Understanding your business' presence in the online world

Building an online persona, and as a result, having an online presence, is one of the number one worries in business these days.

We use the internet more than ever, and with over a billion users around the world (who theoretically could all access your website when it goes live), you’re going to need to understand your business’ online presence at the most fundamental level. 

Of course, even if you’ve made no moves to get your company online, your business will have an online presence almost by default. Someone will mention you somewhere, or you’ll have a Facebook business account at the very least, and all because we live in a modern, digital age.

And because of this, capitalising on how the people online see your business, and where it stands in the market and amongst competitors alike, is a great way to fuel the growth you’re really looking to see within your company. 

So, when it comes to understanding just how well your business is doing when it comes to the online platform, it’s key to understand the main issues listed below. Be sure to keep them in mind when you’re looking to download some software that helps you track metrics, or you’re simply relying on the stats Google has waiting for you.

Everything you need to understand how your business is doing online is right in front of you.

Understanding the meaning of your presence

So, in order to build up your business’ online presence and get it to the level you’ve always wanted to see it, it’s key to understand the exact meaning of your online presence to begin with here. A lot of companies simply churn out a couple of social media pages, and then think little to nothing else about their presence, because it’s right there in front of the, right?

Well, to think about an online presence in such a cut and dry way is doing your brand a big disservice. You’ve got a lot more legwork to do here, and a lot more to make yourself aware of. 

Your online presence consists of every single thing you do online. Every single message you send and comment you leave, as well as all the posts you make for your website’s blog or the social media pages you’re so proud of. As long as the name of your brand is above whatever a person is looking at online, it’s a part of your ‘owned’ online presence. 

But there’s a different sort of content that’s going round about you, and it’s what people are saying about your brand, giving their honest opinion that you might not even know about. And of course, this can work out both in and out of your favor.

People are more likely to be honest (and harsh) when they’re anonymous, so keeping a track of your name across the web alone is a great first step to understanding how the world sees you. 

Understanding your metrics

The metrics that define your business can be messy, and very hard to understand. If you’re not used to looking at them, or you’re not sure how to break them down, it can be hard to know how your online presence is really doing.

You won’t know how it’s building itself, or who it’s attracting, or what content you’re putting out there that’s really bringing in the numbers that are making you successful. 

However, your plight doesn’t have to end here. There’s a lot you can do to better understand the metrics of your online presence. Items such as your website traffic, or repeat visitors, as well as your conversion numbers and the associated costs, are the top three metrics you’ll want to pay attention to here. Don’t worry, they’re a lot easier to find than you might realise. 

With software such as Whatagraph, which can help you to lead your business in a world that’s defined by numbers on a digital screen, you can get a detailed and worthy breakdown of all the metrics that actually matter to your business.

And when you can cut out the noise, and get back to understanding what’s really affecting your business and how it’s growing, you’ll have a lot more time, information, and resources on your hands. Sure, the digital world can be complicated, but it’s your best friend when you’re trying to build up a proper online presence. 

Understanding your accessibility

Then you need to move onto how accessible your brand is when acting online. Any and all press that reaches you needs to be dignified with some kind of response, to prove your brand has their finger on the online button, and takes it all in their stride.

Because sure, you could ignore what people are saying, and come across as aloof and unreachable when people are tweeting at you, or commenting on your posts, but that won’t work out all that well for you in the long run. 

Your business’ online presence includes how you act when both praise and criticism is brought to your door, and going the extra mile to respond and answer to the people who seek you out can bring a lot of goodwill your way.

Make an example whenever you can, as it’ll prove you’re an accessible business that listens to its customers, and that’s a very good way to increase the standing of your ‘earned’ online presence. 

And an earned online presence is worth a lot in the long run - indeed, many websites can increase their value by tens of thousands of pounds by crafting a good reputation for themselves, and building on that.

It’s what pads out your mailing list, and ensures you’ve got someone to give coupons and deals to when the time comes for a sale. Consider your online presence’s accessibility a snowball that’s just going to get bigger and bigger the more it runs on, and the more you push for it. 

Understanding how to reach out 

And finally, it’s time to learn how to reach out when you need to. Because an online presence isn’t built out of nothing, and it doesn't receive reaction from out of nowhere. Sure, a few people may stumble across you, or see your products elsewhere on the web and take an interest, but these are passing occasions and aren’t going to improve your company’s traffic metric. 

Engagement on social media is just another one of those important metrics you’re going to want to keep an eye on. It’s also where your efforts to reach out are going to show up, whether they’ve paid off or not.

If people are engaging with you, leaving likes and comments on your pages, it’s clear that your attempts to garner some feedback are going the distance. If there’s no signs of improvement since you last ran a campaign, there’s a real chance you’re reaching out in the wrong kind of way. 

So start to be a little more active when you’re online. Building your presence involves contacting the people who are most likely to shop and subscribe with you, as well as asking for feedback on how you’re doing. Give your customers a platform, and they’ll give you one back. 

Your business has an online presence, but is that presence good enough to represent you and your brand? There’s only one way to find out - make sure you understand what an online presence really is, how it works, and what you really need to look out for!