Tag: Building Your Online Presence

Cracking the Code of the Social Media Rubik’s Cube for Brand Dominance | Entrepreneur
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
With over 15 years of experience in the social media industry, I’ve come to think of optimizing your online presence as solving a Rubik’s Cube. When I first started out in 2010, working with mentors like internet marketing guru Neil Patel, the platforms were far less developed.

Back then, most people utilized sites like Facebook and Instagram simply to share photos of food or weekend happenings with friends and family. The idea of strategically using social media to build a brand or business was in its infancy.

But over the years, the platforms matured rapidly, and consumption habits changed dramatically. We’ve seen an explosion of niche interests and creators on YouTube. Facebook groups now connect people around specialized hobbies and passions. Most recently, TikTok has revolutionized short-form mobile video, addicting billions of monthly active users to its algorithmically fueled “For You” page with every other social media platform following suit.

I realized that there was this incredible correlation between the Rubik’s Cube and social media because when a Rubik’s Cube isn’t correct, you can see it. It’s the same way when you’re with your social media — when you know you’re not managing it correctly, you can feel it. Using the right strategy for each platform is crucial — the right content for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. When the puzzle pieces click into place, everything aligns. That’s when the power of social media truly becomes tangible.

Related: Building A Social Media Strategy That Can Bolster Your Brand’s Online Presence: The How-To

Creating your niche in the interest space world

Social media has utterly transformed how we interact and share information. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, TikTok and more have created a digital world of interest-based communities and endless conversations. This emergence of niche interest spaces has opened up new opportunities for forming connections, relationships and personal branding.

These interest spaces essentially function as virtual rooms where users who share common passions and interests congregate. You now have spaces catering to every interest imaginable — fitness, food, sports, investing, arts —you name it. The algorithms powering social media do the work of grouping relevant content and profiles together within these spaces. So, if you’re interested in tennis, you’ll be recommended pages, accounts and content about tennis. Interact with that content, and the algorithm feeds you more of it, further pulling you into that interest space.

To understand how this works, think of sports like tennis, badminton and ping pong. Now imagine a new sport emerges combining elements of all three — that’s how we got pickleball. By blending these interests, pickleball attracts fans of all three sports, as well as appealing to a broader audience, creating an entirely new niche community. This is exactly what happens within social media interest spaces as novel mixtures emerge from blending interests.

Unique personal brands attract attention

As an individual, you can leverage these interest-based spaces to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Consistently create and share content centered around your core niche — whether that’s fitness, food, technology, arts or anything else. For example, as a fitness professional, you’d share training tips, healthy recipes, lifestyle advice and so on.

But don’t just stick narrowly to your primary interest. Branch out and highlight your other passions, too. This shows your audience that you are multidimensional. For a fitness influencer, this could mean also sharing content on nutrition, mental health, productivity or parenting.

This is where the analogy of a Rubik’s Cube comes in. You are turning and twisting your brand by experimenting with content across diverse interest spaces. See what works well and what your audience responds to. Gradually, you will gain traction as you find the sweet spot that genuinely engages your followers.

Adopting this cross-disciplinary approach positions you in a novel way. You harness multiple interest spaces to project a well-rounded personal brand. This builds authority and trust with your audience. For instance, an aspiring chef could share cooking videos, restaurant reviews, fitness advice, budgeting tips and lifestyle content. By covering complementary topics beyond just cooking, you showcase the full spectrum of your interests.

Related: The Business of Harnessing the Power of Social Media

Everything everywhere all at once

Consistency and ubiquity are the keys when establishing your personal brand. Humanize yourself by giving followers a behind-the-scenes look into different aspects of your life. Share your passions, hobbies and vulnerabilities. The more active you are within these spaces, engaging and contributing, the more familiar your presence becomes.

Be everywhere your audience is — Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok. The goal is saturation. Post consistently, and provide value through your content. This is possible because we live in a chronically online world. People are glued to their devices, immersed in these virtual communities. There are endless opportunities to connect and engage.

Once your content starts gaining traction, recognition accelerates rapidly. Your brand scales new heights as you become ubiquitous. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, while primarily known for his wrestling and acting careers, his social media spans fitness tips, tequila ventures and heartfelt family moments. His brand isn’t just about entertainment; it’s a blend of professionalism, personal passions, and authentic glimpses into his life. This ubiquitous presence established him as one of the most successful entrepreneurial entertainers in the world.

Think different

This overall approach requires multi-dimensional thinking and flexibility. You need to deeply understand the intricacies of each platform, interest space, and how they blend together. Much like solving a Rubik’s Cube, you must experiment and put in work. Gradually, each piece will fall into place as you build authority and establish your unique personal brand.

Here are some tips to help build your brand across interest spaces:
- Identify your core interests and the platforms your audience uses. Establish your presence there first.
- Consistently create content centered around your niche/expertise. Provide value and build trust.
- Branch out and highlight your other passions, too. Blend interests to give a well-rounded image.
- Engage actively with your audience and others in your space. Join the conversation.
- Post frequently to become a familiar face. Establish omnipresence in your niche’s interest spaces.
- Monitor what resonates with your audience. Adapt and optimize your content mix.
- Collaborate with complementary creators to expand your reach.
- Don’t spread yourself too thin. Focus on a few key interest spaces. Quality over quantity.
The possibilities are endless, thanks to the multifaceted nature of social media. You can present different facets of your brand by strategically blending interest spaces. Let your audience get to know the complete you. Whether your goal is professional growth, connections or sharing your passion, embracing this approach is key. Start turning the cubes, experimenting and executing consistently. Your hard work will result in a strong personal brand that captivates audiences.

Related: 7 Creative Ways to Boost Your Social Media Strategy
AJ Kumar

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August 16, 2023
How to Stop Online Marketplaces From Robbing Your Brand | Entrepreneur

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Marketplaces have become extremely influential in ecommerce over the past three years. Major market players such as Amazon, Alibaba and JD attract millions of users, facilitating massive transactions across a wide range of product categories.

