Do you want to get noticed in the 21st century? You better have a burgeoning online presence.
Nowadays, no business can hope to compete in their niche without the help of the internet. Unfortunately, not all entrepreneurs is savvy enough to build a positive online presence. And any half-hearted attempts to try and get your word out there in the digital space, such as a dinky website, can backfire and lead to your brand being perceived as sketchy and untrustworthy. Here are five tips to ramp up your online reputation quickly:
It’s no surprise that building a website is the first tip on the list. Yet, despite the glaringly obvious importance of a website in today’s tech-driven age of consumerism, many businesses remain without one. If you look at small, local businesses in your area through Google Maps, you can still find one or two businesses that do not have an official website listed on the search results.
If you want to ramp up your online presence, a website should be at the core of your plans.
It’s not enough to just have a website these days; you also need a mobile app to supplement it. According to statistics from App Annie, consumers downloaded a whopping 204 billion apps in a single year last year. This number is only set to increase over time. You can either learn how to create an app for iPhone or Android platforms or hire someone to develop a mobile app for you.
According to surveys, the price range for enterprise-level mobile apps can be anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000. Smaller-sized businesses that need a basic customized app can find low-cost alternatives.
Today’s brand ambassadors come in the form of a younger demographic of so-called influencers who have a large following on social media. Find influencers who are operating in your respective industry.
Working with influencers offers the benefit of gaining immediate access to their follower base. Depending on how well the message is crafted, your influencer can encourage more traffic to your business’ website or mobile app.
The cost of hiring influencers vary and the rate is usually set by the influencer. In some cases, influencers who are just starting out and have a relatively smaller-sized follower base will agree to advertise your brand in exchange for a free sample of your product/service.
This can either go hand in hand with influencers or as a stand-alone approach for those who do not have the budget or prefer not to hire brand ambassadors.
Create an official page for your business on Facebook and Instagram and create accounts on Twitter and LinkedIn. Depending on who your target audience is and what primary social media platform they use, it makes sense to direct most of your attention and resources on one or two of the aforementioned platforms.
Stir up conversations about your brand by starting surveys and polls, participating in group discussions, and posting content, and direct messaging leads and potential partners.
The cost of launching a digital advertisement campaign varies on where you decide to advertise, frequency, positioning, regional rate differentials, etcetera. You will also have to pay for the video content or material that will be published on said ads.
The average advertising cost, also known as CPM, on Facebook is $7.19 per 1,000 impressions while YouTube charges a higher CPM of $9.68 for the same number of impressions.
The term “impression” simply refers to displaying the content on the user’s screen.
Whether or not the user sees the advertisement and whether or not they decide to buy are two completely separate matters. Avoid going all-in on your first ad campaign. Instead, test different platforms out and see where you get the most buzz from.
These are only a few of the many strategies you can employ to boost your business’ online presence. You can also explore other routes, such as optimizing your content for search engines, engaging with your audience on forums, promoting your site on industry directories, and running email marketing campaigns. Each strategy has its own pros and cons. Pick a channel or multiple channels that align best with your business model, type of offering, brand culture and values, and budget limits.
Tracie Johnson is a New Jersey native and an alum of Penn State University. She is passionate about writing, reading, and living a healthy lifestyle. She feels happiest when around a campfire surrounded by friends, family, and her Dachshund named Rufus.
© 2021 Hi5, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy, Terms of use, Security Overview.
