How online businesses can remain competitive

In Summary

• Forums, Facebook groups, chatrooms and groups on websites like LinkedIn are all fantastic places to start.

• Be sure to keep your presence consistent, engage with quality followers, share high quality content to encourage sharing.

Chance to grow online service sector
Chance to grow online service sector

With the digital world evolving, and more people than ever shopping, playing and working on the internet, it’s more important than ever that businesses have a strong online presence.

Whether you’re a small start-up or a large-scale corporation, your online presence is really your shopfront — and in a global economy it really is the world — as it’s the place that people will most likely look to when comparing your services or products with others.

Retail, tech, media and online gaming are some of the most competitive industries in the digital world.

The tech and media industries face similar problems; as the driving force of information and products online, brands need to work incredibly hard to stand out from the crowd.

The rise of online gambling has also made for a very saturated marketplace, so businesses offer something unique. Taking online casinos as an example, 777 casinos have gone with an eye-catching, retro 1950’s Vegas design, something which you won’t find anywhere else, which cements their status as a top of the line online casino.

 

To compete within the online gambling sector, it is important companies cater for people of different tastes and continue to offer fun promotions like bonuses and VIP memberships to entice new customers.

Professional website

Having a professional website is a crucial part of building your online presence. A well-designed website that clearly showcases your organisation and what you offer in terms of services and products and how customers can get in touch is key. Visuals, a responsive design (so your website can be seen on a variety of tech gadgets including smartphones and desktops), concise messaging and good content are all really important elements in driving interest.

Communities

Engaging in online communities is a great way to drive valuable traffic to your website. Forums, Facebook groups, chatrooms and groups on websites like LinkedIn are all fantastic places to start. Online communities are often built by members who have specific interests and hobbies, or have a shared location, language or professions. Once you’ve targeted the ones that will be most interest in your business, you can begin to engage these audiences.

Social Media

Everyone seems to be on social media these days. Social media is, in fact, an integral part of your brand presence online. You need to be on all the best platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Be sure to keep your presence consistent, engage with quality followers, share high quality content to encourage sharing and optimise your posts with strong anchors and media like photos and video.

 

Email marketing

One way to get closer to your audience and stay ahead of the competition is by getting good at email marketing. Use sign up forms on your website to start to grow a subscription base. Send out offers, updates, news, content, thank them for your business and request referrals. Email marketing isn’t just a way to build your online presence; you can also use it to track data and see what’s working best as part of your marketing strategy.

Paid ads

Paid advertising is a fantastic way to drive traffic to your website. One of the best types of paid ads are pay-per-click ads which enables you to display ads on search engines, like Google. They make it much more likely that a user will choose your website, and then in turn, products, and services.

SEO

Search Engine Optimisiation, also known as SEO, is the science behind search engines that directs customers to your website by boosting you up the ranks of search results. SEO is based on keywords - words or phrases related to your business, that placed strategically throughout content on your site will give you a stronger presence on the internet. Figure out what words work best for your brand and will get you the reach you need.

Influencers and blogs

There’s nothing like the power of word of mouth. And when it comes to the internet, that word of mouth exists as part of blogs and the content that influencers create on platforms like Instagram. Getting an influencer to give a shoutout about your product or service is an excellent way to get traffic to your site and get the best results online.

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