These days, it’s not enough for your business to have a real world presence. It’s equally, if not more important to have a strong online presence. The internet is a powerful tool that can help you massively grow your business.
So, how can you harness the power of the web to increase your brand recognition? Here are four easy ways.
#1 – Optimize your business for your local market
Unless you’re a global brand, you’re probably trying to target people in your area. This has advantages and disadvantages. The bad news is that you probably don’t have the clout to out-compete the world’s top brands on the first page of Google. The good news is that you don’t have to.
Instead, you can optimize your business website and Google profile for your local market. This process, called localization, is designed to help you rise in the search rankings for your area.
For example, suppose you run a bicycle shop in Albuquerque. If someone searches Google for “bicycle,” they’re going to see big brands like Walmart and Schwinn all over the front page. There’s simply no way for your business to compete. But with good localization, you could easily place in the top few spots when someone searches “Albuquerque bicycle.”
This is helpful for two reasons. First, it helps you to reach people in your area. Second, even if they don’t buy from you today, they’ve seen your business online. Now they know there’s a local bicycle shop near them. So, how do you optimize your business? Let’s take a closer look.
Set up your Google Maps listing
Google Maps is an incredibly powerful tool for reaching local customers. It’s replaced the yellow pages as people’s main way to find businesses. Not only that, but Google Maps results automatically appear at the top of local business searches. This is basically free advertising.
To find out if you appear in Google Maps, run a search for your address. If your business isn’t listed, there will be a link under the picture of your building that says “Add your business.” From there, you can manually enter your business information, including your operating hours.
Make posts with local hashtags
While Google Maps is the best way for customers to find you, local hashtags are one of the best ways to boost your social media profile. This can garner you followers on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
To start with, search for hashtags that are trending in your area. It’s easy to find this on most social media platforms. Now, create a relevant post that includes the hashtag. Suddenly, your post will start appearing in people’s feeds from your area. Keep in mind that you’re not necessarily trying to get the highest possible number of views. The goal is to trend locally, so you’re getting in front of the right audience.
Ask for reviews
More than any other source, people believe what other customers have to say. It doesn’t matter if you have a brilliant ad campaign. Nothing travels faster than word of mouth, and nothing can boost your business like a wave of solid reviews.
A lot of businesses are providing incentives to customers who leave a review on Google or social media. For example, our hypothetical bicycle shop owner could offer a free tune-up to anyone who leaves an online review.
#2 – Start a blog or vlog
Blogging and vlogging are great ways to boost your online profile, and make your website rise in the search rankings. However, blogging and vlogging are different tools that provide different benefits.
The point of blogging is to create content that will be indexed by Google. The more high-quality content you create, the more times you’ll appear in people’s search results. And if a lot of people click and read your blog, your site will start to rank higher in Google search results.
Blogging can deliver slow, consistent results over time, but no single blog post is likely to go viral. Video content, on the other hand, has the potential to reach huge numbers of people very quickly.
TikTok in particular is a great way to reach a younger audience, while Instagram has a wider appeal. The point is to create something that both provides value and has a “wow” factor. For example, our bicycle shop owner could create a video on how to build a custom bike frame. Cut together a montage, and you’ve got yourself a cool, eye-catching video.
That said, video content takes more time and effort than simply writing a blog. You also have to be careful to brand your videos. When someone reads a blog, they’re either already on your website, or you can provide a link. Your video, on the other hand, could appear just about anywhere. So make sure your business name and logo are prominently visible multiple times during the video.
#3 – Create and use flyers
Nowadays, a lot of physical media are designed on the web. For instance, let’s say you want to make flyers to promote your business. In the old days, you’d have to go to a print shop and have someone design them for you. Nowadays, you can use an online graphic design tool like PosterMyWall to create small business posters right from home.
#4 – Network with relevant influencers
With a brand new social media profile, it can be tough for your business to attract followers. So why not partner with somebody who already has a large following?
It’s easy for this to backfire if you’re not careful. For example, if you’re just tagging people’s accounts for no reason in order to get attention, you’ll quickly get blocked. Instead, talk to the owners of popular accounts in your area, and try to form a partnership. In many cases, you’ll have to pay, but if a popular account shouts out your business, it can be well worth the expense.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the ways you can use the web to increase your brand recognition and boost your sales. That said, there are plenty of other creative methods. Use your imagination, and find something that resonates with your target customer!
