Branding Basics – 5 Tips to Help Your Business Make a Splash in the Online World | Stepping into the online world can be daunting. The internet is so vast now that no one actually knows precisely how large it is. In such a gargantuan space, it’s easy to be lost and forgotten. If you want your brand to stand out, you have your work cut out for you; but it is doable! The tips below should help:
1. Leave the tough stuff to the professionals
When you look back on the decisions you made in the early days of your online journey, hiring a professional web design agency will be a pivotal one. It can be tempting to opt for a cheap, homemade website using a DIY builder like Wix or Squarespace. However, when it comes to user experience and SEO, you can’t beat the work of a professional agency.
2. Find your social media niche
There are so many social media channels available nowadays, but it’s a mistake to try to build yourself a platform on all of them. The best approach is to know your target market and understand which platforms they frequent. The more you can learn about their patterns, the better.
From here, you can determine where to direct the time and resources you have allocated to social media. Start with two or three platforms that seem promising, and if you decide to ditch one in favor of another, be sure to deactivate the old account as having abandoned social media spaces is not a good look.
3. Build your social presence
No matter how well-curated your social media presence may be, all that work will be for nothing if no one can find you. So many details go into the development of a strong social strategy, including (but not limited to):
- Posting schedule;
- Content calendar;
- SEO;
- Data analysis.
If you can find a web design agency that also offers social media management and SEO as part of their service, it may be worth looking at a package deal. Otherwise, it’s time to dive into the research and develop a social media strategy of your own.
4. Focus on SEO
Search Engine Optimization is central to getting yourself seen online. Though many Google searches offer hundreds of thousands of results, few people ever look past the ten that appear on page one. If you want to reach this hallowed page, you will need an SEO strategy, and this is not the type of thing you can do once and then forget about. It takes consistent work to boost your rankings and then remain on page one. If you’re not up for it, once again, your best bet is to find a reputable agency that can handle the technical stuff for you.
5. Create generous content
It’s easy to fall into the trap of creating content designed to get something from the audience. Of course, you want to convert people to loyal customers. However, if your approach is always aimed at luring people into your sales funnel, you’re missing an important part of the relationship that exists between people and the brands they truly love.
The best way to attract loyal customers is to be generous with them. A great way to do this is to provide valuable, educational content for free on your website or social channels. This kind of content is highly shareable, making it as valuable for you as it is for your audience.
Launching a successful online business is neither quick nor easy. However, if you work your way through the tips above, you should soon be enjoying tremendous growth and opportunities for expansion.
