Web Tools for Building Your Online Presence
If you sell online, it is critical to attract targeted traffic – those most likely to buy from you — to your website. Here are four essential tools for building business success online:
Your Website – Once you’ve set down all your goals and objectives for your business website (and you should), you need to start constructing the specific elements of your site, which should include:
- Home Page – establishes exactly what your business has to offer potential customers and why they should be doing business with you. You should also have a method for customers to provide you with their information – sign up for a newsletter, subscribe to your blog, etc.
- About Us Page – let potential customers know exactly who you are to reinforce your messaging about why they would want to buy from you
- Product Pages – use photos and keep information succinct using inviting sales copy about what you’re selling
- Contact Page – always let customers know you care enough about their satisfaction with your product to give them an easy way to reach you. It also builds trust with the consumer, important if selling online is critical to your success
Newsletter – A newsletter is a great device for keeping customers interested in you and your products, and for you to build on those leads you’ve captured from your website. It also helps you build a robust email list for marketing to them later on. Make sure you get consent for future contact and keep personal data secure
Blog – Tying a blog to your site establishes you as an expert in your business category and allows you to open a dialogue with your customers. It also helps drive traffic to your main website. You’ll also find yourself networking both vertically and horizontally within your market, leading to useful contacts.
Social Media – Building profiles on prominent social media sites is another way to connect with potential customers and drive traffic to your site. See our post ‘How to Use Social Media to Monitor Your Brand‘ for more inofrmation on this subject.
