One major challenge that online businesses face is getting enough exposure and brand awareness. With millions of people surfing the web every day, you want to make sure that you can optimize your brand and draw traffic to your website. After all, you cannot make money if there are no visitors coming to your website. You might have the best products and offers in the world, but it means nothing if no one ever sees them.
If you plan to establish an online presence, the first step is to design a website. Websites should be easy to navigate, as well as easy on the eyes. Avoid using too many add-ons such as Flash, which will only make downloading time longer and will drive customers from your site instead of to it. The main item for any site is content, not appearance. You need to have interesting content that is fully keyworded in order to help people find you through the search engines. This process, known as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is a process in itself. You can check out the articles at this site on SEO through the navigation links on the right.
After you develop your website, you need to promote it and there are several ways to do that. Here are a few effective ones to help get you started.
Use social networking sites.
There is no better way to get your name out there and known than to interact with others in your industry and potential customers. You can do this by establishing a Facebook fan page where you showcase your photos and/or advice.
Invite your friends and family to become fans of your business page and, in turn, they will help spread the word to their friends and family. Make sure you post on a regular basis to keep your fans interested and your website at the forefront of their minds.
Other social networking sites available include Twitter and specialized forums. Make it a habit to interact with others as well, and not always focus on your business. You want users to know what is new with your business, but you also want them to get an insight into you as a person. If you become personal or at least friendly with others, you are more likely to be recommended if someone has a use for your services or products. People do business with people they like. Also remember that in social media, people are there to socialize, not necessarily to buy things, so do not act in a spamming manner.
