Freelancers and business owners are consistently trying to make a name for themselves. We are all on the Internet to some capacity, but are we using our online tools to their highest potential? Here are some recommendations we can all do to enhance our presence on the Internet. Some tips are quick and easy. Other may require more thought and possibly a consultant. If you are serious about building your business in today’s Internet savy world each suggestion is worth investigating.
Go to Google Places and claim your business listing.
It is simple to do and will increase your search results. Personalize your listing by adding your website, hours, location, images, anything that will help people find out more information about you! Dive a little deeper and list the categories (provided by Google) that are relevant to your business. Include your service or product keywords in your business listing title, especially if your name does not spell out what you provide. This is a great free way to quickly increase your online visibility. If Google knows what you are doing, everyone knows what you are doing.
Note: Claim your business listing in other online directories as well such as: Yelp, CitySearch, Yellowpages, and Yahoo.
Ask your customers how you are doing, and offer incentives for online reviews.
Review sites (Yelp, Urban Spoon, Judy’s Book, Zagat, Menuism) can be advantageous and another touchpoint to build your brand. People are paying attention and doing their research before spending money. Good reviews will increase your online presence, build your credibility, and draw in new customers.
Engage with your customers on user review sites.
It is a place for you to honestly listen to what people like and don’t like. It is a place for an open dialogue. Are you serious about customer service? Then reply to these people, happy and unhapy alike. Respond to angry customers with an apology (or possibly your side of the story) and a reason to come back. Professional and friendly communication will attract and impress new potential customers.
Use social media to interact with your customers.
Whether its Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn find the social network that works for you and start the conversation. These networks give you the opportunity to stay in touch and connect with new customers. Gary Vaynerchuk said it best social media is like word-of-mouth marketing on steroids. Social media gives individuals a voice. These individuals are sharing their experieces good and bad with everyone they are connected to online. They (and You) can reach more people online more quickly than with any other medium.
Create a blog to give yourself an authentic voice.
Blogs are written by people, sharing your thoughts and expertise with the blogosphere makes you human, and humans are quite likable. It gives people a glimpse of your personality, intelligence, and the methods behind your services or products. A blog can establish credibility. Demonstrate your skills and understanding of your industry by sharing relevant knowledge, writing opinions, and interviewing industry experts. When done correctly, blogs generate a lot of exposure and web traffic. As social media trends evolve your blog is your consitent Internet persona.
Create an intuitive website that represents your business.
If people are looking for you on the Internet, I am guessing that you want to be there. An incredibly basic website will still enahance your online presence. A website is a simple way to answer all of your customers’ basic questions. You can grow your website as your business grows. You may want to add interactive features or invest in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in order to take full advantage of your online exposure.
I hope you find some of these tips helpful. We have invested a lot of thought and research into the best ways to market our clients and ourselves online. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you would like more information. Stay tuned for our upcoming post specific to SEO. Best of luck with improving your buisness or organization’s online visibility!