How to build a strong online presence and establish yourself as an industry expert
As an entrepreneur, you understand the importance of having a strong online presence if you want to be recognised as a thought leader in your field or simply increase awareness about what you do.
Without it, you're missing out on potential customers and growth opportunities.
But how do you go about building a strong online presence? It can be daunting, especially if you're not familiar with digital marketing tactics.
Luckily, I'm here to help! In this blog post, I'll share some tips for growing your business with a strong online presence.
It's not just about having a website or posting on social media. There's a whole world of online marketing tactics you can leverage to help grow your business.
The way you present your company online matters too, so here are some tips to grow your business with a strong online presence!
How to grow your business with a strong online presence
What is an online presence and why do I need one for my business?
An online presence is a business' website and/or social media profiles for different platforms.
Having a strong online presence benefits your business in a number of ways:
You have an opportunity to market your brand or services to more people
You can gain insights into what's most important to current and future customers, which helps you build better products and provide excellent service.
Your company can share valuable information that will help people achieve their personal goals and/or enhance their daily lives
Your business can avoid costly mistakes and learn how to improve its products based on feedback from current and former customers
Your website or social media profiles are one of the first places potential consumers will look for information.
This is all possible by the internet, which is why having a strong online presence is key to success as a business owner!
How to create an online presence on various social media platforms
Building an online presence with social media may seem daunting since there are so many different platforms to choose from.
Creating profiles on the major social media platforms is tempting when starting out, but having the time to post regularly and engage with others is unrealistic for many entrepreneurs.
Decide the best platform(s) for you and your brand. The best platform is the one your target customer uses.
Have a think about the audience you want to reach, what their interests are, the type of content they like to consume, and where they like to spend time.
Some platforms work better for certain types of businesses than others. For example, Instagram is a great platform for visual brands (e.g., fashion and food), while Twitter may be preferable for newsworthy brands or those with a voice that's best expressed in short tweets (e.g., tech and politics).
However, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to social media marketing and how you should represent your business on each platform.
If you don't yet know what your target audience is, then start with the platform where you feel most comfortable and that makes it easy for you to engage with others.
Creating an online presence, sharing useful content and engaging on these platforms will help grow your following, and you'll start see some of the many benefits of using social media for business.
Once you grow your following and build your email list you can use those to market your products/services to more people even if they're not necessarily interested in buying them right away.
What are the benefits of having a strong online presence for your business?
Establishing a strong online presence allows you to reach a wider audience, putting your business in front of more people.
By increasing your visibility, others may come across your website and choose to form an opinion about what your business is like. If they like what they see and read, they're likely to let other people know, expanding your reach even further.
These opinions inform other consumers' buying decisions and influence the way people view your brand.
If you rely on word of mouth to promote your business, then take care to build a strong online presence so it's easier for others to find out more about you and what you do.
How to increase your following on social media sites
Whilst each platform and how we use them differs, the number one way to increase your following on any social media network is essentially the same thing; BE SOCIAL.
Social media marketing isn't something you can set and forget if you want to use it to grow your business, which is fantastic news for marketers.
Marketing automation tools have revolutionised how time is spent and allowed businesses to get more done in less time, but social media isn't something you can just turn on and leave.
Using social media marketing software like HootSuite, MeetEdgar, Publer and similar to automatically publish to your social media accounts can help you plan ahead, but don't go overboard or you'll get nowhere fast.
Take the time to use the platforms you wish to develop your network on, leave comments, share interesting material, and engage with your audience.
If you're struggling to come up with ideas for content, then take a look at the competition.
Make a note of what's going on your competitor's social media accounts and how they interact with their audience, paying attention to the type of content they share and when it gets shared.
Websites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn all provide useful information about how to grow your following on their platform.
For example, Twitter provides a guide for brands on How To Increase Twitter Followers and Facebook provides a library of resources on how to use Facebook and Instagram for small businesses.
