In the digital age, a strong online presence is a vital component of any successful brand. Whether you’re a startup, a small business, or an established company looking to expand your reach, leveraging the power of the internet can yield remarkable results.
Here is an outline of five online principles that can be applied immediately to boost your brand’s online presence:
1. Generate Value
Take a moment to ask yourself what exactly is your brand. Why does it exist? What do your customers or followers gain from being a part of your brand’s ecosystem? The most important principle that underlies any successful brand’s online presence is the creation of value.
Answers to these questions will lay the groundwork for the future of your brand. These forking paths, whether to double down or pivot, are the cornerstone of what is studied at business school or during an online MBA. The growth of a brand is predicated on the value that brand is generating. Therefore, to grow, it is necessary to correctly identify what value your brand is bringing to peoples lives.
2. Consider SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial in making your brand visible to a broader audience. SEO refers to the process of optimising your brands online presence such that it is ranked higher on search engines. From here it’s simple, the higher your brand is on search engine results, the more traffic you will receive.
A well optimised brand will include relevant keywords, producing quality content, and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly and has fast loading times.
It is important to remember that as your brand evolves, i.e., whenever you pivot or double down, the content will have to be updated to remain search engine optimised. Therefore, it is worth making a habit of considering the brand’s SEO after each major update.
3. Build an Email List
Building an email list allows you to communicate directly with those who find value in your brand. Because of this, it is also a very useful metric to track. If your brand makes a pivot and it causes a swell of email list subscribers, then you should double down on that pivot. If you make a pivot and you lose subscribers, then you should either reverse the pivot or pivot again.
It is also worth considering the email list as a product of its own, with its own value proposition. This can come in two forms, firstly with promotional content and special deals. For example you might run a February discount for all email list subscribers.
Secondly, it can be an extension of your brand itself. For example, if your brand is built around interior design, you could have an emailing list that consists of monthly book or magazine reviews. As a result, subscribers don’t just get access to your interior design products, they also get access to your design thinking.
4. Establish Social Media Presence
Social media is a powerful tool for building and boosting your brand’s online presence. It allows you to build value and connect with your audience through a whole new and unique medium.
Each platform, whether it be Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), or LinkedIn, have vastly different audiences. This is a wonderful opportunity in two regards: First, if you struggle to access the right niche, it gives you the ability to change the audience to fit your brand. Second, if you have a more general brand, it allows you to change the different products you offer to fit the various audiences you now have access to.
5. Experiment
Finally, the digital world is constantly evolving, and so should your strategies. When the double down doesn’t work, a pivot might be necessary, but how do you know which strategies to implement? This is where experiments come in.
When you decide it is time to pivot, don’t simply move all of your eggs into another basket, think about which baskets might be opportune and place one or two eggs in and see what happens. If your interior design magazine is selling like it used to, don’t completely pivot to exterior design, but include a few articles about exterior design. Look for feedback from customers, and if it causes a productive shift, then increase the number of articles on exterior design.
Experimentation is a wonderful way to access the growth possible with pivoting, without exposing yourself to too much risk.
Boosting your brand’s online presence doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By generating value, optimising for SEO, building an email list, establishing a strong social media presence, and being open to experimentation and pivoting, you can significantly enhance your brand’s digital footprint. With persistence and adaptability, you can ensure that your brand not only survives but thrives in the online world.
