Have the Courage to Expand Your Brand
We understand the feeling of being in uncharted territory when thinking about branding for your company. If you're in the beginning stages of expanding your brand, you may feel like someone landing on the moon for the first time. It's completely uncharted territory. However, we are with you to back you up every step of the way.
In past blogs, we've discussed setting the foundation for your brand. You've chosen your domain name, set up a website, and registered it with search engines. You've determined which social media platforms and forums meet your needs and adequately filled out all the profiles. Your brand foundation is strong, and it is now time to expand on that basis so the world gets a better idea of what you and your business is all about. Let's look at your next steps.
Website
Your website is the primary selling tool for your online marketing. This is what the search engines are going to retrieve and list in any searches for people to find. Make sure your website is up to date and find ways to be regularly adding to your site once you have it set up. Exceptional content is gold in a user's eyes, so here are some things to consider when bringing in that content.
1. SEO
Take time to study the basics of search engine optimization (SEO), or make sure your website content creator understands the importance of strategic SEO. This will make your website more accessible for the search engines to find and they will rate it higher than if you ignore this critical aspect. Higher ratings translate to being high up on the search pages when someone searches for your keywords. A reliable place to start your SEO education is here in this post. This covers the absolute minimum you need.
2. Blog
One of the best ways to add fresh content to your website is by creating a blog. You do not have to post on a daily basis, but try to set up a schedule, so you are posting at least once a week. If you really can't post once a week, then at the very least make sure that you have a consistent schedule. Consistency is key in driving traffic. A schedule allows readers to expect new content, build trust with your brand through dependability, and establish your authority on subjects. Putting these basics in place is necessary to expand your business.
3. Website Submission
Every time you make a post or do any updates on your website, take a moment to visit a website submission page and submit the URL of the updated page. Many of these places will submit your URL to some search engines at no cost. They often charge to target specific search engines, but submitting at the free level will garner results. What this does is tell search engines to scan your site now instead of waiting for some regularly scheduled scan. This will help put you closer to the top of the search results when people look for you.
Social Media
Social media, including forums, is where you will be able to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Social media is also a place where you can direct people to your website without seeming pushy. After you take the time needed to create your profile, making sure you include your site URL, there are things you can do to start establishing yourself as the go-to person in your field.
1. Background Selling
Social media is not the place to directly sell to customers. The primary purpose of this venue is to establish trust and authority, directing people to go to your website. While you should post whenever you make a blog post or update your website, you need to keep actual marketing activity under ten percent of your activity. The rest of your posts can be sharing information you have found that will be interesting to your followers, asking questions to gain an insight into your audience and posts that help your audience get to know you.
2. Be Helpful
Forums are great places to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Those who participate in forums are there because they are serious about succeeding and growing their businesses. Establishing trust with those who care about bettering their business is invaluable. Make social media a place where you are the first to answer questions and offer insights. Give advice freely and be willing to provide tips and hints that others will find helpful. Interact with your followers on social media by asking questions, reacting to comments and even visiting pages of followers on occasion to show you care about them.
3. Connect
This may seem like a simple step, but it is so commonly forgotten! Connect your website and social media accounts by making sure you include your website URL in all profiles and announce on social media when you update your site. On your website, make sure you include an invitation for visitors to follow you on social media, with direct links. Those who follow you on multiple platforms are showing that they are interested in what you have to say, and are therefore more likely to invest in what you have to offer.
Final Thoughts
Your website and social media work together to reach maximum capacity. Once you establish a routine of updating both, you will find it becomes a habit and doesn't take much time away from other activities. These two areas of marketing must be in place and cared for regularly, to put you ahead of the competition. It does take courage to expand a brand that you don't feel needs to be expanded, but hopefully, we have been able to encourage you to jump in and tackle your website!