They also generate a wealth of data on consumer behavior, preferences and trends. This strong market position gives them an advantage and the ability to charge unreasonably high commissions, basically robbing brands.

The rise of marketplaces

The journey of marketplaces goes back to the early days of the Internet when platforms such as eBay and Amazon pioneered the concept of online commerce. Founded in 1994 as an online bookstore, Amazon has evolved into a comprehensive marketplace offering a wide range of goods. eBay, launched a year later, popularized the concept of consumer-to-consumer online auctions. China’s JD.com and Alibaba also burst onto the market in the late 20th century.

With the growth of ecommerce, niche and vertical platforms began to flourish. They focused on specific industries or product categories. A prime example is Etsy, a marketplace for handmade and vintage goods founded in 2005. And as technology has evolved, so have the capabilities of marketplaces. The introduction of secure payment systems, improved search algorithms and user-friendly interfaces have provided a new level of convenience, trust, and efficiency in online shopping.

However, it wasn’t until after the pandemic that marketplaces took off. The year 2020 was a stellar time for them and e-commerce in general. Online platforms have become critical for brands to reach a broader customer base. In 2021, a whopping 42% of all online purchases were made through marketplaces. The convenience of shopping from home, the ability to compare prices and read customer reviews, and the seamless transaction process for customers have contributed to the rapid growth of online platforms. And in 2022, almost two-thirds of consumers said they were happy to be able to order everything they needed through one merchant.

By 2027, third-party marketplaces will become the world’s largest and fastest-growing retail channel, accounting for nearly two-thirds of online sales. Amazon, Alibaba, Pinduoduo and JD.com are expected to generate $4.3 trillion in global sales, up from $2.5 trillion today. Experts say that the most successful retailers, both now and in the future, will operate third-party marketplaces, and consumer brands must align with them to flourish in this new retail environment.

Although the concept of marketplaces itself is beneficial, including for brands, the strong position of online platforms has allowed them to dictate their terms to sellers and vendors and practically rob them.

Related: 7 Revenue-Killing Mistakes for Ecommerce Retailers

How online platforms make money on brands

In the early days of marketplaces, when they needed to attract new suppliers to basically unknown platforms, contract conditions for vendors and commissions for sellers were usually based on a small percentage of the transaction amount. As marketplaces expanded and diversified, they introduced tiered commission structures to incentivize sellers with high sales volume. Those who achieved such volumes or met specific performance criteria could qualify for lower commissions, which offered a potential savings advantage.

With time, marketplaces expanded their revenue streams by introducing additional services. They included premium placement in search results, featured listings, advertising options, and other services such as fulfillment, delivery, and marketing support. With these, marketplaces generate additional revenue while allowing merchants to increase their visibility. The problem is that though online platforms aim to increase the effectiveness of services and tools offered to sellers, their main goal is still to earn more by raising the penetration of those products, not optimizing sales for specific brands.

As a result, Amazon, for example, now gets more than 50% of sellers’ revenue on average, compared to 40 percent five years ago. Sellers are paying more because Amazon has increased fulfillment fees, making advertising costs inevitable. The typical Amazon seller pays 15% per transaction, 20-35% for order fulfillment, and up to 15% for advertising and promotions. The cost of Fulfillment by Amazon, when Amazon stores, picks, packs, and ships orders, has been steadily rising, and there are few success stories of operating outside of this model. Advertising is optional, but it takes up most of the screen with the best conversions, so sellers inevitably have to buy Amazon advertising services to get noticed.

The company has even been sued recently. According to the claim, Amazon penalizes sellers for failing to set the optimal price for their products by demoting them in search results and disqualifying products from the “Buy Box” feature, a white box on the right side of the Amazon product detail page, where clients can add goods for purchase to their cart.

The power of AI

With the growing influence of artificial intelligence, companies can now leverage AI to expand their presence, optimize operations and ultimately generate more revenue. We estimate that the global retail AI market will be worth about $350 billion by 2032 as more companies realize the benefits of neural networks and take advantage of them.

Marketplaces already use AI-based tools that provide valuable insights into consumer behavior, campaign performance, and keyword search. Their main goal is to increase sales, and algorithms help them calculate which sellers’ products are worth promoting to maximize overall revenue. Online platforms analyze customer buying behavior, items in the shopping cart and the most viewed items to make recommendations, predicting what each client is likely to buy.

Brands, too, can use AI to get to the top of marketplace search and increase the share of sales in their categories at the expense of internal marketplace traffic. However, sellers cannot access marketplace AI models. Platforms keep information about their developments secret and notify merchants of updates only when they occur. In Amazon’s case, Amazon Vendor Service can be used to access some of the AI functionality, but it increases the cost of doing business. At the same time, the service itself remains a black box. It means that brands cannot use platforms’ AI to promote their products. It also means they need third-party solutions to do so. What exactly would such AI solutions offer them?

Related: How to Leverage the Power of ChatGPT and AI to Boost Your Shopify Store’s Success

1. Intelligent and dynamic pricing

AI solutions enable brands to implement intelligent pricing strategies. By analyzing market data, competitor pricing, and customer demand patterns, AI can determine optimal price points for products. Dynamic pricing allows sellers to adjust prices in real time based on factors such as supply and demand fluctuations, competitor activities, and customer behavior. This ensures that sellers remain competitive and maximize their revenue potential on marketplaces. Our experience shows that using AI to determine pricing allows sellers to recover up to 6% of previously lost margins.

2. Intelligent adjustment for performance bids

Leading marketplaces usually use real-time bidding (RTB) systems allowing advertisers to bid to show their ads to buyers. For example, on Amazon sellers bid on keywords, and the one with the highest bid and the best-targeted keywords usually wins. In other words, the winning bidding strategy is when the buyer’s search query matches the seller’s target keywords.

