So, you have that entrepreneurial spirit and decided to start your own small business – kudos to you! As you may know, online visibility is (almost) everything in this digital age.

It’s not all rainbows and unicorns when leveling up your online presence. Small business owners face serious challenges when trying to make their mark on the World Wide Web.

But fear not, my fellow go-getters, we’re here to spill the tea on the importance of online visibility and the obstacles you might encounter. We’ve put together a list of seven actionable steps to help you get your business in front of the right people online. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to do it, either!

First things first…

1. Define Your Target Audience: Who Are You Really Helping?

OK, let’s chat about your target audience – you know, those fabulous people you’re helping with your products or services.

It’s all about understanding their demographics, interests, pain points… and even their vibe! So, how do we define them? Let’s break it down.

• Demographics: Think gender, age, profession, location – all that good stuff that helps you pinpoint who you’re talking to.
• Behavior: Get to know your potential customers’ habits so you can create killer user personas and slay those marketing campaigns.
• Research: Put on your detective hat! Analyzing customer data, conducting surveys, and hosting focus groups will help you discover your true target audience.
• Segmentation: Divide and conquer – split your audience into categories based on intent, location, interests, and more.
• Target Audience vs. Target Market: Quick vocab lesson – a target market is the big group of consumers you wanna reach, while a target audience is the smaller segment you’re serving ads to.

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all audience. (This isn’t Brandy Melville!) By defining your target audience, you can make smarter choices about media, messaging, and timing for your marketing campaigns.

2. Slay Your Content Strategy

Let’s talk content strategy – it’s everything if you want to attract and keep those customers coming back for more! Follow these two key steps:

Get Your Priorities Straight

You always want to align your content with your business goals and target audience. We’re talking about creating content that’s not only valuable to your peeps but also supports your business objectives.

Here’s the deal. You want to:

• Find your target audience: Who do you wanna reach? What do they need? What makes them tick?
• Set your business goals: What’s the endgame with your content? Boosting brand awareness, scoring leads, or making sales?
• Map the buyer’s journey: What content does your audience need at each stage of the buying process? How can you create content that moves them closer to a purchase?

Serve Valuable and Engaging Content to Your People

Once you’ve got your goals and audience in sync, it’s time to create amazing content across multiple platforms. Make it informative, entertaining, and shareable, while also optimizing for different channels and formats. Here’s how:

• Pick the right content types: What will your audience vibe with? Blog posts, videos, infographics, or social media posts?
• Whip up a content calendar: How often will you post? What topics will you cover? How will you promote your content?
• Promote and distribute like a boss: How will you get your content in front of your target audience? Social media, email marketing, or paid ads?
• Measure those results: How will you track the success of your content strategy? Look at engagement, leads, and sales metrics.

Follow these steps and you’ll have a killer content strategy that aligns with your business goals and keeps your audience hooked on every platform.

3. Get Social!

Now that you’ve got your content strategy down, it’s time to get social! Being active on social media is one of the best ways to get in front of the people you wanna reach.

Let’s keep it real. Social media isn’t only about posting snazzy content. You also want to be engaging with your followers and going the extra mile. Remember, always show that you care about your audience! Here are some tips:

• Whatever you do, don’t be boring: Social media is a great way to showcase your brand’s vibe and connect with people on a personal level. Stuffy and boring = easy to ignore. Post content that’s relevant and unique.
• Engage, engage, engage: Take time to respond to comments. Show your followers you appreciate them and don’t be afraid to give ’em some love.
• Start conversations: Ask questions, join in on trending topics, or host Q&A’s – it’s all about connecting with your people.
• Make ’em laugh: Crack a joke here and there or post memes that will make people LOL. Doing this shows that you have a sense of humor and that you’re human!

By taking the time to build relationships, you’ll attract people who stick around and keep coming back for more. Put in the effort, and you’ll reap the rewards!

4. SEO Your Website.

If you’re asking, “WTF is SEO?” listen up. SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it’s key if you want to get your website ranking high on Google so more people can find you.

Want to make your website shine on search engines? Follow these steps to level up your SEO game:

Use Keywords Like a Pro

Research the keywords your target audience is using. They’ll help you create quality content that ranks high on search engines!

