Web Presence Strategy Tips for Small Businesses
It has been widely accepted that businesses of all sizes should establish and maintain channels of internet marketing. Modern consumers choose to save time and do their shopping for anything from clothes to groceries online. They do their research on the web and are avid users of social media. Businesses have to be creative and forward thinking to improve their customers’ experience, gain them as customers, and keep them as customers. You have to implement a web presence strategy for your marketing in the virtual world, but also invent new ways of delighting clients in order to stay ahead of competitors. There are a few basics to a web presence strategy, like having a blog and staying on top of social media, but what else should you do to be more competitive?
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Blog Consistently
It is not enough to write a great blog post once in a while, when the inspiration strikes. Take blogging seriously because each posts draws more visitors to your site that can potentially be converted to leads. Take a structured approach to blogging. If you don’t have the time or means to research your industry as a whole, address the problems or questions that your clients or customers may have. Small businesses that have the greatest success with blogging often go beyond simple blogging and make videos, infographics, and whitepapers educating their audience. Don’t be afraid to employ every medium that suits your industry and is effective for your type of content.
Contribute and Distribute
Once you publish a blog post, the real work begins. Put the content to work so it can attract more visitors. Send it to media channels, magazines, and other outlets that are relevant to your industry and ask them to republish it. You can also write and contribute new original content to other outlets. Established media channels will generate prestige for your business and will help you with your link building efforts. Once your content is out there, share it with your existing customers. Employ social media and email to distribute it to your audience. A blog post can work for you indefinitely, increasing your online presence and generating leads.
Stay Ahead of Trending Topics
Research your industry and find out what your customers are interested in. Engage them in conversation via newsletters, social media, or the comments section on your site. Find out what is trending and brainstorm it with your team. Try to foresee what will be the next topic of great interest and write about it before anyone else. This way, when potential customers start searching for these answers they will come to your site first and you will be on your way to becoming an authority within your industry.
Social Media
Your web presence strategy will not be complete without a consistent approach with social media. Select the right channels that work for your industry’s content and post regularly. Find out which channels your potential audience uses and take your content to them. Use appropriate industry hashtags to widen the reach of your posts. Follow relevant thought leaders and engage them in conversation to increase your exposure. Respond to comments and feedback from your customers to create long-lasting relationships. Social media is a tool to enhance every aspect of your online presence that helps you build trust and generate leads. For more info on small business social media strategy, see our article here.
Optimize for Mobile
Another important and often overlooked aspect of your online presence is your site’s appearance on mobile devices. Make sure you have responsive design with large enough buttons, plenty of white space and a good font size. More than half of internet traffic is on mobile these days and if your site performs poorly and users can’t find what they need, they often leave quickly. Users want ease of use and the ability to find what they are looking for within few clicks. Make their online experience easy and they will be more likely to convert to leads or customers.