With real-time data and advanced optimization techniques, businesses can ensure that their ad spend is used efficiently. AI algorithms can continuously recalculate billions of possible combinations of bids and amounts of budget, campaigns and segments, helping to rebound 20% of previously lost ROIC, based on our experience. Amazon, Alibaba, and JD already use such algorithms for in-house performance marketing.

3. Efficient inventory management

AI can optimize inventory management processes for sellers and vendors operating on online marketplaces. By analyzing historical sales data, algorithms can forecast shipments and sales by warehouse and SKU with granularity to organic and promotional sales and high accuracy, identify peak selling periods, and optimize inventory levels. This helps brands avoid out-of-stock or dead-stock situations, reducing storage costs and ensuring a seamless supply chain. Additionally, AI can automate inventory replenishment and order fulfillment processes, streamlining operations and minimizing human error.

Related: 4 Ways to Use AI to Enhance the Customer Experience

AI vs. People

AI has enormous potential for sellers and vendors on marketplaces. By using AI to learn about customers, adjust rates, optimize pricing and manage inventory, brands can improve their competitive advantage, drive sales and increase overall profitability on online platforms.

AI models also allow brands to save on time and resources of in-house teams and agencies, which, in our experience, companies typically hire to get their products to the top of marketplace storefronts. Сonsider, a medium-sized company from the food industry. Typically, a marketplace team (the one working to distribute products through online platforms most efficiently) includes an e-commerce leader, a manager, a designer, and a marketer. In addition, the company may hire an outside contractor to help its internal team.

Nevertheless, these people are forced to engage in routine operations instead of using their time to solve strategic problems. With AI, teams can focus not on playing cat and mouse but on developing strategy and launching innovations, while algorithms will help implement them around the clock and in the most efficient way.

Pavel Podkorytov

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July 7, 2023
How to Stop Your CEO’s Reputation From Hurting Your Business | Entrepreneur

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When I first moved to the “dark side” — an ominous phrase used by my journalism peers to describe transitioning into public relations — the media landscape was different.

At the time, the only way to reach a mass audience was to get your news picked up by one of the handful of media outlets that had a monopoly on reaching the mainstream public.

As such, CEO communication was standardly delivered through spokespeople — a PR pro would craft a message on behalf of the CEO, then distribute it to the appropriate editors and producers. Removed from the complex world of optics, a CEO’s reputation was neatly wall-gardened by this process.

Those days are gone. Widespread adoption of social media has given every employee, customer and investor a virtual window into the operations of the businesses that interest them and the lives of the executives who run them.

Recent research shows 82% of employees expect business leaders to use social media to communicate about their company’s mission, vision and values — and by a ratio of four to one, prefer to work for a CEO who uses social media compared to one who does not.

Just as the landscape has shifted, so has the role of the CEO. No longer can a company’s top executive be expected to operate without active participation in company communication. Yet, many leaders, particularly those in legacy industries like finance and law, haven’t adapted to modern expectations. The recent Silicon Valley Bank collapse was a shining example of how not investing in an executive communication strategy can literally kill a company.

Amidst company leaders going viral for callous and unsympathetic communication, here’s how to make sure your CEO’s reputation is helping, not hindering, your company.

Related: Creating a Brand That Drives Your CEO Reputation

Build an online presence

Privately held or not, we’ve entered the era of building companies in public. Every person your CEO interacts with has an opinion and a social media channel to share it on. As such, building an online presence for your CEO isn’t a vanity project — it’s reputation management.

When leaders aren’t intentional about creating an online thumbprint, the narrative around who they are and what they stand for is left to Google’s evolving algorithm. In the absence of an executive content strategy, a negative tweet, poor customer review or inaccurate press quote may be the first impression your CEO is making online when stakeholders do an online search.

Platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter impact search rankings and if properly leveraged, can build virtual communities that result in real-life business opportunities. But don’t pawn your CEO’s social media presence off to an inexperienced employee. Building a personal brand for your CEO involves tapping into their personality and lived experience to create content that aligns with the strategic objectives of the company and speaks to the needs of the audience they are targeting — a complex process that requires support from a seasoned executive communications consultant who can also caution against communication that could lead to an issue or crisis.

Considering four out of five investors use digital media to make an investment decision, having a strong online profile for your CEO can not only improve optics, but it can also help land funding, sales and strategic partnerships.

Related: 6 Data-Backed Reasons a CEO Should Take the Time to Build a Strong Personal Brand

Empathize with the needs of stakeholders

In recent months, we’ve seen several CEOs go viral for the wrong reasons. Andi Owens, the CEO of MillerKnoll, an American furniture company, became web-famous when a video of her unsympathetically addressing her employees’ concerns was uploaded to social media.

In the video, Owens, who made $5M in 2022, lectured employees — the average of whom made $44K — to focus on sales over personal compensation. Owens made a sin many CEOs and company leaders make on a regular basis: She failed to empathize with the needs of her stakeholders.

Before a CEO puts out any form of sensitive communication, it’s important to anticipate the questions the audience might have and gauge sentiment around the topic. Often this can be done by distributing an anonymous survey in advance to solicit candid feedback from the target group on the topic and how it affects them. When you’re not attuned to the needs of your stakeholders, you’re less likely to respond with the information that’s most important to them — or worse, offend them or raise concerns. This can cause irreparable damage to your business.

One of the best ways to stay in tune with your stakeholders’ needs on an ongoing basis is to create pathways for two-way communication. In the digital age, social media can be one of the most efficient tools for monitoring public sentiment and staying engaged with your stakeholders.

Related: How to Build a Reputation That Leads to Success

Don’t be afraid to build in public

In working with CEOs for nearly two decades, I’ve noticed one common hesitation when it comes to speaking publicly on a trending topic: “My company hasn’t perfected that, yet.”

