Establishing an online presence can seem like a daunting task. The world of digital instant gratification often seems to work for just a select few. Algorithms seem like impossible codes to crack and keep up with.

But there are several ways to spruce up your digital presence, and some hacks are easier than you think. Maintaining a presence online can be extremely beneficial. Though it may seem like a lot of work at first, it’s well worth becoming familiar with.

Do You Have an Online Presence?

What exactly is an online presence?

Think of it as the digital elements of your brand that introduces your audience to your business, beliefs, and philosophies. Whether you’re a fan of the written word or let your pictures speak for you, there’s something for everyone.

What you share with the world is completely up to you.

Now, if you’re just getting your feet wet when it comes to social media, it’s important to know your options. Here are the major online sites and apps you can use to increase your web presence:

  • Instagram: The hub of digital instant gratification, Instagram focuses on images, and is making a serious push toward video in 2022.
  • Facebook: A digital community where you can find everyone you know. A common spot for family, friends, and funnies, Facebook is a place to entertain, edutain, and endear your brand with your audience.
  • Email: A digital letter and powerful marketing tool when used to bring attention to your beliefs, values, various content, and value-stacked offers.
  • Websites: The ultimate digital “real estate”, your website serves as the lynchpin to all things that represent your brand
  • Blogs: Sharing what you know with the world matters. What matters most is sharing things that others want to read and share.
  • Twitter: Express yourself in 280 characters or less. If you like to carry on a conversation, Twitter is the place to talk it up.
  • TikTok: A strong up-and-comer, TikTok has taken the world by storm with its shortcut content and video format. With shorter attention spans and the hunger for dynamic media, TikTok isn’t going anywhere.
  • YouTube: Having most recently moved to the #3 largest search engine in the world, YouTube is a deep and relevant depository for how-to videos, entertainment, and edutainment. YouTube shorts capitalizes on the shortcut 1080×1920 px videos popularized on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

What Impact Does Online Presence Have on Business?

While creating a digital presence for yourself can be gratifying, it can also positively impact your business.

For instance, building your online presence for your business increases online visibility and reach. Before the digital age, businesses gained exposure by word of mouth and the Yellow Pages.

No longer do you need to rely on telephone books or the paperboy to get the word out. With the internet at your fingertips, connecting with your target audience is easier than ever. No matter where you are in the world, people can view your website or social media profiles.

Being present online also increases brand credibility. Customers are more likely to trust a brand that has an online presence than one without it.

It shows the willingness to connect with your audience where they hang out the most—online. Even if you own a single brick-and-mortar location, social media can help increase your brand reach.

In addition, an online business presence allows you to be available 24/7. Your website and social media are available to view at any time day or night.

Imagine a small business with a single store and no website. Obviously, their customers wouldn’t be able to get in touch with them outside of operating hours. Having a small business online presence eliminates the gap between them and their customers.

So even if you’re not available, people can still learn about your business and what you have to offer. This also increases the accessibility customers have to your brand.

How to Boost Your Online Presence and Create Some Spark

It’s no secret that creating a digital presence consists of a lot of moving parts. Now that you’ve identified the different mediums of the digital world, it’s time to take it a step further. Sustaining a powerful digital empire isn’t a one-and-done process.

Remember: consistency is key.

We’ve comprised a list of the top thirteen ways critical to improving online presence.

Create and Grow Your Email List

Email marketing is grossly underrated. Many businesses today have found success in creating and growing their email list. So what exactly makes it beneficial?

First of all, creating an email list helps you personally connect with your audience. Offering free information in the form of an ebook, or lead magnet gives customers an incentive to provide their email.

Once you have your customer’s email, you can send emails periodically to nurture the relationship with your customers. This method is also effective after a customer makes a purchase.

Email marketing is also cost-effective. It doesn’t cost a penny to use tools like Gmail to connect with your audience. Emails can also increase website traffic. Include links with a call to action in every email that points your audience to your business site.

This will help you maximize the effectiveness of this strategy.

Create a CRO Website

Creating a Conversion Rate Optimized (CRO)  website is another great way to improve your online presence. With different web builders like Squarespace and Shopify, there’s sure to be an option that fits your business needs.

Customers will be able to learn more about your company and what you have to offer beyond office hours. A website can also lead to increased sales.

Imagine having international customers who would love to buy from you. If you don’t have a website they can visit, you’re losing out on money.

Plus, a business website builds trust with your customers. Showing that you’re a professional business with a well-designed website can go a long way in establishing your brand.

Creating a business website has numerous benefits and can help you reach your target audience in a variety of ways. If you’re not already utilizing this powerful marketing tool, now is the time to get started!

Implement On/Off-page SEO

Maximizing your business reach doesn’t just stop at a website and emails. Gaining organic traffic to your website is another battle entirely. SEO is the best way to achieve fresh eyes on your website and content.

SEO, or search engine optimization, is a strategy that uses keywords with a high search volume to draw traffic to your site. It’s important to research the best keywords to use against your competitors and implement them throughout your website.

The goal is to find keywords with a low competition rating, giving you the chance to rank high on Google. There are two methods for using SEO: on-page and off-page.

On-Page SEO includes:

  • Meta Titles and Descriptions
  • Alt text for website photos
  • Title tags
  • Internal links

Off-Page SEO includes:

  • Domain ranking
  • Backlinks from local domains and high domain ranking sites
  • Local SEO keywords
  • Pay-per-click

Using this strategy to implement both on and off-page SEO will give your business a high boost in traffic.

Create Excellent Customer Experience

Creating an excellent customer experience is essential in your business. If you take the time to give your customers a great experience, they’re likely to come back. Not only will they come back, but they’ll also tell their friends about your business.

