What happens if you search for your business on Google? If not, you could be in for a big surprise. From complaints from a dissatisfied customer, to strange messages from internet strangers.
But what if you search for your business and nothing turns up? Nothing good, nothing bad…nothing! This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but rather think of this as a great opportunity to begin building a positive and profitable image. One that attracts clients and gets the projects and income rolling, while at the same time helping to position your company so that it appears first in the search engines, because…
If your company is not easily found on the internet, it (basically) does not exist
This is a fact. Gone are the days of walking down the street in search of a paint store, cold calling businesses in the phone book, or asking acquaintances which dentist they recommend. Approximately 75% of users rely on what they find on the internet to determine what businesses to use. Keep in mind that the opinions of others can help or hurt that initial impression.
Hasn’t it happened to you that, when you heard the name of a company, you gave it a quick Google search to see what you could find out? If that company isn’t easily found, it quickly loses credibility, damages its reputation, and could cost them a customer.
In the long term, everything you publish on the internet, from tweets to comments, is just a small piece of the bigger picture: your online image.
How can an internet presence be of service to you and your personal or professional online image?
Here are 6 things to consider:
1. Analyze yourself first
See if you can find yourself on Google or on social media, and read the last things you’ve published. What kinds of messages are repeated? Do they communicate in a more positive or negative way? Does it have any connection to your line of business or your professional career?
This will allow you to get an idea of what you are communicating to the digital world, and help understand how others may perceive your online identity. You could even go a step farther by asking your contacts to define you in one word for more direct feedback.
2. Set goals
Once you have analyzed yourself and what you are making known to the world, it is time to put online media to work for you. To do this, you must set attainable goals and objectives: what do you want to achieve and in what way?
Gain clients? Increase sales? Improve service to your existing customer base? That you build a more honest and trustworthy reputation? Attract leads to your page? You define your goals, and from there your online presence can begin to work in your favor.
3. Choose your media
The wide variety of social networks provides more options than ever, and, according to your goals, it will be easier than ever for you to choose the best fit(s) for you.
Maybe you can integrate Facebook or Twitter into your business, out of habit, and those can be your main networks, or you may reach out to a younger audience through Snapchat or TikTok. Show off your photography or design skills by publicizing your portfolio through Instagram and Pinterest, or even give a more thorough and fun approach via YouTube.
LinkedIn is a great networking tool for professionals to communicate. Choose a network that is comfortable for you or aligns with your audience, and use it.
4. Create value
Studies indicate that we are exposed to around 3,000 advertising impacts daily. This represents around a million impacts per year! If you want to stand out among the sea of content that bombards us each day, you must create content that contributes something new or memorable to those you reach out to.
5. Don’t neglect the networks
We know that with traditional work it can be exhausting to add another responsibility to your plate. At the end of the day, this process shouldn’t be a burden. It’s not about posting every half hour, it’s about how good the content is. Quality over quantity.
To overcome this fatigue, try to plan ahead. It is better to establish a calendar of topics that you want to publish throughout a given period. Some tools allow you to schedule your posts in advance to take the worry away. Remember to encourage feedback and review the responses to your posts. Reply in a polite and timely manner to both improve your online image and build a better reputation.
6. Integrate your online and offline credentials
Social networks, blogs, and web pages become extensions of your offline image, and complement it so that friends, family, clients, and business contacts know more about you and your company.
The importance of SEO goes beyond the web
We should be clear about the meaning and definition of “SEO,” which means “Search Engine Optimization.” SEO brings together a series of techniques and strategies in order to ensure your websites is more visible, and appear in those critical first results, when a user searches for your company, services, or products offered on Google or any of the other major search engines.
Before deciding which marketing option to use to enhance your company, consider the goals you set earlier. Whether you are concerned about the future of your company, or want to maintain your presence, you can bet on SEO.
SEO is the only customer acquisition tool that:
- Shows long-term stability
- Offers the cheapest acquisition cost per lead (contact) on the market
- Does not usually face unexpected price increases
- Maintains ideal operating conditions without sudden loss of effectiveness.
Since SEO is a tool that achieves long-term results for Google searches when used correctly, you can think of it as the best option for creating and maintaining growth, generating future sales, and taking care of the hard work for you. The digital world is unavoidable, so now is the time to build a lasting, positive online presence!