Anyone can set up a website and with the growing e-commerce platforms available, anyone can create an online shop to sell products or services. With the growing number of websites, shops, services, consultation companies, and entrepreneurs, it can become a challenge to stand out in the crowd. In fact, staying relevant online can be a full-time job. With social media updates, website blog posts, interacting with customers on review websites, and digital customer service, it’s no wonder we are feel overwhelmed as business owners. Luckily, staying relevant online doesn’t mean you have to be active on social media every day, or answer emails every hour. Staying relevant online comes down to how you present yourself online as a whole. Here’s what that entails:

1. Stand for something – or nothing at all. This is linked to who your target audience is. Do they valuable fair-trade products? Do they only want environmentally friendly products? Commit yourself to something and align yourself with those values. Dedicate space on your website to explain the values and how you commit to them through your business practices.
2. Build awareness about something related to your values, not your products. For example, if your business only uses environmentally friendly products, consider building awareness for a charity that strives to do the same. Working together to change the world can truly influence how customers perceive your business, and it helps you stand out from your competitors.
3. Be inclusive, not exclusive with your potential customers. Have something for everyone and let your customers share their stories when interacting with your brand. Social media has become the leading driver when it comes to brand interaction, so being inclusive and letting everyone share their stories is a great way of staying relevant. Show your customers you care, by sharing their stories on your business profiles.
4. Speaking of social media, staying relevant online is heavily influenced by what you share. With Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube – the file formats and content options are endless. Listen to your customers and prospective leads and let them be your content. Don’t just focus on your business and products, allow your customers to be your brand voice. New leads want to see your products or services in action, so why not let existing customers share their thriving results on your behalf?

Regardless of how you choose to stay relevant, there’s one red thread throughout these points: CONTENT. Content can come in many different forms, such as social media updates, blog posts, emails, etc. The key to staying relevant online is being consistent in your communication and creating a strategic plan to produce and share your content online. Many businesses partner with an agency to create and execute the content strategy on their behalf. Content is also important on the technical side of things. The more content you produce for your website in terms of blog posts, articles and pages, the more you get to index on Google. That means people may stumble upon one of your articles without actively looking for your business, and get value from your content. A random reader could turn into a prospective lead thanks to your online content, and you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity. Without content, you have no reach. Without reach, you have no influence. Without influence, you lose your competitive edge in the marketplace, allowing others to take over your customer base. If you are struggling to pinpoint the things that could make you stand out and be relevant in your industry, let us help! We’d love to explore your business and see where we can make some adjustments to boost your online presence!