The two important things you achieve with a strong online presence are brand awareness and customer engagement. As per the Brand Impact Study, consistent brand presentation increases revenue by 33%. Also, a large part of Google searches is local, which sets your web SEO consultant up for a serious task!
Let’s look at how you can build a strong online presence to boost brand awareness and build trust.
Foundational Steps
The door to your brand in the online world is the website. Use localized keywords relevant to Dallas users, and ensure optimum page loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and easy navigation. Use site audit tools such as SEMRush, Google Analytics, or Ahrefs to identify the gaps.
At the same time, offer valuable content to customers in the form of videos, blogs, offers, and CTA. A Dallas online marketing strategist can help you with a successful content strategy.
I often see businesses focusing on the website but missing the social media presence. Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn offer great opportunities to interact and converse with your audiences. Make sure to collaborate with local Dallas influencers too to expand your reach.
Listing in local directories such as Yelp and Google Business Profile is essential. Don’t forget to update basic information such as phone, hours, and address.
Brand Consistency
Brand consistency refers to a consistent personality of your brand across platforms on the internet. This is extremely important.
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Decide on the visual elements such as color palette, fonts, and style of graphics.
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Fix the tone of the brand and ensure consistency. For example, do you want to sound like an authoritative expert or a friendly partner or do you want to come across as a brand with a sense of humor? Remember, what you choose could make or break your online reputation.
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Ensure cross-platform alignments – meaning your message must be consistent across platforms for increased reach and engagement. When I devise campaigns for Dallas businesses, I aim to deliver the message across multiple channels like Google ads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and email.
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Value proposition – What makes you stand out from your competitors, and have you captured the essence in a ‘Value Proposition Statement’? Your content across channels should be aligned with your value proposition.
Content Distribution
Your amazing content needs the right channel for distribution. Are your customers using LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or all? Once the channel is decided, develop a strategic posting schedule. This depends on when your audiences are most active on a given platform – which days and what time?
Having helped many businesses with devising an entire year’s calendar, I can confidently say that with a calendar in place and consistency in posting, you can definitely move the needle towards a strong digital presence.
When your audiences resonate with the content, content engagement is likely to increase. Things that can make a difference –
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Great visuals
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Interactive elements such as polls, quizzes
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Videos
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Appropriate Call to Action (CTA)
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Thorough understanding of the audience
Managing brand reputation
Today, managing how your brand is perceived by customers is of utmost importance. Let’s break it down into steps:
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Encourage customers to leave review comments, and make sure to respond to both positive and negative comments.
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Have a crisis response plan. Be transparent about the situation, and come up with a corrective action plan.
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Use tools like Google Alerts and Hootsuite to track brand mentions. It helps to take timely action before things escalate.
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Have a response protocol that ensures consistent response across channels.
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Lastly, protect your website and social media handles to prevent misuse.
Whether you choose to build your brand’s online presence yourself or hire a web marketing consultant, the way your customers engage with your brand should be your true litmus test!
