Developing a strong presence online is useful for building your brand’s reputation, increasing brand awareness, and providing visibility for your products and/or services for your target market.
Think of it like this … a brand such as Google or Domain have a powerful online presence as they have multiple different digital touch points, not just a website.
We have put together a practical list of ways you can reshape your online presence to reach more people and grow your impact.
How to improve your online presence
Build An Email List
An email list will help you to nurture your existing clients and engage with new ones on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
How to gather email addresses?
Using your CRM (content relationship manager) or website you can create forms or pop-ups that are designed to gather email addresses. Alternatively, you may consider third-party software such as MailChimp.
How to grow your list?
Create gated content that users have to sign up to receive. You can also use call-to-actions (CTA’s) on your website and social media profiles to promote your email newsletter.
Have a social media presence
Having a strong social media presence is key for getting eyes on your brand. Be selective about which platforms you choose to use, then develop a content marketing plan inline with your businesses objectives.
Choose 2-3 key platforms, from:
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
TikTok
YouTube
Use our 2023 Key Marketing Dates Guide download to get clear on the key dates for the year. Download it here.
Master SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the best tactics to build your online presence. SEO is broken down into two categories:
On-page SEO
Off-page SEO
On-page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of optimising a website's content for search engines and users. Common methods to do this include: optimising title tags, content, internal links and URLs.
Follow these steps for your On-Page SEO
Include your keyword in your URL
Use short URLs
Front-load your keyword in your title tag
Embed title tag modifiers
Use your keyword once in the first 150 words
Use your keyword in H1, H2 or H3 tags
Optimise images by naming your images
Use synonyms and LSI keywords
Use external links from trusted sites - aim for every page to have three links
Use internal links from other pages on your website - aim for every page to have three links
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO refers to actions taken outside of your website to directly impact your search rankings on Google and Bing.
Follow these steps for your Off-Page SEO
Evaluate your backlink profile using a range of free tools:
Google Search Console
Moz Link Explorer
Ahrefs Backlink Checker
Screaming Frog
Check your competitors’ backlink profiles
Improve your link-building by using quality links
Harness the power of social media by:
Being responsive to engagement and mentions
Monitor online reputation
Add an RSS feed subscription box
Have guests feature on your website's blog
Be present on your Google MyBusiness page by. Learn to optimise your Google MyBusiness listing with the comprehensive guide
Tap into PR strategies such as featuring on podcasts, guest blog posts
Create value
Potential and existing clients love valuable pieces of content. This is often what attracts them to a brand.
One simple way to create value is to provide educational, free content online. This is helpful for your customers, and it will improve your online presence.
Complete the below checklist to get started:
Outline your client's pain points and motivations
Brainstorm content that would answer their questions.
Personify your brand
One tactic many companies use to build a brand is to personify their brand. Having a clear and succinct brand helps users relate to your company and makes them want to engage with you.
Research influencer marketing
Almost all industries are adopting influencer marketing within their marketing strategy. It’s a powerful tactic to reach aligned customers, who have the influencer as a raving fan of your product or service.
For example, if you sell financial planning services, you may consider looking at mum bloggers on Instagram. Many consumers look to influencers for their honest reviews before purchasing.
Influencer marketing can be conducted via a paid agreement or depending on the size of their influencers following, can be a contra agreement.
Be competitive
Always be competitive with your approach to building an online presence, as almost always, there is another business trying to target your ideal client.
You can always use your competitors to see what they are missing. Allocate some time each quarter to assess what your competitors are doing in the digital space.
Show up where your audience is
With countless social media platforms and online platforms, it can be confusing to know where your audience is.
It doesn’t need to be hard, follow this quick guide:
B2B: LinkedIn, Google
B2C: Facebook, Instagram, Google
If you show up where your audience is, you’ll build a strong online presence that customers can’t ignore.
Automate your process
Save time (and money) by automating your processes. For example, scheduling your content to go live on your CMS and social media using third-party software.
Additionally, you can curate other people’s content, which helps you to provide resources without constantly creating new content.
Simple things like planning your email marketing newsletters, and setting up email sign-up forms on your website that appear automatically, can save time and stress.
We are loving these 5 time saving marketing apps:
Analyse your results
To test your results, start by deciding what metrics you’re using. If you are optimising your SEO, you might track your search engine results on Google.
On the other hand, if you’re building an email list, you might track the number of subscribers and metrics such as open rates.
Naomi Johnston
E: naomi@njconsulting.com.au
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