Everyone knows that it’s important to be available to customers online, but simply having an online presence only gets you so far. Why? Because every other business has an online presence too. And if they’re doing more to get noticed than you, they’re more likely to attract customers, leaving your business on the outside looking in.
Therefore, the best idea is to create your own definition of what an ideal online presence would be and how you can best go about achieving that goal. This vision will vary between businesses, but there are some general points you should hit along the way to your final destination.
Here are ten ways you can optimize your online presence so that no matter how you envision your online presence to be, you’ll be able to make incremental progress toward garnering attention from your target audience.
1. Use Google My Business
The quickest thing you can do to gain exposure and attract visitors to your website is to create and update a listing on Google My Business. Not only does a Google My Business listing feed directly into Google’s search engine algorithm, but it also clearly displays your company’s information to anyone searching for your business.
If you already have a Google My Business listing, you can update it to communicate any upcoming promotions or new product offerings. This is a must for any business that wants to increase its online presence and make the lives of its customers easier.
2. Publish Content
In keeping with the theme of search, creating content and publishing it on your website will help people find your business. People might be faced with a problem and not know exactly what they need, but if they come across your blogs, they’ll learn more about the issue they’re facing and how your company can help. Content of this nature also cements your business as a thought leader in the industry, adding to your company’s credibility.
3. Update Your Website
Content is just one tool you can use to enhance your online presence. Your website itself is a very powerful asset that should wow the customer and provide them with a stellar buying experience. If your site is something that’s simply passable and nothing more — one of those things you’ll get to someday, but never seem to get around to — it’s time to give a bit of shine to your website. Online tools and marketing agencies can help you to turn your website around, quickly and hassle-free.
4. Use YouTube
YouTube is unique because it combines four powerful forces in modern marketing — search engine optimization, social media, online content and video. Video is increasingly the preferred way for people to consume content, and having that content on YouTube helps your business to gain exposure and to be found in Google search results.
The social media aspects of YouTube allow consumers to follow your page and leave comments. It’s a great way to accomplish many things, even if all you do is post the occasional video.
5. Respond to User Feedback
Many companies prefer to not acknowledge negative comments on social media or on review sites, preferring to ignore the problem in the hopes that it goes away. However, that’s not how life works. Instead, it’s advised to respond to all comments — positive and negative.
A friendly reply to a positive comment will help the initial poster to feel good about their kind words and may become an even stronger brand advocate. It’s not as fun to respond to negative feedback, but there are two main reasons why it’s worthwhile.
First, it shows everybody — not just the person posting the complaint — that you truly do value consumer feedback, and you’re committed to making things right. Second, reaching out to the individual and providing a personalized response that clearly highlights how you intend to fix the issue goes a long way toward soothing hostile feelings toward your company.
At the end of the day, people just want to be heard. By providing that, you might just turn a negative into a positive and make that person a satisfied customer.
6. Don’t Overexpose Yourself on Social Media
Make no mistake, the importance of social media cannot be overstated. But that doesn’t mean you have to be on every social media platform in existence. It’s better to have one social media account that’s very well cared for than it is to have a dozen profiles that barely get any attention.
People will look at those bare-bones accounts, decide your business isn’t special, and move on to something else that speaks to them. If Facebook is at the core of your business and your Facebook followers are engaged, don’t jump on TikTok just because some article told you it’s a good idea.
Focus on your Facebook page, make it the best it can be, and then move to other platforms when you’re able to give them the love they deserve. The quality of your Facebook page will more than make up for your lack of presence on the other sites.
7. Focus on Organic SEO
You can’t force your company to go viral online. Everyone wants to boost their online presence immediately, but even the best measures take time. It’s best to take a measured approach, and that begins with your website and social media accounts.
Develop a plan regarding the keywords that matter most to your business, and tailor your content around those keywords. Create content that accentuates those keywords and helps your site rise in the search engine rankings. It’s not an overnight process. But with enough time and energy, your strategy will pay off.
8. Use Paid Search When Needed
Having an organic SEO strategy doesn’t mean you can’t utilize paid search at the same time. Paid search can actually be quite helpful for getting the word out about time-sensitive sales or emerging trends.
The problem with paid search, of course, is that the gains often only last as long as you’re putting money into outbidding competitors, which gets expensive. Use paid search when it makes sense to do so, and let organic SEO do its thing at the same time. No matter which avenue gets people on your site, your content will speak for itself when they arrive.
9. Keep an Eye on Your Customers
Marketing is an ever-changing medium, and a major reason for that is that your customers are always changing. As a business, you need to keep an eye on those changes and monitor any waves in the business landscape that might prompt consumers to behave differently.
If your business targets a specific demographic, it’s wise to encourage referrals or to identify ways you can serve those customers after they’re no longer in that group. For example, if your company’s main audience is new moms, you’ll want to get those moms referring your company to other moms, or perhaps you may consider expanding your product or website offerings to appeal to second-time moms or moms whose kids are older.
10. Be Authentic
Today’s shopper craves an organic and transparent experience. That’s true not only of the buying transaction itself but also in regard to the company from which people have chosen to purchase. It’s important to tell people exactly who you are as a business, including why the company started and what causes it supports.
This step might not boost your company’s online presence by itself, but it’ll get people excited to buy from your business, which increases positive feedback and customer referrals. And those factors will boost your presence in the best ways possible.
Cultivating the ideal online presence takes time, and it takes even more time for people to notice. By taking these steps toward your goal, the small incremental movements you take will combine to create the online presence you’ve always dreamed of having. If you’d like to take your online presence to the next level, contact us today.