While having mastered a solution to a widespread challenge is nice to have, it’s not necessary to have a point of view on it. Building in public — the idea of openly sharing challenges, learnings and personal reflections as they occur — can be an effective way to humanize a company leader and build a community around their online profile.

Building in public doesn’t mean you have to operate with radical transparency, but you do have to be willing to test out ideas and solicit stakeholder feedback publicly. Sharing an op-ed, newsletter or thoughtful LinkedIn update gives a CEO a high level of control over their narrative, and if done strategically and consistently, can be an effective way to establish their purpose and intention.

Building a personal brand isn’t a traditional part of being a CEO, but in the age of algorithms and viral videos, it is becoming a prerequisite.

The good news is, company leaders don’t have to be charismatic or even comfortable with public speaking to build a public profile, they just need to be intentional and strategic about their online reputation. By investing in an executive communications strategy, CEOs are better positioned to protect their reputations and those of their companies, through the ups and downs of business.

Jennifer Maloney Adab

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May 24, 2023
Why the Online Dating Experience Needs to Change | Entrepreneur

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In today’s world, online dating has become the norm for many singles looking for love. However, despite the growing popularity of dating apps, many problems still plague the industry. From ghosting to toxic behavior, online dating can be a frustrating and exhausting experience for many users. In this article, we explore why we need a new online dating experience and how it can revolutionize how we connect with others.

Turn dating apps from a chore into a thrill

A study by Singles found that 78.37% of adults have experienced online dating burnout. We got used to spending more time since the pandemic’s beginning, but it takes its toll on everyone’s mental health and overall online dating excitement. Instead of mindlessly swiping through profiles, dating apps might incorporate gamification elements that can increase user engagement and help foster more authentic connections. By adding games or challenges, users can interact with each other in a playful and non-intimidating way, helping to break the ice and create a more relaxed atmosphere.

Additionally, interesting prompts can help spark conversation and allow users to showcase their personality and interests beyond just a few photos and a bio. These elements can ultimately lead to more meaningful connections and a more positive overall dating experience.

Related: 7 Ways Dating Apps Are Lying To You

Silent treatment, leaving (dating apps) users disconnected and frustrated

Dealing with sudden silence or breadcrumbing is a common frustration for dating app users, with 43% of dating app users in the United States reporting having been ghosted at least once. Breadcrumbing is also prevalent, with 22% of respondents reporting that they have experienced it.

To address these issues, dating apps have introduced new features. For example, some apps use machine learning algorithms to detect potentially offensive or inappropriate messages, while others offer read receipts to let users know when their messages have been read. By implementing such features, dating apps are helping to reduce the negative experiences that users often encounter on their platforms.

Get it right, or avoid being matched with a wrong type

Matching with the wrong type of person is a common problem on dating apps. Often, the issue lies in how users portray themselves on their profiles. A survey conducted at the end of 2022 found that nearly 47% of respondents had lied on their dating profiles. The solution to this problem is for dating apps to encourage users to be more authentic and showcase their true lifestyle. For example, some dating apps have a feature that allows users to upload videos to their profiles, giving potential matches a better sense of who they are.

Related: Online Dating Scammer Steals $1.8 Million from His Victims

Toxic behavior is lurking around every corner

Many online dating users are experiencing harassment or verbal abuse. According to a survey by Pew Research Center, 41% of women have experienced online harassment. Dating apps need to come up with solutions to stop it. This can include introducing reporting features, moderating user-generated content and collaborating with organizations that promote online safety.

Shield yourself from fraud and outsmart scammers

Scammers are a growing problem on dating apps, with many users falling victim to fraud. As reported by the Federal Trade Commission, romance scams resulted in $1.3 billion in losses in 2022 — median $4400. The solution to this problem is for dating apps to introduce better verification processes. This can include verifying users’ identities through social media or requiring users to take a selfie to prove they are who they say they are. For example, a combination of a phone number-only registration with a photo verification can narrow fake profiles to the minimum.

Related: Your Identity Could Be Used in Online Dating Scams. Here’s How to Protect Yourself

Is online dating on the verge of failing or blossoming?

In conclusion, the world of online dating is constantly evolving, but many of the problems that plague existing dating apps persist. These issues can lead to frustration, disappointment, and even harm. We need a new online dating experience that prioritizes fun, authenticity, safety, and connection. Whether through gamification, better communication formats or more authentic user profiles, there are ways to create a better online dating experience for all. By recognizing and addressing the common problems of dating apps, we can create an environment that fosters healthy relationships and real connections. The time has come for a change in the online dating landscape, and we’re excited to be a part of it.

Marina Anderson

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May 5, 2023
How to Develop a Strong Content Strategy and Solidify Your Brand’s Online Presence | Entrepreneur

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

There’s no denying that the way people consume content is at an all-time high and has drastically changed over the past few years. The quick morsels and tidbits of information that people seek can be found across different platforms and mediums, and the stakes are high when it comes to quality content.

Many brands and businesses have begun to pay utmost attention to the quality of their content based on the expectations of users, and that also means getting serious about information that is put out into the digital sphere when it comes to a solid brand representation. A strong online presence through a connected and unique content strategy can positively impact your brand just by focusing on the finer details and best practices.

Related: 4 Tips for a Successful Content Strategy

Focus on the foundation

The initial push that will move any project down its pipeline needs a solid foundation before it can be fully developed — this also applies to content strategy building. Before delving into writing content or its corresponding visuals and assets, it is best to dissect as a team, fundamental questions that will elevate your content.

Preliminary conception can begin by asking internally, who the target audience is. Knowing your audience, and the audience you may want to attract, streamlines what your brand puts out into the digital space. Features such as demographics, expertise and more can reduce fluff and allow for more centralized output. Additionally, analyzing any underlining issues that your current content strategy has helps prevent creating the same mistakes. If there is a pattern that your content is not ranking high in engagement or interaction, an assessment as to why is imperative.

