It can be time consuming, frustrating and confusing to begin building an online identity, however it’s essential for success in today’s competitive world of business. An online presence is not something that will happen in one day, or even one week either. It’s something that requires persistence, and patience.
And an online identity includes all of your online information and traffic. The interactions these identities establish, and how people participate in them, will determine your level of online authority, thus the quality of your online identity (social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin are all good places to start).
However, an entrepreneur’s online presence has a very extensive reach. And knowing where to start, or what to do beyond creating a profile, can be tough. Don’t worry and do not be sacred, we’ve done some of the research for you and narrowed it down to 5 tips. Review each one to get started today.
5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Build a Strong Online Presence
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Brand yourself
You have to have a niche, target audience and a name. Even if you are using your own personal name, when creating an online presence you need to create an overall theme and mission. You must know your product, service and business and have done thorough research.
You can use your business plans to begin, and of course you should consider logos, fonts, photography and other graphic design issues, as well as a tone and style to your content. There are plenty of tools available to assist, and sites like Wordpress and Squarespace are excellent ways for entrepreneurs to begin, and both include easy integration with other social platforms.
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Write for the web
When you are writing for a website, you have about 15 seconds before you lose the readers’ attention (maybe even less). In this era of digital information, people want to be intrigued and they want it fast. Twitter is one social platform every business should be using, and they have capitalized on their character limit (they knew nothing more was needed).
And believe it or not, SEO is an in-depth science. Your search engine results are calculated by various metric systems and analytical data, however to be properly placed in search queries you will need to have some specific elements to your site, such as bullet points, short paragraphs, subheadings, numbers, bold words and italicized phrases.
These various techniques of presenting information can help readers skim information faster and creates a more relatable and easier-to-absorb display. People want to investigate, and are naturally curious, it’s your job to make it easy for them.
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Always optimize, learn and improve
You have to constantly improve your content. The world evolves, stories changes, news stories are created and growth happens. And your online identify needs to do the same. This does not mean it has to be perfect, mistakes happen.
While you should set up a thorough proofreading and editing system, you can’t always spend weeks on one article. It’s not an academic essay; it’s a blog post or snippet article. And you need to continuously look for ways to improve and optimize it.
It’s a long process and an ever-evolving activity, but the longer you wait to start posting quality material, the longer it will take to build a solid online presence. New technology and new information are always on the horizon, so stay up to date and motivated and invest time in your education and personal improvement.
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Use Google Analytics
Once you have a website, you should definitely be using Google Analytics. This tool allows users to track the most important metrics on their site and compare them to previous methods and competitors. With just a few clicks you can find out how many people are viewing your content, and figure out which pages are the most popular.
There are some sites that offer these analytics with paid or premium sign-up, but no matter how you get the numbers, you still need to explore them. Find out what time is the best time of day to post, when are you getting the most views and find out how far on the page people are reading.
This will help you to better connect with your target audience and to widen your identity’s reach and impact. The challenge is to figure out how to make the data useful, for example if you have the most site views after 5 pm, then post most of your material or share information in the evening.
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Be social
You don’t have to be on every single social media network. That’s a long list when you begin including special networks within small or more specific niches. But it is imperative that you be connected on at least a few on the main platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube).
Your content should vary and include videos, photos and infographics, as well as text and other content rich material. You want to share relevant information on social sites so that you take advantage of their free advertising (it really is a wonderful marketing tool).
Consistency is key, and needs to be maintained. You should manage all social media channels and post regularly, and always participate in comments and conversation with your readers. This will gain their trust and begin pushing your SEO and online presence through the roof.
An online presence has the potential to take business ideas and plans to the next level, however it takes patience and understanding to truly flourish. Entrepreneurs need to start with a strong platform, create valuable and consistent content and establish social media interactions. These relationships and online statuses can expand your brand reach and ultimately lead to your increased success.
You don’t have to be everywhere online, but you do have to be somewhere, and in the right places for your specific niche. Consider your brand and what your mission is, and be confident with the quality of your work. Stay motivated and use this list as a guide to begin building a stronger online presence today.
Photo credit: Unsplash.com
