Your business's online presence is vital. In today's digital age, there are endless available solutions for potential customers within a few clicks. Your social media profiles, eCommerce marketplace, and website are often the main contributors to brand awareness and trust. For better or worse, almost all potential customers will Google your business or check social media channels before they ever step foot in your store or office.
The same is true of your personal brand. Just as people Google and use social media networks to learn more about businesses, they're also using it to learn more about you. They'll scroll through your social feed, read your blog posts, and maybe even type your name into a search engine. And what they find about your online presence will influence their decision to do business with you.
So, what does all this mean? It means that you need to be strategic about your online presence and digital marketing. You need to make sure that both your business and personal brands are presenting the right image to the world.
Here are a few tips for doing just that:
Be intentional about what you post
Before you hit "publish" or "send," ask yourself if the content you're sharing is consistent with the brand image and a greater social media marketing strategy. If it's not, don't hit "publish" or "send." Ensure your content is high-quality and original. Users want to see what makes your brand and business unique. As a business owner, it’s vital to post intentionally about your unique appeal to target demographics and use social platforms to your advantage. Align your social media metrics with larger marketing campaign goals to track your efforts.
This includes images, hashtags, channels, and content formats. If your target audience is spread across different demographics, ensure you meet customers where they spend most of their time. Whether that be on TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram, every social media platform appeals differently to specific audiences. Consider age, common interests, and professional passions to better connect and align your media content.
Make sure your website is up-to-date and informative
Your website is often the first impression potential customers will have of your business. Make sure it's a good one by keeping your site up-to-date with fresh quality content that accurately reflects your products, services, and brand voice. Algorithms favor new content so take the opportunity to publish or advertise new products or services you make available.
New content shows that you are actively up to date on current trends. This effort is also vital to enhance your SEO and search engine visibility. Include target keywords to help drive traffic to your website through organic search. Using tools like google analytics can help you understand how users are searching in real time to find your business. This can then influence the type of content and marketing campaigns you publish moving forward.
Regularly audit your social media accounts
Social media moves quickly, which means old posts can get buried quickly. Every so often, take an in-depth look back through your account history to make sure there's nothing there that could damage your reputation if it were to resurface. And if there is, delete it!
A social media audit also presents an opportunity to dissect the types of content that are gaining the most traction and those that aren’t. For example, if your podcast isn't getting as much traction as you’d like, you could try repurposing it for Instagram reels. A shorter more attractive method to increase your brand awareness. Social media management can be as powerful a tool as the effort you put into it.
Google yourself (and your business)
What shows up when you type your name into a search engine? The same is true of your business – what comes up when someone performs a google search? Understanding how people perceive your reputation digitally can make or break your success. If anything less than flattering appears, take steps to push it down in the search results by creating new content that pushes the old stuff down.\
In today's digital age, it's more important than ever to be intentional about your online presence – both for your business and for yourself as an individual. What potential customers find when they Google you or your business will influence their decision to do business with you, so make sure you're putting your best foot forward! Always!
