Did you know that 67% of a customer’s journey happens online? More and more, consumers are doing online research before making any kind of decision to purchase products or hire services. If you’re not showing up prominently in online search results and social media, it’s unlikely that potential customers will find you. To really attract an audience, you need to make it as easy as possible for customers to find you online. Let’s go over a few strategies to help you do that.
Claim your name on every social media platform you might ever want to use, even if you don’t plan to use them all now - if you wait, they may not be available later. Create a custom URL for each social network whenever possible (most platforms allow this). This makes it easier for others to find you on social media and allows you to point people to a customized name that is easy to remember. Use the same name for your website domain and social media networks if possible (or choose a second name to use when the first isn’t available). Ideally, this name should include your business name.
Title case your website domain and social media URLs on all of your marketing (capitalize the first letter of each word). That way they will be easy to read and remember - you want them to be recognizable with a quick look.
For example:
is much easier to read than
Do you see what we mean? This is especially helpful if your URL is lengthy.
Note: how people enter the URL into their browser won’t matter - whether they use capitals or lower case they’ll still get to your website or social media page. Title casing just makes it easy for people to see your name at a glance.
Your website and social media accounts don’t have to be flashy but they do need to cater to your target market. Think about what your customers need from you:
Relevant content will grab your customers’ attention and keep them coming back for more.
Another important element in your online presence is consistency. You want to post on your blog and social media networks as often as you can to keep the momentum going, but you also need to think about how often you’ll be able to consistently post. If you start posting daily, your readers will come to expect that and will see you as less reliable if you suddenly drop down to once a week. If all you have time for is a weekly post, then do that - just be consistent.
Believe it or not, the text content on your website is even more important than visual elements. It conveys your message of course, but it’s also how Google finds and ranks your site. Make sure all of the text throughout your website is keyword-rich. Keywords - the words people would use to search for your product or service online - are how you get noticed by Google search.
Keyword-rich content will boost your SEO (search engine optimization) and help you appear prominently in online search results. The goal is to rank on the first page of Google search, as people rarely look beyond the first page. Since it is difficult to rank on the first page for every possible thing your customers would search for, focus on a few words or phrases that reflect what’s most important to you and use those keywords throughout your website copy. You can also use keywords in page titles, meta tags, image descriptions, and page descriptions to help boost your SEO.
Stay in front of your audience by being consistently active on social networks. To start with, figure out which networks your target market uses most. The most common are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, but the ones you focus on will depend on your target audience’s demographics. Regardless of which network or networks you choose, our advice is the same - stay active and use these networks to interact with your audience.
That doesn’t mean you have to post your own new content every day. Do post some relevant content of your own, but also share content you find and want to pass on to your followers, post polls and questions to gather opinions and increase engagement, respond to comments people post on your page, and comment on others’ pages and posts.
Also, keep your finger on the pulse of what others in your industry are doing online by joining groups, following other accounts whose content you find useful, following people who follow you, and subscribing to blogs in your industry. These things will all help you become an online resource in your area of expertise and get you seen by your customers.
In other words, put them everywhere! Add icons or clickable links to your email signature, website, eNewsletters, ebooks, and other online documents. Add this information to all of your social media networks too, so people can connect with you on multiple sites if they want to. If you’re short on space or the platform only allows for one or two sites, include only your top ones. Don’t forget to make sure all of the links work, and if possible set them to open in another tab.
On your website, make your social media icons easy to find. Generally speaking, the top or bottom of the page (or both) is the best spot for them. Make sure the icons are big enough or spaced far enough apart to be able to easily click or tap on them.
You should also include your website and social media URLs on all printed materials, including business cards, brochures, ads, product packaging, letterhead, invoices, and more. Make sure your customers can find your accounts easily.
All of these tips will help you stand out online so your target audience can easily find and engage with you.
Need help with your online marketing strategy? We can help. Wild Fig Marketing is your digital marketing agency! Whether you’re looking for marketing help in the form of website design, sales or process automation, content marketing, email marketing or lead generation, we have the knowledge and experience to help you rock your brand. Contact us on our website or set up a complimentary discovery call here!
Allie Krueger : July 7, 2023
Lots of people see marketing as a switch that you can flip “on” and suddenly have a line of new customers out the door. But the truth is, digital...
Sondra O'Day : May 8, 2023
Are you taking advantage of everything social media has to offer your small business?
Amy Judge : July 6, 2022
When it comes to content marketing, the competition is as fierce as ever. With more than 4.5 million blog posts generated each day, creating...
Jamie Beebe