Online presence Be at all the places where your customers are: web, , social media, mobile... and in-person

Extend your business online Why to have a company's online presence People expect all businesses to have a website or facebook page Lot of ‘Word of mouth’ is done online these days Accessibility Gives your business a virtual 24-hour showroom Provides a way for the customer to "check out" your company Track and analyse your consumers behavior Where to begin with your company's online presence? Website Newsletter Social Media Blog

Website: Your Domain Name Choosing a Domain Name Keep it short! It must be a name that everyone will remember and associate with your business If “your domain name.com.au” is already taken – try the other extensions Other extensions are gaining popularity and may offer more availability for the domain name you desire Register your Domain Check availibility Consider what you want to do with the registration DNS forwarding Hosting package Watch your expiration dates! A domain name isn’t forever and needs to be renewed

Hosting your website Wordpress.com for your business website Some key steps to take: Upgrade for a Custom Domain (not free) Create a static home page Use pages, not posts Consider adding a blog Upgrade for e-commerce (not free) Free hosting like Wix.com There will be ads above your website... Create your own - with or without a webdesigner Get webhosting at your choice hosting Use a Content Managing System Wordpress.org Joomla.org

Your website design Spend time thinking about what you want to communicate Impact First impressions count! Keep your website similar to your house-style Your website is a vital piece of your marketing and branding efforts The right colour scheme plays a big role in catching a visitor's eye High-quality images make a great first impression Don’t go overboard!

Your website design Functionality Make sure that people know how to use your site Keep it simple and intuitive Consider clear call to action What do you want users to do once they’ve found your website? Do you want them to buy your product, contact you, or subscribe to your business e-newsletter? Adaptive or response design is increasingly important Mobile phones and tablets

Content Dynamic content A dynamic and up-to-date website will be more relevant to a visitor and it will also give repeat visitors a reason to return News (blog), specials and testimonials are a few ways of making a website more exciting and dynamic. Updating your content regularly makes it more search-engine friendly! Images are important Getting people to have an emotional connection with your business is a key factor in securing long-term relations Good quality pictures of your products and services can clearly showcase what you can offer customers The use of top-quality images also offers another advantage: your business is more likely to get noticed on image-heavy media sites such as Pinterest

Visibility Communicate your website on all your promotional material Business card Flyers In your Newsletter and Social Media Optimise your website for search engines Keep your content fresh Search engines love fresh content, and so do website visitors Use relevant keywords in your content. Try getting links to your website in good content on high-ranking websites. QR codes can be a helpful tool to direct consumers to your website

Newsletter Stay in touch with your customers - keep nurturing the relationship Provide value to your customers - cater to your subscribers' needs Have your newsletter look very similar to your site Put a signup form on your blog or website is still the best way to get your message heard and social media is the best way to get your message spread

Creating a newsletter Set goals What do you hope to achieve by sending out this e-newsletter? Make sure your goal is specific and measurable Decide on frequency Find out the frequency that works best for you AND your audience Develop content Keep track of your ideas for each newsletter Choose a program Set up a template to match your blog or website Send—and listen to feedback Learn what your audience likes (or dislikes) - check the mail reports Know your readers Deliver a more personalized experience to each of your subscribers

Using Social Media Set your goal Spread your message and attract new audiences Enhance customer dialogue Build brand awareness Find your audience - Identify the best sites for your business Different social-media sites have different visitor demographics Facebook is used primarily for engaging target clients Twitter is used to share links to relevant information Pinterest is focused on the discovery and curation of other people’s content LinkedIn is used for B2B marketing and networking Google+ is also used to share information; in addition it helps drive traffic to websites.

Using Social Media Participate Set up an extensive profile and include photos – you want your profile page to be an engaging, welcoming place Keep changing your profile page Updating pages and adding content will drive your page up in search results and draw new visitors Spread the word Increase customer engagement through continuous interaction Listen to what others are saying, comment and respond People who like a brand on Facebook, follow a brand on Twitter or subscribe to a brand’s newsletter, are more likely to buy and recommend

Benefits of blogging To share your expertise Sharing your experience, thoughts, tips and strategies on the blog can position you as a thought leader or an expert To interact Blogs are usually written in a conversational way. They add a personal touch to your business To optimize for search engines To grow your network Write about the topics that matter within your industry and answering the relevant questions your customers have. If you are posting informative content with value, a relevant group of readers are bound to follow your blog To attract visitors for your main site To create a buzz Share blog posts in your newsletter and/or post them on social media

Starting a blog Find a (free) platform that suits you - or install a blogging CMS on your website Wordpress.com Blogger.com Set realistic goals for yourself What type of content can you create on a regular frequency Create relevant content Stay conversational Post photos or videos Interview someone Make a list of the ten questions you’re most commonly asked, and turn these into posts Respond to comments that are posted

Summary Take advantage of what technology has to offer 63% of Australians start their shopping on a device (According to Google’s Think Insights research study)Google’s Think Insights research study 75% of people are somewhat or highly likely to share content they like online with friends, co-workers or family It’s all interconnected Your message can be sent out via an newsletter, then archived on your website, mentioned in blog posts, with tweets and Facebook links pointing to it.

Resources Social Media marketing Blog Newsletters Web Google’s Think Insights research study