The fact that you’re here means you either own a business and are hustling to grow it or dream of starting one someday.
If you already own a business, congratulations! While 61% of Americans dream of becoming entrepreneurs, 92% never take the leap—but you did, and that takes courage and tenacity. That makes you part of a vibrant community of 34.8 million small businesses powering the U.S. economy.
In today’s world, no business can thrive without a strong online presence—especially when 93% of shopping journeys begin online. However, simply taking your business online is one thing; building a robust online presence is another. That’s why hiring an online marketing specialist is essential.
If you’re wondering why, let us start from scratch and walk you through 6 powerful strategies in a step-by-step manner. This step-by-step guide will help you create a solid online presence and elevate your brand to the next level.
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Have a Powerful Website
Having a website is essential, yet 27% of small businesses still don’t have one as of 2023. If you’re among them, it’s time to change that.
When potential customers search for a product or service online, they see multiple business options. Their next step? Checking out websites to compare offerings.
Your website is more than just an online presence—it’s a visual representation of your brand. Through colors, images, and fonts, you can create a distinct identity while addressing your audience’s pain points with relevant solutions.
While free AI tools can help build a basic website, a truly high-performing and unique website requires expertise. To stand out, hire virtual employees who can create a custom, high-quality website tailored to your brand.
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Build a Strong Social Media Presence
Social media is no longer just a place to connect with friends—it’s a powerful tool for businesses to engage with audiences and build brand loyalty. With 3.2 billion people using social media worldwide, your brand needs to be where your customers are.
Like a website, a strong social media presence builds trust, credibility, and brand awareness. It allows you to showcase your brand’s personality, interact with prospects, and strengthen customer relationships. By staying active and engaged, you can cultivate a loyal community that supports and promotes your business.
However, growing a dedicated following is easier said than done. To connect with your target audience, you need to understand their challenges, analyze competitors, and offer unique solutions that fill market gaps. Additionally, you must clearly communicate the value your brand brings.
Building a successful social media presence requires consistent time and effort—something that can be difficult to fit into a busy schedule. That’s why hiring social media marketing experts is a smart move. They ensure your brand stays visible, engaging, and relevant, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
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Invest in Organic SEO to Boost Visibility
Having a website is a great first step, but it’s only part of the equation. Consider this: as of 2024, there were 1.1 billion websites on the internet, with 200 million active ones—and 252,000 new websites being added daily.
Even when filtering by industry and location, you’re still competing with 30,000–40,000 websites offering similar services in your area. So, when a prospect searches for a service on Google, what are the chances they’ll find your website?
That’s why investing in organic SEO is essential. Search algorithms constantly evolve, and optimizing your website requires expertise in keywords, content strategy, and technical SEO. As an entrepreneur, handling everything alone can be overwhelming. That’s why hiring an online marketing specialist or virtual employees for digital marketing is a smart move—ensuring your business stays visible, competitive, and ahead of the curve.
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Engage with Your Audience Across Multiple Platforms
To increase your online presence, you need to be where your customers are. This means being active on platforms they frequently visit, such as Quora, Reddit, and industry-specific forums. Engaging in discussions and understanding their pain points allows you to build meaningful connections and position your brand as a trusted authority.
Regular interaction is key. Responding to customer comments, reviews, and inquiries makes them feel heard, strengthens relationships, and enhances brand perception. Following up on commitments also builds trust and credibility.
However, as an entrepreneur, managing this level of engagement can be time-consuming. That’s why hiring an online marketing specialist to handle customer interactions and reputation management is a smart investment.
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Produce Regular Content
After setting up your website and social media profiles, the next step is to consistently create valuable content. This helps you dispel common myths, address customer pain points, and establish yourself as an industry leader.
To maximize reach, create content in multiple formats and repurpose it across platforms.
- Example: Start by writing a long-form blog that answers common customer questions. Then, repurpose it into a detailed video, which can later be broken down into short-form clips for social media.
Additionally, enhance your blogs and videos with graphics, industry statistics, and data points to make them more engaging and visually appealing.
Creating consistent, high-quality content requires a well-defined strategy. Hiring an online marketing specialist can help you get started by developing and executing an effective content creation plan tailored to your brand.
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Make Employees Brand Advocates
With fierce competition and a constant flood of content, getting your brand noticed is a challenge. That’s why many companies are transforming their employees into brand ambassadors to extend their reach and influence.
An employee advocacy program can significantly amplify your brand’s visibility. In fact, employees have 10 times the marketing reach of a company’s official channels. Including them in your marketing efforts can provide tremendous mileage, helping to attract top talent, increase website traffic, and grow your social media following.
However, before launching an advocacy program, it’s crucial to establish clear brand guidelines and a reward and recognition system. To ensure a smooth rollout, consider hiring top digital marketing talent from a remote staffing solutions company to guide the process.
Summing up
Creating a website is just the first step in building your online presence. To truly attract prospects and establish strong connections, you need to go further. This includes optimizing for organic SEO, strengthening your social media presence, creating profiles on multiple platforms, and consistently posting valuable content, etc.
To get started, hire an online marketing specialist or a virtual employee with relevant expertise from Remote Resource. And for more insights on remote staffing and digital growth, keep visiting Remote Resource—a top-rated remote staffing solutions provider.
