Unless you have a popular name like “John Smith” or “abc services”, chances are you are already ranking on Google and other search engines for you brand name, that should be quite a simple task if you produce content online, use a few social media platforms, and ideally the crem-de-la-crem have your own website.
So that’s great, but businesses are usually missing out on 71% of online business leads, because when buyers are using a search engine they are typing in “unbranded keyterms” about what products or services you sell, rather than who you are (even, if they know you!) [Oracle]
Have you ever typed half a name of a brand (or a guess of what they do, where they’re based etc) into google because you couldn’t remember the full name? That’s also potentially what you’re clients and customers are doing too!
Review what you already have
First thing to do is review what online platforms you are visible on, and the which ones you’re actually active on. These can sometimes be very different lists. Does anyone remember Myspace… you probably still have an account on there, even if you haven’t used it in years!
Next step, Google yourself or your brand (and then your competitors) out and see what content, reviews etc – good and bad are out there about you. That way you can then start to edit and improve what you see to develop your online persona.
82% of people starting their buying decision process use online [Forbes] (do you? We definitely do!) so what keywords or keyphrases are your potential clients typing in online to find you?
Using a tool like www.keywordkeg.com you can find out the number of searches a particular term receives online per month, and the competitivity level for ranking on page one for that search. You’re looking for a good mix of decent number of searches and a low-medium competition.
Once you’ve chosen your keywords, you’ll need to produce content around them, these could come in a multitude of platforms and format, for example you could use…
- Articles/Columns/Opinions
- Facts and figures
- Links to other content
- Advertising
- Events
- Information and knowledge
- Feedback
- Photos, videos, audio
- Blogs/blog posts
- Web forms
- Surveys
- eBooks/Downloads
And in terms of platforms, here’s some “free” ones worth looking at to boost your online visibility…
| Platform Types | “Free” Tools |
| Social Media Platforms | Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr |
| eCommerce Sites | WooCommerce, Magento Open Source, X-Cart. Ebay/Etsy/Amazon etc. |
| Email Marketing | Mailchimp, MailerLite, SendinBlue, Moosend |
| Online Content/Blogs | WordPress, Medium, LinkedIn, Blogger, Jimdo |
| Digital Media | Youtube, Vimeo, Soundcloud, Mixcloud, TuneIn, Podbean, Native |
| Websites | WordPress, WiX, Weebly, Go Daddy, Drupal, Joomla |
Along with these, if you have a physical address for your business, you should also sign up for a free Google My Business page (GMB), which is classed as a “rank position zero” because it dominates search pages at the side of the adverts and organic listings.
When “30% of tweets talking about your brand, don’t include your “@”” [Sprout Social] you need to think about Social Listening. Be pro-active not re-active. Use social media platofms as research tools to find out what your potential clients and audiences are saying about you, latest trends and news.
Social Listening
If you were wanting to look for a media sector job for example, you might want to look at these hashtags…
#mediajobs
#theatrejobs
#jobs
#tvjob
#tvjobs
#filmjobs
#uktvjobs
Note the variations in similar themed #s – these will produced different results, so it’s worth trying your own variations too.
What else online is useful?
It might also be you want to use third party platforms to raise your online profile, by creating a specific page about you and your products/services, including a link to your website will also help your search rankings too.
For example if you were looking for platforms to share your video production business on, you might check out upwork, peopleperhour, the unit list, stage jobs pro, or mandy.com
Then when delving deeper into your practice of seeking new clients, you might want to consider…
- Seek them out – #’s, searches, quora questions
- Proxy contacts
- New market insights
- Testimonials and Reviews
- Authority building
- Partnership links (joint ventures)
- Nodes to promote
Hopefully this has been a useful starter guide, or a reminder of platforms you have out there in the online world, but you aren’t spending any time on.
We would suggest…
- Choosing and using your online platforms regularly
- Do your keyword research for those unbranded keyterms
- Craft online strategic keyword-led content
- Check on you + your competitor rankings
- Keep a balance of reactive and proactive
If you have any questions about any of the above, or would like further information about how our training course could help you achieve this, please do get in touch.