The Factors Should Be Built to Establish An Online Presence Effectively

How do you establish an online presence for a company? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

These days, creating an online presence for your company is more important than it ever has been. A business owner who focuses on the right aspects will have the ability to build a brand quickly and to share the message with people around the world. Social media and interacting online creates a strong relationship between a business and its customers which leads to an increase in sales and customer satisfaction.

Website

Developing a website is no longer just for the professionals. Small businesses and entrepreneurs can now construct websites easily and affordably using “Do it Yourself” programs like Weebly, Squarespace, or WordPress. These programs have hundreds of “Themes“(pre-designed templates) to choose from and are built so anyone can learn how to build a website. Some of the programs combine hosting with their software and allow one to get started for as little as $10 to $20 each month. For those wanting to start an online store, I’d recommend looking into e-commerce platforms like Big Commerce or Shopify, which start at around $25 per month.

Blog

Blogs play an essential role in building a brand and getting more visitors to a website or online store. A blog is basically a site where you create “posts” or articles on a regular basis. It is a place for customers to learn more about what your company is up to, which will then lead them to your main website or sales page. Writing content as little as once per month will help with your search engine ranking. Focusing on keywords relevant to your business will also play a vital role in helping out with search engine optimization and getting high up on Google’s list. Make sure your blog has features that make it easy for a reader to interact and share the content they find. When valuable content is created, viewers are much more likely to share what they’ve found via social media.

Social Media Platforms

Create free accounts within Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Instagram, Digg, and any other platforms you think would benefit your business.

• Facebook is a good place to start. Building a page for your company is free, quick, and straightforward. With Facebook, you will be able to share photos and information about your business with people around the globe. Using the world’s largest social media platform will enable you to easily interact with customers and gain valuable feedback to steer the company in the right direction. Build a personal relationship with your fans by sharing information about your mission and the team behind the brand.
• Twitter is a beneficial tool to promote your brand. Once set up, start following and re-tweeting others in your niche. Twitter enables you to reach out to just about anyone, including celebrities, business owners, and companies in your Niche.
• LinkedIn can serve as another helpful tool. You’ll add a photo, work experience, and other resume type information to the profile page. LinkedIn makes it easy to find professionals in your niche to contact and do business with.
• Pinterest is a platform millions of people use to share recipes, project ideas, crafts, and things you like with friends. Pinterest has been stereotyped as being a site mostly for women, but more men are using the site each and everyday.
• YouTube is something to consider if you enjoy making video content. Videos are one of the most helpful online tools for showing off your company’s products or services. Create a channel for your business and start making product videos, instructional videos, and clips to tell customers more about your brand.

Podcasting

Podcasting is an underused method to share your expertise with the world. Sharing content by podcasting will build a relationship with the listeners and bring in new customers. There are fewer than 500,000 podcasts online, compared to tens of millions of blogs.

Build Your Email List

By providing visitors with an incentive to sign up for your list, you’ll quickly be able to gain a valuable lineup of customers you can email on a regular basis to keep in touch with and sell to. To get started with a newsletter look for free services offered by companies like MailChimp. If you are a blogger, I’d highly recommend Aweber because of their auto-responder features and ease of use.

Hopefully these tips will help build an online presence no matter what stage you are in with your business. Best of luck with your endeavors!

Contributed by Mitchell Boogren, CEO & Founder of TaxBud