From there, the layers behind the purpose of each content delivery can also be fine-tuned, and a great way to ensure this is by focusing on what makes your brand a differentiator in the industry. Spotlighting why audiences should seek your brand over others builds credibility and trust that a lot of users are often seeking.

Drive engagement and retention via connectivity

Against the verve and excitement that comes with the growth of digital products, a solid content strategy that drives engagement through connectivity can bring a brand full circle. Further, when audiences can attain a high level of engagement with a brand’s content, there, in turn, is a strengthened level of retention for conversion and connectivity to a brand. When a brand can magnetize, delight and engage its users, growth inevitably follows. To master this much-needed brand and marketing initiative, there must be a focus on quality.

When thinking of content strategy, it can fall under different tiers such as web content, social media, publications, ads, visual designs and campaigns —thus all these assets should attain an equal level of importance and quality. When content is coupled with a high-quality graphic design or visual asset, for example, it only amplifies the messaging, thus micro forms of content strategy (for example, a social media post) should deliver the same standard as all marketing collateral that harbors a brand’s identity.

Moreover, high-quality content to propel engagement can also be achieved through personalization. By tailoring content to the specific needs and interests of individual users, brands can create a more relevant experience that engages audiences’ emotions through a human-centric approach. Whether it’s web pages, email marketing and more, content that is tailored to users’ preferences on an individual level can ensure your content is much more engaging and sparks a connection with users. Ultimately, incorporating personalization into a content strategy can help brands build strong and lasting relationships with their target audience.

Related: Why Content Marketing Is Crucial to Your Business

Consistency and distribution

Attaining a strong content strategy in place is only as strong as its upkeep. The pulse in which your content development strategy is uploaded is essential to not only boost SEO but to also ensure a consistent online presence. Thus, creating a content or editorial calendar that organizes the frequency of posts helps you avoid missing opportunities to stay connected with your audiences. Additionally, structuring the calendar to include where each content asset is published is key. Visibility across platforms and tiers such as paid, earned and owned publication of content further covers all your brand’s bases. A healthy balance across all three furthers exposure and traction as well.

To further ensure cohesion, consistency in tone, voice and delivery across all platforms establishes a robust brand identity. A brand that is unified in the way in which it is represented further engages audiences and solidifies a brand’s ethos. In turn, when a brand’s internal team is on the same page about the intricacies of a brand’s overall purpose, it promotes a better sense of brand enablement in which a brand will be represented accurately across platforms, internally and externally.

Track performance

With a content strategy newly in place and an editorial calendar ready to ensure its frequent delivery, tracking the analytics of a content strategy is crucial for gauging its effectiveness and making data-driven decisions to optimize it for better results. Analyzing the data that arises from your brand’s content can provide a clear vision of how users are interacting with the newly established content, the bounce rates and linger times, as well as conversion rates to see what is working and what still may need to be improved on.

Tools such as Google Analytics or heat mapping can help determine if your users are skipping over any content that may not be in line with what they are seeking, or perhaps, might be too long in length. With the landscape of the digital world changing, keeping an eye out on user trends and how they interact with content is also essential. Understanding how your users are consuming content can also determine the analytics. For example, today, most users consume content in easily digestible formats such as short scrollable videos as opposed to, say, reading a full-length article. The shifts in which preferences turn and transform shouldn’t be overlooked.

Content is in full force in the digital world, and ensuring that your brand has a robust and optimized content strategy in place can elevate it in new ways. The tips above will help you develop a strong content strategy and boost your brand’s online presence.

Related: How To Create Better Content And Grow Your Business

Goran Paun

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April 14, 2023
Entrepreneur | 3 Ecommerce Myths to Know Before Starting An Online Business
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I co-founded an ecommerce site for women-owned businesses in the spring of 2020. Like most people, I saw daily news about how the pandemic disproportionately affected women. Women were leaving or losing their jobs as schools and businesses closed, and the world moved to online shopping. I knew that I had to be proactive, and there had to be a place for women to start, pivot or grow their businesses through ecommerce.
- “I can launch my ecommerce business for as little as $19.00 a month and start making sales immediately.”
- “People will find my website and start buying my products as soon as it’s launched.”
- “Launching your ecommerce site will net you immediate income!”
Like many others, I believed these quotes and launched my business online. As I looked more deeply and learned the reality of starting an online business, I felt I had to share what I had learned. I want to save entrepreneurs focused on building and running their businesses from costly mistakes. The claims of easy, cost-effective and immediate sales do not reflect reality. Launching and maintaining an ecommerce business is complex, expensive and time-consuming.

Nearly three years later, here is what I’ve learned:

Myth #1: I can launch my ecommerce business for as little as $19.00 a month and start making sales right away

Many ecommerce services simplify and streamline creating and maintaining your online shop. The initial fees for these services can be very low, ranging from $0 to $10 per month. But once you add in website hosting, paying for your domain name, ensuring your site (and your customer data) are secure, purchasing or upgrading the theme for your store, selecting a payment gateway to process credit cards, and any number of optional extensions to improve the look and shopability of your site, and then add in extensions to enhance discovery through search engine optimization (SEO) it all adds up to an average of between $600 to $5,000 annually. And that doesn’t include even a penny of marketing.

Related: Thinking About Starting an Online Business? 2023 Is the Right Time to Do It. Here’s Why.

Myth #2: People will find my website and purchase my products once I have launched my online store

I hear this often from new entrepreneurs, and it sounds very reasonable. We are ALWAYS online and connected. There is a constant stream of shopping opportunities, so it seems it is just a matter of getting your products in front of people to buy. In ecommerce terms, this is “driving traffic,” and driving traffic can be expensive, time-consuming and prohibitively expensive. But how else will customers find you?

