Some businesses think launching a website or maintaining a social media profile are enough methods for a good online presence.
What if we tell you it doesn’t end there?
Here we’ll explore 12 things you can do to improve your online presence and maintain it for the long run.
How to Maintain an Online Platform Worth Following
Constantly work on your website
Your website is your business card in the online world. Make it impressive, but don’t let theatrics rule over its value.
Keep it professional with all the information your customers need, such as your ‘About’ page, contact information, reviews, and products or services offered.
Constant work means you need to keep your content fresh and updated. This is especially relevant as quality content gives your search ranking a boost. Make sure it’s optimised for mobile use, has quick loading times, and easy click-to-call buttons.
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Get buzzing on the right social channels
While being on social media is essential for business, it doesn’t mean you have to be on all the big platforms.
The best way to build a social presence is to focus on just one or two channels. This is how you can make sure you can succeed in growing and managing your social profiles.
Facebook is best for sharing stories while LinkedIn offers networking opportunities. Twitter, on the other hand, is excellent for starting conversations.
Spend time curating content that customers will be interested in. Of course, make sure it speaks to your branding and overall business goal.
Use a social media management tool to schedule your posts ahead of time.
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Go beyond blog posting
A blog helps you create valuable content for your target audience. But don’t be limited to blog posts. Explore more forms of content to entertain and inform your customers.
Good examples include infographics, case studies, ebooks, videos, and podcasts.
Think about guest posting
Just as you shouldn’t limit yourself to blog posts, you can also go beyond your blog and take your content elsewhere through guest posting.
Big authority websites that post backlinks to your website isn’t only a way to direct more traffic to your site. It’s also a way to improve your ranking on search engines.
Make sure your guest blogging is done for your brand building and not for pure promotion and linking.
READ: Guest Posting Essentials
Elevate your email marketing
Email marketing isn’t just about sending promos and special offers.
To make sure that you’re getting your customers’ attention, keep your messages focused, and send emails at the right time.
Test for the best time to send your emails to make sure you get the most click-through rates. Sending outside the usual morning hours has been found to produce more results.
RECOMMENDED: 7 Ways to Build an Effective Email Marketing Plan
Cut down your product selection
The more products you offer, the more your customers will find it hard to choose. Don’t let them think twice about making that purchase.
Help them by offering only your best products and constantly work on improving them.
READ: 6 Marketing Hacks that’ll Boost Your Ecommerce Revenue
Be patient with SEO
In the business world, you are compelled to move fast to keep up. But to create an SEO strategy that works, you need patience.
Building a strategy that produces the best results can take some time. It would involve testing, changing your approach, and constantly monitoring your results.
To get a good start, use a tool that lets you improve your visibility online without needing any technical knowledge.
Show your personality
Users pay attention to brands that show something most companies fail to; their authentic personality. Numerous studies show that brands who aren’t hesitant to show their “human” side perform better in customer engagement, conversions, and ROI.
You don’t always have to keep your “corporate” face on.
Don’t be afraid to crack jokes on posts, include emojis in your replies, or shift personalities if the situation calls for it. All of these can give your brand a human touch.
Look how Netflix’s personality can change from one post to the next:
In their post, they’re showing their warm personality which suits the scene from All the Bright Places.
Here, they’re injecting humour in the caption and using a still from YOU to amplify it.
Post regularly
Another way to boost your presence is by being active in updating your site and social media channels. Given the tight competition online, when you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind.
Being active gives the impression that you’re always available. It might give them a reason to come back hoping to learn something new.
And don’t just post for the sake of posting something new. Make sure you’re always offering something valuable and relevant to your following.
List your business
You know those yellow pages we used to find our favourite restaurant? Well, there’s an online version of that: a business directory.
Listing your website on online business directories such as Google My Business, Foursquare, and Waze grows your popularity. Likewise, it boosts traffic, increases sales, and lets users find your store’s exact location.
But signing up on popular directories can be a hassle. If you don’t know yet, there are a lot of them. If you want to save time, consider using Crazy Domains’ Online Business Directory tool.
Ask help from influencers
Partnering with influencers is also a great way to drive more attention to your brand. Influencer marketing has grown huge with the age of Instagram and Youtube. If you’re not leveraging this method, it’s likely your competitors are.
A study by Schlesinger Associates for Augure shows that 67% of marketers partner with influencers to improve content promotion. If your brand is looking to tap into a specific demographic (ex. Millennials), then contact influencers that have them as their primary target audience.
Choose your partners carefully; they also speak to your brand.
Learn from your analytics
Finally, always look at your website’s analytic reports.
They give you a rundown on the parts of your website users engage with the most and the least.
Once you identify which pages are performing less— and learn why— your team can start formulating plans to improve them.
Level up your online game now
Any brand can easily bring their crazy business ideas online. Maintaining and enhancing it, however, is the challenging part.
When done consistently, these 12 ways can help you grow your following, increase conversions, and grow the business tenfold.
