence by ranking higher on search engine results, generate more traffic, and attract more customers.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
Having your website be accessible by mobile is one of the best ways to ensuring users can reach you. In fact, it is expected that the number of people using some means of mobile – whether that is via laptop, tablet, or computer is only going to go up. You want your website to be visually attractive, but you should also consider optimizing it for mobile devices as well.
Google will also rank websites higher that are mobile-friendly as well, meaning that optimizing your websites to be accessible via mobile will help in your SEO journey. There are mobile-friendly tools you can use to test how your website appears if you are accessing it via mobile.
Prioritize networking.
Networking is an essential aspect of running a business, as it improves your connections between other brands, audiences, and increases your overall chances of success.
Social media is one of the easiest ways to network, smoothing out all the bumps that come along with traditional networking practices. There are no travel costs, no location barriers, and it can be a lot more efficient to achieve the kind of reach you want. Networking encourages connections via shared hobbies, passions, and interests.
This is true for both professional relationships and for customer relationships. You can reach out to other brands and explore shared values and strengthen your bond with social media giveaways and collaborative content. Try Facebook groups, LinkedIn, and Instagram to forge connections with other businesses and your clientele.
Boost your reputation.
By offering valuable content to your customers through your blog, social media platforms, and forging connections digitally by answering questions and becoming a place of valuable information, you boost your brand’s reputation. One of the greatest ways to acquiring potential leads is through referrals, which can be achieved if you have a solid reputation. Your current clients may refer others to you!
Another way to ensuring your reputation is solid is by acquiring small business insurance. This shows to your clients and hiring bodies that you have a financial backup, and you are invested in your work.