Every single successful entrepreneur asks the question, “Where are they hanging out?” when trying to connect to their ideal client. They try to experiment using almost every trick in the book. From styling photos on Instagram to sharing scopes on Periscope. The newest thing out is something to try. They try to do new things just because doing something that everybody else is doing seems to work for others. But before you dive into those platforms, think about your first impression. How does your website size up once they click your link?

Having a branding and marketing strategy will guide you and prevent you from jumping across all platforms. Knowing where your ideal clients are is where you should stay. Working on growing consistency within one platform is key. It’s the same case with business owners who are struggling with the imposing question of, “Why do I need to update my website?”. Once you have a strong structure in place, you shouldn’t be changing the design or branding every six months to keep up with trends. Stick to a strategy and your target audience will appreciate it and connect more.

Today, your online presence reflects your brand, and your website is the most critical component of your branding strategy. Your website communicates who you are and what you are promising to your audience. Its organization, content, and appearance decide the first impression your audience will get regarding your products, services, and company.

Think about it, you wouldn’t like to deliver a sales pitch wearing your yoga pants or pajamas. (Unless it’s a phone meeting, I mean, seriously!) But, in the same way, you do not want to approach potential clients or customers through an outdated or hard to navigate website. It is so important that your first impression is crafted with a branding strategy. In other words, since your online presence starts with your website, it should be attractive. Keep them engaged and wanting more.

4 Ways To Create A Strong Online Presence For Branding Success

1. Analyze your competitors, industry, audience and yourself

Before you start making or outsourcing the development of your website, it is essential that you analyze and craft a detailed report about different aspects of your business. Who will your visitors be? What experience do the users expect? Who are your competitors? What are the predominant trends in the industry? What’s your brand personality–Fun, funky or formal? Answering these questions will help you develop or own an impressive website.

2. Share more content

Your website should not only be focused on providing services but quality-rich content as well. You can easily establish yourself as an experienced resource by offering free content online. Useful blog posts, e-books, and other informative material will help you stand out as a pro in your field.

3. Be specific

You can never have the best of all of the worlds. And it’s important to realize that you are good only in a particular field. Targeting a specific audience with a specific type of offering will always get you more traffic and exposure. The more dissimilar from the competition you are, the less competition you will have to face.

4. Display your social stats

This might seem to a minuscule task, yet has a highly important role to play in your branding strategy. Wherever possible, add a social stats widget to your web portal. Social media is a great opportunity to transform your brand into a personal and relatable brand instead of a faceless business. Adding social widgets will help you know how well your website is doing with the audience in real-time as well!

Your brand’s reputation is never out of your hands. Always make sure that your website is visually appealing. Overall, you should aim towards triggering the right emotional response at the right point of time. Professional looking sites are quick and easy to access. Sacrificing loading time for some extra special effects will get you nowhere. A quick loading site is the key to getting desired traffic and exposure.

Want help in getting your website up to date? We’d love to help you! Email [email protected] and let’s get the conversation going.