If you want your business to thrive and grow in this digital era, you need to have a strong online presence, especially if you work from home. Home-based businesses do not get foot traffic – unlike companies with stores or offices. But, the internet has leveled the playing field for entrepreneurs, working from home or elsewhere, so you have to take advantage of increasing your reach by improving your online presence. And the sooner you do it, the better. You don’t want to be left in the dust by your competitors, do you? Here are six strategies to improve your online presence:

1. Create a Professional Website and SEO-Optimize It

Since you don’t have a shop or office accessible to the public, it may be difficult for people to find you. Therefore, investing in a website is crucial to you as a home-based business. Take note that it must look and function professionally. If it is designed poorly or has technical malfunctions, visitors might perceive your business as a scam. If you don’t have the budget to pay for an expert web developer, you can opt to build it yourself using drag-and-drop website builders – like Wix or Weebly — which are easy to use even for those without experience creating websites.

Once your website’s up and running, you need to optimize it for SEO. Basically, that means getting your site to rank higher on search engine results. Having a website that doesn’t show up on the first few pages of search engines – like Google or Bing – is like having a store in a ghost town that nobody sees or knows. To optimize your website’s SEO data, you need to create content that use keywords for the type of services or products you offer. There are plenty of tools that you can use to help you optimize your site for search engines.

2. Post Blogs Regularly 

Blogs can be posted directly on your website. Aside from the fact that having more content on your site means having more chances for you to insert relevant keywords for SEO purposes, it also helps visitors learn more about your offerings.

A blog can be a platform for you to educate readers about the importance of your products or services. Through blogging, you also become relatable to your audience – so you can be more than just a brand to them, you are a person who can sincerely help them.

3. Create Short, Engaging, and Informational Videos

Home-made videos are huge these days because people feel that they are more authentic. Create your own Youtube channel where you can showcase your products or services, announce exciting promos you’re running, interview customers who loved your product/service, and more.

If you think it’s a lot of work to create video content, you can repurpose your blog posts by creating videos from them. This will help you save time since you won’t have to do more research. Learn how to create simple videos using even your smartphone, or hire a freelancer who can edit them for you from time to time.

Facebook Live is also a very effective way to reach your audience and interact with them – this makes them feel personally connected with you so buying from you becomes easier for them.

Be Active on the Social Media Platforms Your Target Audience is Using
Identify where your audience hangs out in the virtual world. Posting content consistently on social media, replying to comments and messages, and creating ads on social media platforms can be challenging – especially if you are a one-person team. With the many platforms available today, social media can easily become overwhelming, so choose one or two platforms that your audience frequently use.

4. Get Customers to Leave Online Reviews About Your Products/Services

Take advantage of your loyal customers who love what you’re offering. Since you can connect with them through social media, you can also encourage them to do you a favor by leaving an online review about your company, your products, or your services. The more comments you get and the higher your ratings are, the more chances you have in getting more clients and sales. Reviews also provide an opportunity for you to address negative comments.

5. Get Customers to Leave Online Reviews About Your Products/Services

Take advantage of your loyal customers who love what you’re offering. Since you can connect with them through social media, you can also encourage them to do you a favor by leaving an online review about your company, your products, or your services. The more comments you get and the higher your ratings are, the more chances you have in getting more clients and sales. Reviews also provide an opportunity for you to address negative comments.

6. Use Email Marketing

Sometimes your followers will miss your blog or social media posts – as they won’t always be looking at your website or social media accounts. You can put your content in front of them in their inbox. Email marketing has helped tons of entrepreneurs, even home-based ones, generate more sales — as they are nurturing people who are already interested in what they’re offering in the first place (since they opted into their email list).