Having a strong web presence for your company is very important if you plan to be successful. It helps you reach more people, create credibility and helps you in establishing your brand in a competitive industry. Many business owners spend a couple of hours and a lot of money to create a website and then they just leave it like that underutilizing all of the advantages of an online presence.
If you really want to stand apart and increase your brand voice without spending a ton of money, there is no better way of doing it than crafting a strong web presence.
Six Ways You Are Underutilizing Your Website/Online Presence
Here are six top ways you are most likely underutilizing your website/online presence:
1) Not Having Your Website SEO Optimized
93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and 47% of people click on one of the first three listings – (SEJ, 2016)
Competing in this world without a proper website is like chasing a rabbit. It does not have to be fancy or complicated, all you need is a simple website with pages that showcase your work, bio, contact information, customer reviews and testimonials, and a blog where you can share your voice.
Whether you are starting from scratch or updating an existing website, make sure that it’s optimized by making it mobile friendly. Next thing you have to look for is speed optimization. A website that loads quickly is most likely to be visited often. How would you feel if a website takes forever to load? Would you revisit it?
You also have to make sure that you are using correct title tags and meta tags in your Titles and Descriptions. Use relevant images and don’t forget to add alt tags. Writing content based on trending keywords is not an SEO strategy anymore. Write on topics that you think are useful for your readers. Find answers to questions that are most relevant to your industry. Write in a reader-friendly tone. Trust me, after following these tips, your content will start to rank on its own.
2) Not Creating an Email List
Persuade your website visitors to opt-in your email list by offering free content. In marketing terms, it is called a lead magnet. This could be anything like a free e-book, a guide, a white paper, or even a useful video.
Notice how companies lure you into offering a deal and free content if you just enter your address? Well, that’s what they want in the end. The key here is to provide immense value to your visitors for free. It’s how you build trust and get them to come back.
Using pop-over forms to gather contact information of your website visitors is a good idea. You can then use this information later to market your services and products through email marketing.
Pro-tips:
- Be sure to configure pop-over forms to display either just once, or once per number of visitors or period.
- Displaying a pop-over form as soon as you open a webpage is not a good idea. Instead, configure these to display based on a shopper’s action or an anticipated intent, after a set amount of time.
- All pop-overs should have a clear and visible close button so visitors don’t leave the website in frustration.
- Including coupons, offers, and email promotions in these forms is a good way to grab visitor’s attention.
3) Not Utilizing New Social Networks
96% of SMBs say they use social media in their marketing strategy (Social Media Examiner, 2017)
Almost 90% of marketers say their social marketing efforts have increased exposure for their business, and 75% say they’ve increased traffic (Vendasta, 2017)
Relying on good old Facebook is not enough anymore. Yes, you will still gain traffic by running Facebook ads, but you can reach a large number of audience by using other platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
Did you know that of Instagram’s 1 billion monthly active users, more than 500 million of them use the platform every day
If you are a business whose target market includes millennials, then you need to build your presence on Instagram. According to an online survey, 34% of Instagram users are millennials.
Start with building followership. Share tips, tricks, and useful content related to your brand and industry. Don’t post random pictures, keep it real.
If you offer services, try showcasing customer stories (maybe gathered through a branded hashtag). Or go behind the scenes to highlight office life or introduce fans to the people who make your company tick.
Consistency in your visual content is also crucial. That means consistent colors and filters and an overall aesthetic that is easy to spot as your fans scroll through their Instagram feed.
Food blogger and author Terri Turner has a visual style that’s instantly recognizable on her Instagram feed. With less than 300K followers, she routinely racks up thousands of likes and hundreds of comments on her posts.
You can find many influencers out there who can become the voice for your brand, but this doesn’t mean that you will just rely on them. You have to be active as well. Engage with your audience, answer their queries, share stories, use relevant hashtags, be active on social media, and show consistency in holding giveaways and offering discounts. Even go for paid advertisements if needed.
Pinterest also works great for many businesses, especially those related to industries such as blogging, beauty, health and fitness, home decor and organization, jewelry, architecture, etc.
Some of the ways you can build good followership on Pinterest include:
- Research related keywords and trending hastags
- Join collaborative boards
- Post original images
- Be Active by tagging, pinning and commenting other popular pins
- Follow other pinners
- Don’t forget to make posts for special occasions
The importance of social media presence should not be neglected in this age. We have seen people build companies through a single Facebook page and Instagram profile. It all depends on how much time and effort you are putting into it.
4) Not Creating Segmented Landing Pages
You need to create a separate landing page based on visitor demographics, traffic source, operating system, keyword, and browser. You need to provide the right offer and content to the right person. If you direct them to the same landing page each time, they might lose interest.
To prevent this from happening, you need to understand who your audience is and what they want or need. If you can design a landing page specific to what they are looking for, you can target your visitors with a relevant message and it will increase your lead conversion rate.
Have a look at this webpage. A company called FrontPoint selling wireless security systems. See how they are segmenting their visitors based on their property. This way, they can cater to various different visitors according to their security needs.
A landing page presented with a few simple choices can help in segmenting your visitors to figure out who they are and what they’re looking for, and guide them through to the subsequent pages that are more relevant and tailored to the visitor’s audience segment.
5) Not Using Consumer Insights
Analytic tools allow you to identify who your customers are. You can then classify them by how they found you, what services they were looking for, or which social media channel they used. This information helps you create a more targeted list. It also provides you with data to better understand how your ads and social media campaigns affect your brand.
Beyond examining customer interactions and engagements, surveys can be a useful tool to understand customer’s needs and their preferences. This will help you in making changes to your existing business model or even in designing a new one.
6 ) Online Customer Service
Websites offer an easier way to connect with your customers. Communication and answering questions will create a better relationship with your customers. You can create a Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ) page and provide the information they usually seek. Positive feedbacks, comments, and testimonials will help you build your brand’s credibility.
Make sure to utilize your website’s capabilities as much as you can. This will help you grow your business and create a better relationship with your visitors and potential customers. A great website leads to a happy customer which leads to more sales.
Want to know what it takes to build a competitive online presence that brings in more sales and leads for your business? Get in touch with us now. We will help you demystify the secrets of digital marketing.
Content and Social Media Manager at Tactical Engine. Helping B2B and B2C businesses in growing their business and creating brand awareness.