5 Ways of Increasing your Online Business Visibility

5 Ways of Increasing your Online Business Visibility

An investment made to increase your company’s online presence and visibility is an investment in the future success of your company. The use of social media is the best and most efficient way to increase your business visibility as it focuses on attracting the attention of target customers.

  • Online visibility is about getting found wherever conversations are happening that are important to your customers, industry participants and your business. For example, strong visibility would suggest that your Company appears in the first page of any search (Google) results when a potential customer is looking for quality services and products.
  • Corporate branding/Domain; On the World Wide Web, a domain name is your own unique identity and having a custom domain is important for your online brand. It advantage is that it definitely improves name recognition, increases credibility and helps you get found online more easily.The domain name should be attached to all the company’s profiles, emails and especially the website.
  • Your Website has a few seconds to capture the attention of visitors. Potential customers will form their opinion in seconds regarding your website so you must put in some work in order to grab their attention. Be creative and informative in the content displayed in the website. Keep up with the latest website layout trends. Incorporate a daily blog so as to add relevant and current content to the website.Consider your website a primary online resume and update it every so often. Information must be up to date and design needs to keep up with latest trends. Blogs seem to also be good as it lets a potential client interact with you.
  • Social media platforms can help direct traffic to your business. The more your prospective customers see, hear, and read about you in more places – web sites, Facebook posts, articles, radio shows, blog posts, etc. – the more you are seen as an expert. Contribute and share on expert forums like Linked In to find other industry professionals.Monitoring and participating in discussions relevant to your business on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook among others puts your business out there. Joining in the Hashtag movement (#BusinessVisibility) and other trending topics ensures you stay current in the industry.When posting, aim to share material that’s likely to engage your prospects and get them excited about having a conversation with your company. Keep tabs on what others are posting about your business on various social channels. Thank clients for any positive feedback and “shout outs” and address any negativity or concerns but beware unproductive back-and-forth.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Every day clients are searching for your products and services online. SEO is a form of internet marketing strategy that places your website/content at the top of search engine results so that customers found your website/content when they search for the products and services you are offering. The use of keywords related to your business will ensure clients are able to find your business on online platforms. Do research on keywords that your target customers are searching for online. Understanding what they are searching for online helps you create content that incorporates these keywords to optimize your online presence.
  • Online advertisement. In a world where over three billion people use the internet, and no one can put down their smartphone or tablet, it seems obvious that startups and small businesses would look to advertise their products and services online.A relatively easy and quite effective way to drive traffic to your website is to use paid search advertising. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads allow you to pay for display ads on search engines, which appear in the sponsored results section of the search page.With Online advertising having gained popularity in the past few years, businesses of all sizes whether small, medium or big want to reach out to their prospective customers by promoting and advertising their business online.
5  IT Essentials for a Small Business

5 IT Essentials for a Small Business

Dependency on information technology (IT) by organizations has progressively increased as a strategic competitive advantage. If properly planned, developed, and managed, IT can bring about greater efficiency in organizational operations, better working environments, and effective decision-making processes.

Small businesses definitely benefit from technology as it stretches their limits from a larger client base to better service delivery and much more.

The basic IT requirements to kick start small businesses are;

Mobile Phone/Tablet/Laptop

One of the great truths of small business is that you often don’t tend to have much time to mind the business. Often you will need to visit customers or be out of the office to actually do your job. That time on the road cannot afford to be wasted; so being able to take your work with you via phone, tablet or laptop is a tremendous boost to your productivity.

This is important as it gives you access to the Internet to communicate with clients while you do research and backup your valuable data. With these gadgets, you can have Antivirus and malware protection software’s installed to ensure security.

Business Email/Number

Having a Dedicated business email address and number is very important for any start up business. The importance of these is potential clients who are looking at your services on your website being able to reach your business through emails for more information, or to place an order.

Your thin staffs are also going to be emailing clients as well; therefore reliable email service is the critical communications piece in your new business plan.

Website

Today, very few consumers turn to the Yellow Pages for business information. Instead, they rely on search engines like Google, Yahoo or Microsoft. Meaning if your company is not online, you don’t really exist. Your website is a virtual business card for it not only supplies consumers with sought-after information like contacts, directions, hours of operation and areas of expertise, but it also conveys the image and spirit that sets you apart from the competition. Keep your site simple but concise.

Social Media Profile

In addition to your website, it’s increasingly important to establish your firm’s presence across social networking services like Facebook and Twitter. Social networks enable businesses to share information on upcoming deals, specials and events by communicating directly with customers already interested in what they do. According to research, businesses now market their services and products via social media, exploiting the free microblogging platform to promote goods and services, and even when introducing direct sales initiatives. Blogs are trendy and many readers get redirected to your site over and over again.

Office Suite

 One of IT essential for a startup business is an office suite. The application allows one to easily view, edit, and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, convert to PDF, and manage your files all with the most feature-rich mobile office solutions available.

In addition to producing documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations with a distinctly professional flair, a comprehensive office suite solution should integrate calendar, address book and e-mail management functions, simplifying communication with colleagues and clients alike while also streamlining your daily workflow.

In as much as professional office suites licenses are prohibitive, the Internet is awash with free to download applications that would start someone off.

 

In conclusion, starting your own business can change your life forever. It can free you from a dull and unfulfilling job and by taking advantage of the Internet; small businesses gain the flexibility to work at home, in an office, or shared workspace. Being an entrepreneur allows you to set your own hours, choose your staff, and pursue the career path of your dreams. By exploiting the various opportunities presented by use of technology, it also means making more money and having fun at the same time.