If you have a large social media following, you can tell your community that you are selling products and that they should check it out. But if you are growing your social media presence along with your business, you probably need to purchase advertising on those social platforms so you can be found. This is expensive and time-consuming and has no guaranteed results. I know of established brands spending tens of thousands of dollars monthly to drive site traffic.

Breaking through the noise of advertising on the internet to attract customers to your site probably is the most challenging part of ecommerce. For small businesses, the cost of social media or other online advertising is prohibitive; building a following takes time and money. Most entrepreneurs don’t have this time to spend while also trying to produce the product or service at the center of their businesses.

Related: 12 Awesome Tips From Ecommerce Experts

Myth #3: Launching your ecommerce site will net you immediate income

If only this were the case. It sounds simple enough, but see myths 1 and 2. You are in business because you are passionate about the product or service you deliver and good at it. Taking the focus away from your primary business is risky, and learning to master ecommerce can be a steep learning curve. The time you spend learning SEO, setting up search engine ads, creating digital marketing assets and troubleshooting that miracle app you bought from the online store is time you are not focused on your core business.

Online is increasingly the way consumers shop, and it is crowded. Breaking through the noise online is not fast, easy or cheap. Finding a community and resources to support your transition to ecommerce or online growth is necessary for small businesses. There are several sales channels and marketplaces that can be a great starting place. You pay commissions on sales, membership and promotional fees and become part of a larger organization that offers an online structure, domain, security, a payment gateway and marketing support and opportunities to promote or be featured to a larger audience.

Related: 5 Things to Know Before Launching An Ecommerce Business

Every channel or marketplace has nuances, and it’s critical that you look at all the details to ensure you find the best match for your products, budget, time and brand. Customer traffic to your products may come at a very high cost in time, money and margin. More to come on that.

The bottom line is that, yes, technically, you can launch a website leveraging online tools for about $20.00 a month. But to sell your products or services on your website, to be found by customers outside your immediate network, and to grow your business? This takes an investment of learning, time and money. Your job as a business owner is to do your research before deciding what, when and how is the best channel for your brand to grow online.

Nobody understands better than an entrepreneur that nothing in business is simple, inexpensive and “overnight.” Despite the hype, this may be doubly true for ecommerce. So again, do your homework, research and make sure that your business is ready for the challenges of ecommerce.
Kate Isler

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February 21, 2023
10 Tools for Successful Guest Posting, Media Outreach and Blogger Outreach
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In today’s digital landscape, it’s more important than ever to have effective tools and strategies in place to help you manage your online presence and reach your target audience. Whether you’re a business looking to improve your search engine rankings, a marketer trying to build relationships with influencers, or a PR professional looking to connect with journalists, a wide variety of tools are available to help you achieve your goals.

In this article, we’ll look at ten different tools that can help you with your digital marketing, SEO, PR and outreach efforts, including Ahrefs, Mention, OutreachPlus, Hootsuite, Ontolo, Muck Rack, Inkybee, Hunter and Buzzstream.

1. Ahrefs

This tool helps you find backlink opportunities and track the success of your outreach campaigns.

Ahrefs is a powerful tool that helps digital marketers and SEO professionals to improve their website’s search engine rankings. It provides a suite of features that allow users to discover backlink opportunities, track their outreach campaigns’ success and analyze their backlinks’ quality and strength.
- Use the tool to search for backlink opportunities and find websites willing to link to your website.
- Use the tool to track the success of your outreach campaigns and measure the impact of your backlinks on your search engine rankings.
- Use the tool to analyze the quality and strength of your backlinks, and identify opportunities to improve your link profile.
Related: What Are Backlinks and Why Do You Need Them for Your SEO?

2. Mention

This tool helps you track mentions of your brand across the web and identify outreach opportunities.

Mention is a powerful monitoring and analytics tool that helps businesses and organizations to track mentions of their brand across the web, including social media, blogs, and news websites. This tool allows users to identify opportunities for outreach, such as reaching out to journalists who have mentioned their brand or commenting on blog posts that mention their website and to measure the impact of their outreach efforts and track the reach of their brand across the web.

Use the tool to track mentions of your brand across the web, including on social media, blogs and news websites.
- Use the tool to identify opportunities for outreach, such as by reaching out to journalists who have mentioned your brand or by commenting on blog posts that mention your website.
- Use the tool to measure the impact of your outreach efforts and track the reach of your brand across the web.
3. OutreachPlus

OutreachPlus is a comprehensive and user-friendly tool that helps businesses and organizations to automate their outreach campaigns, streamline their efforts and track the success of their campaigns.

Use the tool to automate your outreach campaigns and streamline your efforts.
- Use the tool to personalize your outreach efforts and tailor your messages to individual influencers or media outlets.
- Use the tool to track the success of your outreach campaigns and measure the impact of your efforts.
Related: 7 Outreach Tactics Entrepreneurs Can Use In Troubled Times

4. Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a leading social media management platform that helps businesses and organizations to manage their social media accounts, reach out to influencers and track their social media activity.
- Use the tool to manage your social media accounts and connect with influencers.
- Use the tool to track and monitor your social media activity, including mentions of your brand and interactions with influencers.
- Use the tool to automate and schedule your social media posts, allowing you to stay active and engaged with your followers.
Related: 6 Tips for Hiring Your First Social Media Manager

5. Ontolo

Ontolo is a powerful tool that helps digital marketers and SEO professionals to find link-building opportunities and automate their outreach efforts. It provides a suite of features that allow users to discover new link-building opportunities, streamline their outreach process and track the success of their campaigns.
- Use the tool to search for link-building opportunities and find websites that are willing to link to your website.
- Use the tool to automate your outreach efforts and streamline your link-building process.
- Use the tool to track the success of your link-building campaigns and measure the impact of your efforts on your search engine rankings.
6. GroupHigh

A tool that helps you find and connect with influential bloggers in your industry.
- Use the tool to search for and find influential bloggers in your industry.
- Use the tool to track your interactions with these bloggers and keep a record of your outreach efforts.
- Use the tool to measure the success of your blogger outreach campaigns and track your progress over time.
7. Muck Rack

Muck Rack is a powerful PR and media relations tool that helps businesses and organizations to find and connect with journalists and media outlets in their industry. It allows users to easily search for media contacts, track their interactions, keep a record of their media outreach efforts, and measure the success of their campaigns over time.

