The internet provides extensive opportunities for networking and career growth. But, it can be hard to stand out. Regardless of how you approach it, a digital presence requires time, skill, effort, dedication, and, above all, consistency.
Becoming more visible online and confident in yourself is not an easy task.
If you have been struggling to increase your digital presence and attract your dream clients, here are 5 effective ways to get you and your business to stand out and shine online!
#1: Develop Your Personal Brand
The concept of personal branding has gained momentum over the past few years. As it should. Your personal brand is critical because it is a representation of you. Others are presented with it when they look for you online and it is an important way to increase your digital presence.
Tell a story
One of the most effective ways to build a compelling personal brand is through narrative. It’s easy to state who you are and what you do professionally – but a description of yourself is not going to cut through the noise and allow you to stand out from the pack.
Think about what makes your story unique. Have you taken an unusual path to get to where you are today? Has your career taken interesting twists or turns? How have your life experiences impacted your professional choices? The more color you can add to your story, the more compelling your personal brand will be.
#2: Create an Engaging Personal Website
No matter how someone finds out about you and your business – whether, through social media, an ad, a direct mail, or a friend – their first inclination is to go to your website. So, you need a personal website. But here’s the cold truth. People have high expectations these days. To the point where if you don’t have a good website, you’re almost better off not having one at all. So, you not only need a website, but it should also be a good-looking and engaging website.
Now here are some tips that should help you achieve that
Have a simple layout on your homepage. Don’t be scared of white space. (When every inch of a site is covered, it feels like walking into a cluttered room.) Choose colors strategically. Colors have psychology. If you have colors in your logo, use those on your website. Use clean, easy-to-read fonts. Make your site mobile-friendly and make it easy to navigate. And the most important thing, make your contact details easy to find.
Bonus tip: Get a personal domain name
Choosing a domain name for your personal website is an important decision you’ll have to make. Investing in a personalized domain name is critical to owning the search results that come up when someone Googles your name. Remember, potential clients and employers will do their research. Having a personalized domain that links to your personal website will enable you to own the results that come up when anyone searches for your name.
Choose a personalized domain name that speaks to who you are.
Wondering which domain extension can turn your name into your personal brand? Well, it is .ME – a trusted domain extension that many creatives from across the world have already chosen as their online home.
#3: Establish and Maintain a Social Media Presence
In order to increase your digital presence, you need to adopt the use of the most popular platforms in your niche. In addition, you should have a schedule to post new content at least every few days or several times per week. Many people have a bad habit of slacking off on this practice when things get busy which can greatly affect momentum in the future.
Pick the right channel for the right agenda
You need to be very specific with the content you are going to share on online channels. Every social media platform serves a different purpose. As LinkedIn is the best platform for networking and hunting clients for an agency, whereas platforms like Instagram are casual and personal that’s why they are a better option to build a personal connection with the audience.
#4: Understand SEO (And Create Good Content)
Search engine optimization is a tactic that helps you rank high in search engine results. By understanding and nailing SEO, you have a better chance of showing up in front of potential clients when they are searching for a service like yours.
To master SEO, the first step you need to take is to create high-quality content.
Your content needs to be unique, engaging, interesting, and relevant. You should make sure the content you’re publishing is as polished and top-notch as possible.
Place keywords that are relevant to your services within the text to make it more search-friendly. You can also work on the user’s experience, image SEO, and mobile availability to make your website appealing to search engine algorithms.
Pay attention to your visuals
You may be writing the best articles or the most engaging social media posts. Still, in today’s competitive times – that is not enough to satisfy the user. Users crave to consume content faster. That is why you should pay attention to your visuals. Visuals allow the communication of information more straightforward and help to increase the levels of engagement.
#5: Create Value That Lasts
While it’s easy to create stale content, making content that is insightful, engaging and that truly helps your audience is a different story. Creating valuable content requires planning and intention.
If you really want to increase your digital presence by giving value you should ask yourself – “Would this help me? Is this actionable?” Don’t settle for fluff or trite advice. Provide your audience with content that will make a real difference in their lives.
While this can be a lot of work, the payoff is enormous when done correctly. So, stay committed, never stop learning and be prepared to adapt.
Don’t worry about the time it takes. As Earl Nightingale once said, “The time will pass anyway.”
Wrapping Up
These were just some tips to get you started on the journey to increase your digital presence.
Remember, while this may seem like an undemanding task, it will take a lot of patience and consistent efforts to achieve the success you desire.
Try out the different things stated above, track your progress, and figure out what works best for you and your business. May the force be with you!
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