The internet is its own beast. While traditional marketing and branding schemes can work through websites and paid advertising, you still need new strategies for some venues. Social media is a prime example. Below, we have some tips to help you build online presence. Learn how to pick the best web hosting services for a quality website, grab attention with internet worthy pictures, and even score free advertising through social media.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
For quality search engine optimization (SEO), pictures are imperative – and nothing can build online presence quite like landing at the top of popular search engines. While an article can be ranked in a search engine without them, it’s almost impossible to achieve a top spot without some images. Therefore, in order to build your online presence, creative commons (CC) websites that provide royalty free images are a valuable place to find standout images. If the thousands of free images don’t appeal to you, consider using your own images captured with your camera. Good images go beyond SEO rankings. Visual hooks draw readers and engage potential customers with your products.
Branding and logos are often overlooked. It is crucial to pick the right logo design that will represent your brand. Once you have your design, share it, and make it a regular part of your website. You can even watermark the image over any shareable content. Your logo is your face for online customers, no matter how many smiling employees you feature in your banners.
Advertise for Free
Recently, Facebook limited its services for small businesses. However, you still have a lot to gain from creating a Facebook page for your business. The good news is that the basics are still free. Facebook prompts page managers to spend money on advertising and now limits things like event invitations. However, it’s possible to work around these obstacles. Your personal account and your customers’ enthusiasm provide better advertising than anything Facebooks sells; a good referral is the best form of advertisement. If Facebook is becoming too much of a pain, check out Twitter.
Other websites, such as Pinterest and Tumblr, offer you the chance to share your work with a sizeable audience. This audience is special, because people will continue sharing your content, regardless of whether or not they have any interest in your business. All that matters is the image or note you post.
Invest in Quality Web Hosting
The speed and performance of your website directly affects how clients see your brand online. Remember, the best web hosting services aren’t always the cheapest, however cheap web hosting services aren’t necessarily substandard. A large quantity of small hosts and developers use cheap web hosting services in order to compete with bigger companies. Just be sure to read all available information carefully before making a selection. Verify the service’s limits; if they meet or exceed your current needs, there’s no reason to not use the service.
However, if you are launching a website you know will have a lot of traffic from the start, either because of marketing or because of a pre-established client base, you need to make sure your host can take the demand. Do not skimp on web hosting if you know you will need a serious server to handle your traffic. Remember, finding the best web hosting option brings everything together.
As a final note, unlike a physical storefront, running the online side of your business is cost efficient. With cheap web hosting services, social media, and free advertising, you save on marketing costs. More importantly, you can launch your brand into the far corners of the internet. Combining this with your current traditional marketing and branding schemes is certain to increase sales, online traffic to your website, and online visibility.