The internet (and its online market space) is something that is integral and crucial to businesses in the modern-day. While it can be difficult trying to figure out how to nail the perfect approach for your business, if done right, it can help you to reach audiences and potential customers that were never possible twenty (or even ten) years ago – and with little initial investment, too.
Thinking of setting up a small business, and wondering how to put yourself out there online? Perhaps you already have business or strategy set up, but are wondering how you can pivot it online to get some more interest generated? For those that want some advice, here are some pointers on how to offer a valuable online presence for your business in 2020 (and beyond!).
Leverage social media
Once you have set up a website, do some research on what your competitors are doing (and what you could be doing better), and have come to a conclusion on what your business is about, social media can be a massive help in gaining visibility. Through targeted ads at the demographic that you want to reach out to, you can quickly find people from all corners of the globe that you might not have before had access to.
Tip – Anyone can pay for advertisements on Facebook and Twitter, so if doing sponsored posts, you want to make sure that they’re engaging, and not just a vague promotion for your products. Aside from offering unique and interesting imagery that catches the eye, another way to do this is by creating bespoke posts for each social media platform. People on Instagram, for example, are more likely to respond to image-focused posts.
Offer value
It’s easy enough to set up an online storefront for your products, or a profile that people can get in touch with you through, but if you don’t provide something that’s engaging or useful, you’re not going to keep people coming back to your profiles in search of more.
Offering helpful and valuable content is one of the best ways to get people to respect your presence online, and in as many different formats as possible, too, so that they can access it wherever they want. As an example, property investment company RWinvest offers a wide variety of informative and valuable content on the UK property market, from podcasts on the best areas to invest in, to guides and brochures on specific developments. Take inspiration from this and think about something genuinely interesting that you might be able to provide.
Interact directly with potential clients/customers
At the end of the day, it might take a little bit more engagement and effort on your part, but genuinely interacting with followers and clients through your online presence and profiles will help you to keep In their minds, and also put a personable face behind the corporation. Depending on the size of your business and the number of people working on this strategy it might be a little bit more difficult, but it will also give you free customer feedback and research in the process, helping you to figure out what they want in the future.
