Article Contributed by Kara Masterson
Almost every American has a smartphone that they use to find a business, making online presence of the utmost importance. The problem is that nearly half of US small businesses do not have an online presence, which is problematic. The following tips will help you build your online portfolio and make a splash online.
Blogging
Online users want helpful information to the questions or issues they have. This is the reason blogs work in your favor. What you want to do is create quality content that is easy to read and helpful to potential customers. This valuable information will help keep your business in the minds of your visitors.
Many small businesses get most of their traffic from blog posts. Make sure that these are SEO-friendly, which ensures that they are placed highly in search engines. It is also important to post at least once a week to gather the attention of online users.
Use Online Ads
There are several examples of good online ads. For example, you can reach out to slightly larger companies online that sell something related to your business. Of course, a direct competitor will not work, but a business that sells work boots might be okay with you advertising hardware on their site. This would be mutually beneficial if an arrangement can be reached.
You can also use online search engine ads. These ads are displayed in various places online and on different pages. Most search engine ads do not charge you unless online users click on your ad. This is a good and quick way to gather recognition online.
Social Media
Online users love when the businesses they trust (or businesses they might use) have active social media accounts. There are several types of accounts that you should consider like Facebook or Pinterest, just to name a few. Online users tend to trust companies that have these accounts more than those that don’t. It is important to engage your followers, and answer their questions whenever possible. Some companies, like ACN Inc, even take the time to set-up and manage Pinterest and Tumblr accounts.
Setting up your accounts and keeping up with them might be possible with a small team at first, but this does get a little time-consuming after a while, so you may need to hire a larger team, or hire a social media manager. Still, this is an effective way to build your online portfolio.
Be Vocal
You should try to be vocal online, and there are a number of ways that you can do that. For one, you can visit forums where you can answer questions regarding your field and gently plug in your business. You can also participate in podcasts should the subject matter relate to your business. You should even consider writing guest blogs or posts on other company’s websites. This should open up your business to an audience that might not have been exposed to your business before. Be sure that when you provide answers, interviews, or posts that you do your best to provide high quality content that can be easily understood to ensure that listeners or readers take notice of what you are saying.
These are just a few suggestions that may help you find your voice and find your place online. It is important that you do this as soon as possible since the online world is becoming more and more popular. Make sure that your site is up to date because online users do not like seeing sites that look outdated or are not mobile-friendly. Hopefully, these suggestions put you on the right path and help you develop the online presence you should have.