Establishing your business online is one of the most important ways to give your customers a great experience. It helps you can reach more people and give them the information they need. You can also use online tools to track customer satisfaction and find out what needs improvement.

By taking the time to give your customers a great experience, you’ll build loyalty and goodwill. Your customers will appreciate your effort, and you’ll see the results in repeat business and referrals.

Post Blogs Regularly

Blogs are another great way to increase your credibility. Posting frequent informational content specific to your niche will classify you as an expert from the customer’s perspective.

This will also make potential customers more likely to do business with you. SEO is another big benefit of blogging. By including keywords throughout your blog posts, you can increase your rankings on search engine results pages.

This means more people will be able to find your website, which can lead to increased traffic and potential customers.

Blogging also creates brand awareness. Create different types of content and a combination of short and long posts to include something for everyone.

Overall, blogging is essential to reaching new audiences through SEO.

Update Your Content

Updating your online content is essential. As the years go on, your brand is sure to evolve. It’s important to update your content to match your brand mission.

You should also update your content based on what matters most to your target audience. Your content should serve the purpose of answering their questions and solving their problems.

Additionally, you should keep your content fresh. Search engines like Google favor fresh, relevant content. Regularly update your website content to gain more organic traffic.

Finally, updating your content helps build trust with your audience. When people see that you’re constantly creating new content, they’ll know that you’re an authority in your industry. They’ll be more likely to do business with you as a result.

Boost Your Social Media Presence

Social Media is another powerful tool your business can benefit from. Although it may seem difficult, social media can be the strategy that propels your business forward.

Let’s explore a few ways social media can improve your online presence.

Digital word of mouth creates social proof and builds trust with potential customers. A strong social media presence increases engagement.

Additionally, use social media to improve content SEO. Include keywords links to improve your site’s ranking. This will make your business more visible when potential customers are searching for products or services like yours.

Lastly, social media helps you connect with potential customers and create meaningful relationships. By responding to customer messages, you’re able to bridge the gap between you and your customer.

Test Strategies and Analyze Results

Testing and analyzing marketing strategies are critical to helping your business succeed online. What works for someone else may not work for you. Test out different strategies and analyze the results.

First, decide the strategy you want to use. For example, you could decide whether eight hashtags in an Instagram post are more effective than twelve. The next step would be to create posts for both options.

It’s important to use the same metrics when creating either post. This way, you’re able to more accurately analyze the results of each post type.

Remember, strategies don’t always take off right away. It’s crucial to keep testing and optimizing what works best for your business.

This way, you’ll eventually be able to yield the desired results. It may be a good idea to have a goal in mind. Are you looking to increase sales? Do you want more website traffic?

Having a clear intention in mind for every piece of content you share online will allow you to measure what matters.

Humanize Your Brand (Brand Personification)

Humanizing your brand allows your customers to connect with you on a personal level. There are numerous ways to personify your brand.

For example, is your brand down-to-earth, with a brand voice that doesn’t take anything too seriously?

Do you want to be known as reliable and trustworthy, focusing on delivering great results for your customers?

This is the time to think about what you want your brand to be known for. Whether it’s a specific phrase or a signature logo, this is what will set you apart from competitors.

Study Your Competitors

Studying your competitors is another perfect strategy to use to elevate your brand’s online presence. Stay ahead of the curve and on top of the latest trends in your industry. This will put you above your competitors who are not making an effort online.

Furthermore, by keeping up with your competitor’s strategies, you can learn what is and is not working for them. Then, adapt those lessons to improve your own online marketing strategy.

It’s still important to continue testing and analyzing your results. However, gaining inspiration from competitors will give you new strategies to explore. By understanding your competitors’ digital marketing campaigns, you can avoid making similar mistakes and further improve your brand’s online presence.

Find Your Target Audience

Finding your target audience is absolutely critical if you want to build a digital presence. Imagine a bicycle company that only markets to motorcycle enthusiasts. It’s safe to assume that they don’t make any sales, right?

As you can see, marketing to the correct audience directly affects your results.

The same goes for businesses that don’t market themselves to their target audience.

There are a few key ways to find your target audience.

First, look at your current customer base. Who are they? What do they do? Why do they buy from you? This information can be extremely valuable in finding more customers like them.

Next, use online tools like Google AdWords and Facebook Insights. These allow you to see who is searching for terms related to your business, and what demographics they fall into.

Last but not least, ask around! Talk to friends, family, and other business owners. See who they think would be interested in your product or service.

Once you identify your target audience, make a point to address what matters to them in your content. Addressing their pain points and how your business is the obvious solution is the perfect way to gain potential customers.

Develop Relationships and Expand Your Network

Expanding your network by becoming familiar with other business owners will help your business grow. You’ll have access to new potential customers, and you can learn from the successes and failures of others.

Additionally, growing your network will help you keep up with trends in your industry, giving you a competitive edge. Finally, developing relationships with other business owners can provide invaluable resources and support during difficult times.

When done correctly, expanding your business network can be highly beneficial for your company. By becoming familiar with other business owners, you open yourself up to new insights. Taking the time to grow your business network is well worth the effort.

Embrace Process Automation

Automation when it comes to your online business presence helps you save time. Automated processes help you manage your website and track inventory without having to be online all the time.

Automation can also help improve your customer service by providing them with quick responses to their inquiries and concerns. Email autoresponders are great if you send a weekly newsletter to your customers. By batching the content and scheduling them, you save time throughout the week for other tasks.

Finally, automating your business processes can help improve your bottom line by reducing operational costs.

Improving your online presence can do wonders for your business. Taking the necessary steps to add some spark will create brand credibility. Social media increases your brand reach no matter where you are.

Take the leap into the digital world with your brand and contact Wizard of Ads™ today!