Use the tool to search for and find journalists and media outlets in your industry.
- Use the tool to track your interactions with these journalists and record your media outreach efforts.
- Use the tool to measure the success of your media outreach campaigns and track your progress over time.
Related: Five Ways To Pitch Better To A Journalist

8. InkyBee

InkyBee is a comprehensive influencer marketing tool that helps businesses and organizations to find, track and manage their outreach campaigns with influencers in their industry. It allows users to search for and discover influencers easily, track their interactions, record their outreach efforts and automate their campaigns for effective follow-up.

A tool that helps you find and track influencers and manage your outreach campaigns.
- Use the tool to search for and find influencers in your industry.
- Use the tool to track your interactions with these influencers and keep a record of your outreach efforts.
- Use the tool to automate your outreach campaigns and follow up with influencers.
Related: 5 Reasons Why You Need to Take Advantage of Influencer Marketing

9. Hunter

Hunter is a powerful email lookup and verification tool that helps businesses and organizations to find email addresses and contact information for potential outreach partners. It allows users to easily search for and discover email addresses, verify the accuracy of the contact information and automate their outreach efforts, streamlining the process of reaching out to potential partners.
- Use the tool to search for and find potential outreach partners’ email addresses and contact information.
- Use the tool to verify the accuracy of the contact information you find and ensure that you are reaching out to the right person.
- Use the tool to automate your outreach efforts and streamline your process for reaching out to potential partners.
10. Buzzstream

A tool that helps you find and track relationships with influencers and manage your outreach efforts:

Buzzstream is a comprehensive influencer relationship management tool that helps businesses and organizations to find, track and manage their outreach efforts with influencers in their industry. It allows users to search for influencers easily, track their interactions, automate their outreach campaigns and follow-up, measure the success of their campaigns and track their progress over time.

Use the tool to search for and find influencers in your industry.
- Use the tool to track your interactions with these influencers and keep a record of your outreach efforts.
- Use the tool to automate your outreach campaigns and follow up with influencers.
- Use the tool to measure the success of your outreach campaigns and track your progress over time.
Whether you’re just starting out with link building and outreach or are an experienced pro, these tools can help you find new opportunities, streamline your efforts, and measure your progress. These tools have covered you from finding and tracking influencers to automating your outreach campaigns. So start building those valuable links and relationships today!
Jigar Thakkar

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January 27, 2023
3 Ways to Build an Online Presence With Social Media

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The internet has changed business almost beyond recognition. Gone are the days when business cards, a listing in the yellow pages and well-considered display advertising were needed to establish a presence with potential customers. In the 21st century, digital marketing has replaced many traditional marketing activities. Social media networks are among the most effective channels for establishing an online presence.

The importance of social media for your company’s online presence

Since the advent of the world wide web in the 1990s, having an online presence has become all but a requirement for successful businesses. Customers look for products and services online, and many have become accustomed to online shopping. Granted, there may be some local businesses that manage to attract customers by word-of-mouth only, but most companies rely on online connections.

For the first decade and a half of the internet’s existence for the public, building an online presence relied on creating a company website and perhaps using email marketing. Since then, digital marketing has grown and diversified, with social media networks becoming one of the most important marketing tools. Being visible on social media allows brands to connect directly to consumers and establish trust between a business and its potential customers.

In addition, leading social media networks offer marketing tools explicitly designed to help brands connect to their audiences. By 2021, more than 90% of U.S. businesses with more than 100 employees were using these tools for social media marketing. However, your brand can be small to benefit from an online presence. Most social media marketing tools will scale up or down to accommodate companies of all sizes.

Related: How to Make Social Media Marketing Effective for Your Brand

Building a successful online presence

Building a successful, effective online presence on social media requires a strategic approach [perhaps link to the previous article here]. Before going into detail, it is worth defining what we mean by social media presence. The term refers to a brand’s social media visibility and its audience connections.

Three main pillars to help establish this presence are branding, public relations (PR) and digital marketing. For all three, a strategic, well-planned approach delivers the best results. Simply adding a post now and then is not enough to establish a recognizable presence or build lasting connections with your target audiences.

Related: Why Effective Content Marketing Will Transform Your Social Media

1. Branding for social media presence

By the time they start building their online presence, most businesses have created a brand identity and developed a strategy for branding. If that is the case for your business, your brand must remain recognizable on social media.

The company’s brand voice and aesthetic should be easily identifiable across all digital and analog marketing channels. In practice, that means a social media user scrolling through their feed should be able to recognize your posts without seeing your brand logo or your account handle.

Aligning brand messages between all channels helps reinforce and strengthen them. Alignment also helps build trust and credibility with potential consumers. On the other hand, if your brand voice, messages and visual presentation differ between outlets, the differences will create confusion. They dilute the brand’s messaging and damage the credibility you are trying to build online.

2. Public relations (PR)

Strategic PR is another channel brands can use to engage their audiences. Public relations has traditionally relied on media outlets to disseminate brand messages.

However, by using social media, brands can reach audiences — including journalists — directly and start a conversation. If the conversation is relevant to other audiences, social media platforms make sharing content easy and increase its reach. As a result, new audiences become aware of the brand, leading to a greater social media presence.

