Want to grow your small online business, but not sure how to get started?
Expanding your venture starts with building a strong foundation. And that foundation is your online brand presence.
Here are some tips for creating and reinforcing a strong online brand….
Create a Consistent Image
According to these “8 Simple Things Will Reinforce Your Small Business' Brand Online,” one of the first and most important actions to take is to create a consistent online presence.
Online consumers want to connect with authentic and trusted brands.
Be a business they can trust by developing a strong branded look, by developing a strong brand story and by ensuring these elements are consistent from your website to your social media pages and beyond.
Be Reliable
How often do you plan to update your blog? What is your planned social media posting schedule?
Determine the answers to these and other questions regarding your online brand and stick to them. This consistency offers value that your market can rely on and they will appreciate this reliability.
Simplify your blog and social media posting schedules by investing in scheduling platforms that allow you to create and schedule your information in advance for posting.
By scheduling your content in advance, you can focus on these tasks once a week or once a month rather than each day.
Keep Things Simple
When developing your online presence, think of how you can simplify things for your target market.
For example, if you want to drive email signups, simplify the signup form to only include the most basic of info requests.
Also, prominently display the request to join your email list on your website or other online platform.
Set Your Tone
Is your brand conservative, funny, serious or something else?
Defining the brand's personality is essential for refining your online presence.
By setting this tone, you'll have a guiding light when creating content for blog posts, emails, social media posts and more.
This, in turn, will create a consistent experience for your target market.
Be Strategic
Nearly countless social media sites and other online platforms are available for you to connect with online audiences.
But not all of them are right for your business. And you surely don't have enough time in the day to manage a long list of online presences.
Rather than driving yourself crazy, be strategic in your choice of online platforms.
Start by researching which ones your target market uses most frequently and further refine the list based on your business's specific mission.
Create Policies
How would you deal with the situation of someone posting a negative comment on your social media posts or submitting a negative review regarding your business?
These situations are sure to arise at some point, so be proactive and develop policies for how you will handle them.
These policies will be of immense use in the future when you hire employees to manage the online business for you.
Expanding your small online business starts with creating a strong brand.
From creating a consistent brand image to being reliably available to your target market, take the necessary steps now to build a strong online brand and enjoy future payoffs.