Suppose your brand is known for selling authentic Indian wear, and a customer searches on the internet - the best place to buy Indian wear. Which links will attract him/her? The ones at the end of the page or the ones that belong to the top five results on the page? You know the answer. If your presence online is similar to the former scenario, you might defend yourself by saying that your sales reports are not depressing and hence you do not really think that striving for the latter scenario is needed. You could also say that because you have a regular set of loyal customers who ensure your business is up and running. But if there is an opportunity to expand your existing customer base, why not do it? In addition, if another brand enters the industry tomorrow and proves to be more relevant to the customer requirements, won’t your customer base shrink a little? Because 97% of consumers prefer to browse online before they make a purchase. Now, dedicated efforts for an effective online branding make sense, right?
In this digital era, hardly any brand misses a chance to make its presence felt online. From campaigns on multiple social media platforms, a visually appealing website, to spreading the good word through credible portals in their industry, they do it all so that they do not disappear in the blink of an eye in this rapid age of digitalisation. But what after all this is done? Once you have achieved attracting those eyeballs and retained them, do you move forward and shift your complete attention to other business needs? No, because that will only negate the impact you managed to create through your efforts while building an effective online presence. Basically, the excitement should not fade away once you establish yourself digitally. While your legacy and reputation will always speak volumes about the quality of your brand, your digital audience will grow if you evolve with time and show them that you are on the same page as far as their requirements and the latest trends are concerned!
Approach Optimisation Holistically
Tap into the way SEO works and increase your chances of being more visible online. Start by researching the common keywords used by your target audience and incorporate them into your website. Along with optimising your website, optimise your social media accounts as well by including the keywords relevant to your industry in the summary or bio section of your profile. Build content around relevant hashtags and keywords and do not shy away from following other popular accounts in your industry. Connections always help!
Let Them Know About You Through You!
Notify them! If you never tell, they will never know. Send an app notification or a simple SMS every time you launch or upgrade a product or service. Consider it important to build this virtual connection instead of relying on traditional methods. Avoid sending impersonal notifications. Instead, make them feel like you are having a conversation with them.
Design A Convenient Website And Not A Confusing One
Investing in making your online presence interesting and engaging will never be a loss. Make your website user friendly and intuitive. The design should be simple for your users and hence, ensure the structure is well-organised and a clear call-to-action (CTA) is included on every page. The minute they realise they have to make efforts to first understand your website layout and then proceed to purchase or gain information, you have lost their interest. Today’s audience has a wide range of options to choose from to buy any product. Be the one to stop them from wandering around on other sites by making your site optimised as per their needs.
Be On The Move With Them
With more people turning into smartphone users and mobile marketing being a crucial factor in every marketing strategy, ensure your website fits seamlessly on their mobile screen as it does on their desktops or laptops. Not to forget the speed at which your website loads on any device!
Promote What You Do, But Do Not Overdo
While creating content, explore different formats like blogs, videos, infographics, white papers, podcasts, webinars, etc. But crafting content is not enough if you do not promote it and target it towards people who match your buyer persona. Apart from relying on organic reach, leverage ads on the social media platforms you are present on, to maximise your reach. Without overdoing it of course! If you face budget constraints, tap into the benefits of guest blogging on reputed websites and boost your visibility in front of your audience.
Let Them Receive A New Email!
An email list is a good method to interact with your customers and understand the kind of content that is well received by them. You can gather email addresses of your leads through content management systems (CMS), popups on your website, or CTAs which eventually request them to sign up for your newsletter.
Giving Them A Visual Treat Is Not A Tedious Task
Do not let your profiles and websites look like a blank canvas. You might be able to hire a kickass graphic designer or not. But don’t you worry. You can add visuals by simple infographics, behind-the-scenes photos, images from the team events, and customer testimonials with their photographs. Show the world the human side of your brand and you are good to go!
Maintaining a reputation online requires you to create content that is relatable, simple, and engaging. The more it relates to your audience, the more loyal they will be to your brand. For this to happen, you need to be updated with the current standards in the online market and expectations of the customer. Always be on your toes when it comes to research so that whenever new social media platforms emerge or an online portal starts gaining popularity, you are aware and you begin exploring it and leverage it after analysing the pros and cons.
It is time you dust off the cobwebs accumulated on your online presence and pave your way to the roof (read as the top rankings on search engines)! Wake up, before it’s too late!