Any business today needs to have a strong online presence. It does not matter whether you run a local florist or you are in charge of a large financial investment firm, you need to make waves online if you are going to stand out in your industry. However, it is a lot easier said than done. If you have been trying to improve your online presence, yet you have had little success, read on to discover some of the proven strategies you can use to take your online presence to the next level…
Increase data protection
The first suggestion is one that a lot of business owners overlook. Data protection is not only important in terms of preventing data breaches, but it is also essential in terms of boosting your brand image, consumer trust and loyalty, and your presence online. By identifying emerging markets and understanding customer purchasing habits, you will be able to position your products to the correct audience to boost your brand’s profile.
Create a rich user experience (UX)
Online customers have little patience. They are more demanding than ever before. No one wants to wait around for a site to load. They don’t want to spend time looking for something that could be available within a matter of a few clicks. After all, isn’t this what the Internet is all about? Convenience? If you are website is not convenient and does not provide a good experience for users, you are going to struggle to make an impression online. This is especially the case when you consider that user experience has become the top priority for search engines. A lot of people mistakenly think that SEO is only about including the right keywords, but it is so much more than this. Search engines are looking for websites that load quickly, contain relevant content, and are easy to navigate. If your website does not tick these boxes, you will never make it to the top of result pages. Not only this, but according to a study conducted by Forrester Research, almost every one in two people leave a website when they cannot locate what they are looking for.
Make sure product managers are the ones marketing your products
You won’t need to read this article to know that the statistics regarding start-up success do not make pretty reading. The main reasons why so many new businesses fail is because they have failed to position their product successful in the current climate, or because their customer service has been poor or their product fails. But, let’s focus on the former; if you don’t position your product correctly, you are not going to reach the right people. This is why product managers need to have a big hand in product marketing. After all, they know your products better than anyone else. They will be able to identify any potential marketing hurdles, as well as locating solutions that fall in line with the objectives of your company.
Encourage your customers to leave good reviews online
Nowadays, thanks to the power of the Internet, word of mouth marketing has moved online, and it makes a massive difference in terms of boosting your online presence. However, you need to go about it in the right way. A lot of businesses have made the error of posting fake reviews. This does nothing for boosting your brand image. In fact, most of the time, it is obvious that these reviews are fake. A lot of customers are sceptical of any feedback that is posted directly on a company’s website and not via an independent review platform. You need to encourage your customers to leave comments on the likes of Google and TripAdvisor. These are known platforms that are trusted. You may be wondering how to get online reviews for your business. Surely your customers would leave reviews if they wanted to! Well, sometimes they just need a gentle push. You could give your customers an incentive to leave a review, such as a discount on their next purchase. Also, a follow-up email never hurts either!
Revisit your approach to social media
If you are not making the impression online that you had hoped for, a lot of this could be because you are not getting social media right. Social media is a vital tool for all companies, yet simply being active on social media is not enough. Firstly, you need to make sure you are present on the right social networks. Research the demographic of social media accounts, and make sure your business is present on the networks that your customer base is. Once you have done this, you then need to engage with your followers effectively. Social media is not a platform to simply post an endless stream of promotional messages. You need to engage with customers and post about topics that matter than them. Heavy marketing does not work well. You also need to look for ways to gain momentum. Competitions are great in this sense. You can get your followers to share or like a post in order to enter the competition, and they will effectively be advertising your business for free. Giving away one of your products for free is a small price to pay when you consider all of the free marketing that comes with it.
As you can see, there are many different ways you can improve your online presence. From acquiring positive online reviews to generating buzz on social media, follow the steps that have been provided and you are bound to notice a positive improvement with regards to your business online.
