Building an online presence can take some time for those just starting out and even for those who have been consistently putting themselves out there on social media or blogging. While it can become tedious and time-consuming to build up your presences it is, of course, a vital factor in growing your business. Your presence is what allows people to find you, learn more about you and be able to engage with you. While there is no overnight equation to building your presence there are some tips and tricks that can help you speed up the process by giving your presence a more professional look.
Presentation is Everything
When it comes to the online world people are going to make a snap judgment about you based on how you present yourself in your images. The way you present yourself is one of the most important aspects of building an online presence. You want to show a professional image of you and your services that are inviting and friendly to attract people to you. Since your profile image is the first and often time only thing that will determine whether someone will want to learn more about you this image needs to make a lasting impression. You’ll be taken more seriously and be viewed more professionally with a nice head shot as opposed to a quick selfie taken from your camera phone. In addition to your headshot, all other shared content should be at a quality that represents the true image and professional caliber products and services being offered.
Only Share the BEST Content
While you don’t want to get stuck in a perfectionist mindset you do want to provide only the best content to your viewers. You want to be consistently adding content to your online accounts, whether it is on a blog, on your website, through videos or podcast, but the content has to add value to your viewer’s life or they won’t be coming back for more. By supplying only the best content you build up your credibility and authority in the online world. This, in turn, will allow viewers to have more trust and confidence in what you say and provide.
Clean and Simple is Key
While you will want to invest a little bit in having professional images done for your headshots and for the products your business sells, you don’t have to go over the top. You want to keep things consistent over all your online accounts and this is more easily done when you keep things simple. A clear and polished head shot for your profile pictures is essential and perfectly light images of your products are vital. The idea of less is more can go a long way in giving you and your business a more professional look.
Keep Things Appropriate
You want to add some personal touches to your social media accounts but you still want these personal touches to be appropriate. While you want to be viewed as a professional you also want your audience to be able to relate to you which is why you need to add in some personal character. It is all about having a balance on your social media sites that will allow viewers to trust in your expert advice as well as trust in your integrity. You might want to give your social media accounts a good look over and get rid of any unprofessional or offensive content that can potential obstruct your professional appearance.
Start Building Relationships
You need to get your name out there! in order to attract your ideal audience, being active on the online market via all platforms is essential for not only more, but better engagement. You can create the best content available but this isn’t going to bring in a huge number of viewers. Offer to do some guest posts for other bloggers to start getting your name out there. You’ll also want to start building relationships in online communities that will get you the right attention. Join communities that relate to your business, interest groups that appeal to your target audience, and any other channel that will allow you to interact with other members. You want to be an active member in these groups and provide valuable feedback to any posts or comments. Not only will you begin to build relationships with your audience but be a member of a group that fits the interests of your ideal viewer will allow you to better understand just who you are trying to attract. This, in turn, can help you better cater your content more specifically to them.
Building an online presence is no easy task and it will take some time and dedication. By having a professional appearance online you can make the process go a little faster. When you show that you are serious about your business then people will have more trust and confidence in you and your business.