You can use a tool like SEMRush or Serpstat to find keywords that have:

• High search volume
• Low keyword difficulty

This means that more people are searching for them, and you have a better chance of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).

You want to create amazing, high-quality content that’s made just for your target audience. Sprinkle your target keywords throughout the page – in the opening and closing paragraphs, and a few more times in the rest of the content. You also want to strategically place your keywords in the page URL, title, and headings.

SEO gets a little complicated, but it’s well worth your time and effort to learn the basics. Once you master SEO, you’ll be amazed with how much web traffic you get!

Make Your Website Mobile Friendly and Super Fast!

If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re missing out on a lot of potential traffic. You want visitors to be able to easily navigate and enjoy your site regardless of what device they’re using.

Also, make sure that your website loads quickly. The longer it takes to load, the more likely people are to bounce and never come back.

Optimize your site for mobile devices so it’s easy to access on smartphones and tablets. Boost your website’s loading speed by compressing images, minimizing HTTP requests, and shrinking the size of your CSS and JavaScript files.

5. Team Up with Influencers and Brand Ambassadors

This power move can boost awareness, build credibility, skyrocket sales, and make your business soar. But the key is to make sure you have the right people in your corner.

Influencer marketing is all about collabing with peeps who can sway audience opinions, thanks to their massive following, killer brand, or authority status. Before you team up, make sure you both vibe with similar target markets.

When scouting for influencers, look beyond just follower counts and engagement metrics – find creators that align with your brand and audience.

How to Know if a Partnership is the Right Fit

You need creators who align with your brand and audience. A good influencer collab should:

• Fit your budget and goals
• Share brand values and target audiences
• Deliver measurable results

Set clear objectives to steer campaigns and partnerships in the right direction.

Remember, making collabs work takes communication and collaboration. The first step is to put your brand out there and start making connections!

6. Get Yourself in the Right (Online) Rooms

It’s time to get busy on the digital scene. Join and participate in online forums, groups, or communities related to your industry. This is a great way to connect with your target audience, build relationships, and spread the word about your business.

Finding your tribe in the digital world is all about knowing where to look and how to connect. Here’s how to get started:

• Google is your BFF: Start with a simple search like “[your niche] + online community” or “[your niche] + forum.” You’ll be surprised at the hidden gems you can find!
• Social media stalking (in a good way): Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn have loads of groups and pages dedicated to specific niches. Search for keywords related to your niche and join those groups to start mingling with your tribe.
• Keep an eye on hashtags: On platforms like Twitter and Instagram, follow popular hashtags related to your niche. This can lead you to fab accounts and conversations where your people hang out.
• Reddit & Quora are goldmines: These platforms are all about communities and discussions. Search for subreddits or topics related to your niche, and you’ll find tons of peeps sharing their knowledge, asking questions, and connecting with others.
• Don’t forget about niche-specific platforms: Depending on your niche, there might be websites or apps specifically made for your people. Do some research to discover these hidden beauties.

To rock online communities, contribute to the convo by sharing insights, asking questions, and providing helpful info. This will help you build trust and showcase your expertise. Including links to relevant content or resources in your posts can drive traffic back to your business. Just don’t be a spammy sales robot – be helpful and genuinely interested in what you’re chatting about.

7. Get Down and Dirty with Your Analytics

Whether you’re a numbers person or not, analytics can help you measure your success and make data-driven decisions to improve your online visibility.

We’ll break it down for you:

• Review: Check out website traffic, conversion rates, and customer engagement to see how your marketing strategy is performing.
• Monitor: Keep an eye on these metrics to find what’s working like a charm and what needs some TLC.
• Refine: Use this analysis to make data-driven decisions and amp up your marketing strategy.

Tweaking your marketing strategy is an ongoing process. Keep monitoring key metrics, trying out new tactics, and making data-driven decisions to make your strategy shine!

Ready to Make Marketing Magic Happen?

These seven steps will help you boost your online visibility and get your business on the digital map.

It might seem like a lot, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Start small and take one step at a time – you’ll be surprised at what you can do!

If you need marketing support, our team at Pluto can help! We specialize in organic, inbound approaches to marketing, meaning you can get results without breaking the bank. Whether you need help getting started or need an entire strategy overhaul, drop us a line – we’d love to chat!