| Nouman Siddique
A digital presence is how your business appears on the internet. It is what people find when they search for your business online and it includes:
- Your website
- Your social media accounts (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
- Listings in business directories (Just dial, Sulekha etc.)
- Your Office or store locations (Google Maps, etc.)
- Online reviews (Google)
- Digital ads (social ads, Google ads etc.)
- Media mentions
Why do you need a digital presence?
When people have a requirement or a problem, they ‘google’ a solution; in other words, they search online. If your business has a great digital presence, your online prospects and customers will find you. If they can’t find you, it is your loss. Since they have a problem, and they look for a solution, they will find an alternative – a progressive business owner who realises this will build his or her presence online.
However, the customers who do their research would want to know:
- Who: Who does the business belong to? What made you reach your current position? Are you a franchise or family-owned business?
- What: What do you sell? What service or product you provide?
- Where: Where are you located? Are you an online-based business or have a brick and mortar location?
- When: When are you open? Are you closed on holidays?
- Why: Is there a larger purpose, and does it matter to your customers?
The content that you write on your website and social media will answer all these questions. You can leverage your digital presence to inform your prospects while increasing your sales.
Create Visibility
Your visibility will depend on a robust digital presence. Which means your prospects will be able to find your business more efficiently.
The best way to make an impact is by being informative with useful, original content which will also help in better ranking on Search Engines. When they are ready to buy, they will come to you since they can recognise your business. Understanding good SEO practices can help you over the years.
Establish Your Expertise
There is sufficient research which emphasises the need for creating quality content because 70% or more of B2B buyers do 50% of their research before they reach out to a vendor. And, often they buy from companies they think are the best in the industry.
A thought-through strategy to establish your subject matter expertise with your digital assets will showcase you and your company as thought leaders in your industry. Building trust takes consistency and relevancy. Being earnest and providing value with your content will take you a few steps closer to building the trust, most needed in B2B sales.
Customer Reviews
Whether your business caters to B2B (Business to Business) or B2C (Business to Customers), you will be selling to an individual. Hence, establishing your credibility and trust is of paramount importance. You can leverage the power of your digital presence to show prospects that your business is knowledgeable, trustworthy, and beneficial to them.
Asking a satisfied (if you choose, delighted) customer to provide a testimonial or a review is highly effective for two reasons:
- The customer feels valued to provide his feedback.
- A third-party endorsement is valued much higher than you talking about your trustworthiness.
- Also, take a few minutes to respond to the review with a simple thank you.
Ensure Enhanced Web Experience
Attractive and eye-catching web design is as important as being focused on the user’s need. Use design elements to guide the prospect through your site.
Increasingly, people search for services or products using their mobile phones. Ensure that your website automatically adjusts itself to function best on all devices, referred to as a “responsive” or “mobile-friendly” design. Also, install Google Analytics to monitor traffic to every page.
Have a dialogue on Social Media
While the company website is the first place a prospect will gather information about your company, social media is the next where they validate their perception.
Social media is where a company can share knowledge, updates, and tips and possibly have a conversation.
Understanding your target audience plays a crucial role in identifying the social media platforms to interact with them. Based on your understanding, select the platforms where your prospects and customers spend time. However, keep aside a fraction of your marketing budget towards paid ads and don’t just depend on organic social media activity.
Create & Disseminate Useful Content
Create a page where you post blogs, case studies and other resources that are useful to your customers and prospects. A great way to answer their queries is to invite comments and respond to them. Another effective way is to provide a list of frequently asked questions and answer them.
Optimise for Search Engines
Have you searched for a service or a product on Google or any other search engine? What was your experience? Did you find the search helpful? Which page (SERP) did you find the product you were looking for? Did you have to refine your search based on the response you received?
Well, the experience could be the same with your customers. Try to create content that can be an answer to someone who is looking for your specific product or service. Use keywords and phrases that your customers might use to find you online. Doing this right will surely be beneficial to you as you will start seeing enquiries coming your way over time.
These are some fundamentals that need to be implemented to help the online presence of your business, but it is not exhaustive. Look at your digital presence and marketing efforts as a long-term investment.
Note: This was first published in ‘Kanara Saraswat’ magazine.