Tips for creating content that will be successful in generating more followers
Be relevant and always keep your target audience in mind.
Your content should be interesting and engaging enough to draw people in, encouraging them to follow you.
Try not to post anything that looks like an ad or seems like a promotional tool, especially if it doesn't add value for your audience (e.g., sharing articles from other websites about topics completely unrelated to yours).
Keep the focus on the value of what you're posting/sharing rather than on yourself and your brand.
Take advantage of hashtags (#Keywords which help categorise tweets into different groups) and images to increase the reach of your posts and get more people involved with what you're sharing.
#Hashtags can also put you in front of a whole new audience and drive more traffic to your page. TagsFinder and Tailwind can help you brainstorm hashtags that are relevant to your business.
Be consistent about posting on a regular basis. Nobody wants to follow someone who makes the occasional tweet after months of silence.
Try to strike a balance between too little and too much, though; if you post more than three times in an hour (think every 10 minutes), some might not see your content or lose interest.
Why it's important to have a domain name
Having a professional email address and website URL for your business is essential for online brand recognition.
If you want to exude professionalism and trustworthiness, register a domain name if you don't already have one.
A branded email address shows everyone that your business is established, professional and keen to make a good impression.
Using yourname@yourbusiness.com is a better option than your business's name at Gmail, and it helps you build credibility online.
When you send an email from your company domain name and your brilliantly branded email signature, you're communicating the identity of your brand rather than that of a generic free email service. In other words, it's a marketing opportunity.
You don't have to go all out and hire the best web design agency to build your business an expensive website, but having a domain name that reflects what you do can help people remember it faster and easier.
You can see what domains are available and register one by using domain registrar services like CrazyDomains or Namecheap.
Building your company website with a free Wix domain name is the equivalent of displaying a neon sign to your marketplace that says you offer low-quality services.
It projects an amateurish image, suggesting that you are not even willing to spend money on your own business and are content to operate at a bargain-basement level.
How blogging can help grow your business
You can use blogging to attract new visitors to your website and social media profiles, encourage them to subscribe to your newsletter, and build trust in your brand.
Blogs are also a great way for you to communicate what you do with prospective clients. It's easier (and more fun) for people to get information about how your business can help them through the written word rather than video or images alone.
Not only that, but if you want to get your website ranked higher on Google and other search engines, the best approach is to create engaging content on your website on a regular basis.
The best kind of blog post is one that adds value without pushing products and services down the consumer's throat e.g., “how-to” posts or reviews of services/products similar to yours which showcase how much better you are compared to the competition.
Start building a strong online presence today!
One of the best ways to generate a following on social media is by creating content that your followers will find engaging and helpful. Remember, you'll have to put in hard work and be committed to building your brand over time.
We have provided you with some great tips in order for you to create an online presence, grow your business, and increase sales.
Remember that having a strong online presence gives you the opportunity to put your business in front of your audience, bring in new leads, and drive sales.
Do you still need help? Don't worry if this sounds like a lot of information! Lots of business owners just like you are overwhelmed by the number of digital marketing techniques that need to be implemented and the time it takes to do so, leaving them feeling frustrated and discouraged.
Even when you know what you should be doing, it can still feel overwhelming to put a strategy into place and stick to it. It's not always enough just knowing what needs to get done – sometimes you need help getting started!Â
We can take the guesswork out of your digital marketing efforts so that your time is spent on building relationships, creating content, and reaching new customers instead of trying to decide which social media platform is best for your business or how often you should post.
You can also hire us to produce captivating content on your behalf, such as podcasts, YouTube channels, articles, and social media posts all intended to raise brand awareness, engage with your audience, and make your website more attractive.
If that sounds good, let's chat to find out if we'd be a good fit to work together – we'd love to hear from you.
To contact us, please call our Birmingham digital marketing office on 0121 724 0911 or use the form on the contact page to send us a note and we'll get back to you as soon as possible..
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