Another way of leveraging PR to increase a brand’s online presence is by contributing to other media outlets as an expert guest or regular contributor and linking to your brand’s social media channels.

Related: What’s Hot and What’s Not in Public Relations for 2023

3. Using digital marketing to increase your social media presence

Brands with a successful social network presence utilize all their digital marketing channels to build that presence. These synergies between marketing activities do not happen automatically. They must be written into your digital marketing and social media marketing strategy.

In practice, your marketing and brand team must actively pursue opportunities to highlight your social media presence and drive engagement. Here is an example: if your brand has been using email marketing successfully to connect to consumers, encourage readers to connect to you on social media. They benefit by establishing a more immediate and direct connection if they need support — your brand benefits by being able to connect more frequently.

Other digital marketing channels like blogs can elaborate on a topic introduced on social media and encourage readers to join your brand’s community on a specific channel. The key to using other digital marketing channels to support your social network presence is to create connections between your brand’s channels.

Related: How to Build on Your Digital Marketing Momentum in 2023

Consistency matters

Building a successful online presence through social media networks requires a consistent and strategic approach. Utilizing existing digital marketing channels and ensuring close alignment with the company’s overall branding supports a growing social media presence. In addition, strategic PR activities can also increase a brand’s social media presence across all its channels. Delivering consistent, relevant content that aligns with overall brand objectives is the key to growing and maintaining an engaged social network audience.

Jessica Wong

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December 22, 2022
8 Things Every Business Should Do to Improve Its Online Presence in 2023

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Regardless of the kind of business you operate, there are many things you can gain from having a strong online presence. With a powerful online presence, you can boost brand awareness, increase leads and increase sales. So, as we are moving closer to 2023, every business must plan to take its online presence to the next level.

In this post, we will explain some important things every business should do to improve its online presence in 2023.

Build a user-friendly, attractive website

When creating an impressive online presence in 2023, the importance of having a website cannot be overemphasized. Your website can make it easier for people to know what you are capable of offering them. Additionally, it can tell people more about your work process, work hours, location, contact information and lots more.

But you shouldn’t just create any site. It must be user-friendly and visually appealing. This is because the expectations of consumers are high nowadays. As a result, they will not waste their time on a low-quality, hard-to-navigate website. So, you should hire the service of experienced website developers and designers to ensure your site meets the required standard.

Related: 4 Content Marketing Strategies You Should Use in 2023

Use SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing strategy for increasing your brand’s visibility in search results. As your website ranks higher in search results, more people will be able to come across your brand. Therefore, SEO can make a big difference in your online presence.

To optimize your site for SEO in 2023, you should invest in finding the most relevant keywords. Afterward, use the keywords appropriately and naturally in your headers, meta description, blog content, social media posts, etc.

Also, you shouldn’t forget the three most crucial aspects of SEO, which are:

When done correctly, SEO will help you to reach more potential customers, thus, boosting your online presence.

Related: 6 SEO Tips to Benefit Any Business

Take advantage of local directories

Although it may seem that local directories are only meant for local businesses, all businesses can gain from them. With the directories aid, many would-be customers can check out your business without going to your site. So, as you are trying to boost your business’s online presence, you need to create profiles on local directories such as Google.

Invest in online ads

While a business can grow online organically without ads, online ads can make the job easier and faster. Therefore, if you want to improve your business’s online presence, you need to invest in online ads. Facebook, Google, YouTube and other platforms now allow users to pay for ads. These ads will showcase your offers, ensuring that more people know about your business.

Online ads are helpful for businesses in different ways. Firstly, it can be tailored to suit your target audience. You can use age, interests, location, gender, behavior and other parameters to determine who will see the ads. Secondly, the ads can be done in varying formats, such as images, texts, infographics and videos.

Focus on only the most important online platforms

You can explore numerous platforms when it comes to boosting the image of your business online. However, you must be careful, as being present on several platforms may not be advantageous to your business. Generally, you will have to spend lots of time online marketing your business through numerous platforms. This can be pretty distracting and even prevent you from offering quality services and products to existing customers.

As a result, you should only focus on the most vital platforms. If you can only maximize the use of your website, emails and three social media platforms, you should concentrate on them. You just need to select the best platforms that will assist you in getting the most from your online presence.

Post shareable and emotional content consistently

Another way to improve your online presence is to post content your audience can share with friends. By sharing your content, it will be able to reach more people, thus, boosting your online presence. Nevertheless, most users will only share content that resonates with them emotionally. So, creating emotional and shareable content from time to time on your website and social media pages is paramount.

Infuse emotional phrases and words into your headers, captions, blog posts, etc. Add exciting images, videos, stats and emojis to your content. Also, you can directly encourage the readers to share your post.

Use email marketing

Even though email marketing is one of the oldest means of digital marketing, it is still crucial today. Many internet users utilize emails and check their inbox messages regularly. According to Optinmonster.com, about 99% of email users open their emails at least once daily. So, if you can reach out to existing and would-be customers through emails, you will increase your online presence in 2023.

To optimize email marketing, you must build an email list and craft unique subject lines and content. Also, you must send emails regularly, but don’t spam your audiences.

Explore guest posting

As you continue to look for ways to improve the online presence of your business, you shouldn’t limit it to your platforms. For instance, guest posting can be a great way to let more people know about your business. Guest posting refers to the process of creating a blog post on another platform’s blog. You need to add a link to your website or blog in the blog post. When people engage with your post on the website, they may click the link and visit your website.

When choosing a platform for guest posting, ensure it is a platform with many audiences. Such a platform will allow you to reach more people.

After doing everything above, you should keep track of the progress of your effort with Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs, etc. Keep updating these things until you have accomplished the goal of improving your business’s online presence in 2023.

Related: How to Enhance Your SEO Efforts by Guest Posting

Gajura Constantin

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October 21, 2022