Developing an Effective Online Presence

In a world where nearly 2 billion people have social media profiles, chances are, if you don't have an effective online presence you are missing out on a large sector of potential customers. Branding your business is the most important aspect of creating an effective online presence. There are many factors that contribute to the development of a successful online brand. I have narrowed them down to 5 that I believe are the most important to consider when building your brand online to develop a successful online presence.

1. Pick a specific color scheme and STICK TO IT! Anything posted online that represents your brand should follow one basic color scheme. I recommend choosing 3 colors that complement each other. ​Your website, logo, social media content, and pictures should all follow this same color scheme. People will associate these colors with your brand. Visit this website to take a color quiz that might help determine a color that would be most appealing to your market. ​ 2. Post content that your intended target audience would want to read or view. A part of online branding is building a community of followers that will be interested in what you have to offer. Your content should be engaging for this target group. Determining this can involve extensive online research. It's important to be aware of current social media trends so you can identify what people want to see. 3. Post content that aligns with your brand. Yes, you might be super interested in Star Wars, but if that has nothing to do with your brand, then you might want to save that post for a separate personal page. I am really in to motivational messages, so I make it a point to post motivational quotes that I think my target audience would be moved by. 4. Providing high quality content is the only way you will develop your brand online. This includes high quality pictures that catch the eye, captions or other posts that display good grammar and truly thoughtful messages. iPhone cameras can really produce great pictures when you have adequate lighting, but I would also recommend investing in a good quality camera if you are truly invested in developing an impressive portfolio of online content. There are content generating apps that I currently use that provide a pretty diverse selection of pictures you can use for social media. My favorite app is TypiMage. There are millions and millions of other businesses online that want to engage customers. If your online content is substandard or below average, it will just get lost in the array of other profiles, like a needle in a hay stack. You will only stand out if you provide the very best content. 5. Live, breathe, and BE your brand everyday! Although social media provides access to thousands of people online that will be interested in what you have to offer, if you are truly passionate about what you do, you will find yourself at networking events where you will have to introduce yourself and talk about yourself. Anyone you meet should be able to get a sense of what you represent by the way you carry yourself, your presence, the clothes you wear, and your overall persona. If YOU don't exemplify your own brand in real-life, then nothing online really matters. You will always have to put a face to your social media brand if you want to take your success to the next level.

THE VALUE OF ONLINE PRESENCE​

Creating beautiful online content that is eye catching and representative of your brand can be more valuable than any form of traditional marketing. Just think, 1 satisfied customer shares a picture of your delicious strawberry crepes on Facebook. They tag your company page in the photo. That customer has over 3,000 friends on Facebook. MOST of those friends will see that picture on their news feed. The picture gets 200 likes and 15 comments about how amazing the food at your restaurant looks. Next thing you know, 20 of those 200 friends that liked that ONE customer's photo on Facebook become regulars at your restaurant. Some of their friends check out your company's website and social media pages to get a look at more of your offerings, which results in 15 more customers that visit with their families in the weeks following.

Do you see value of having an online presence? If you don't have an impressive online content, now is the time to make a change. If you have comments or questions about branding feel free to post below or contact me via email.