Many businesses maintain an online presence, but in fact a large percentage of those do the minimum they need to maintain this presence. It is clearer than ever that a strong online presence benefits your business in numerous ways. Below are just four of the main benefits and why you should focus on making the most of them.

 

Establish your brand by increasing your reach

'SHOUT' - Rocio Fdez. Ledesma via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Several businesses have taken advantage of the more level playing field offered by digital marketing to strengthen their brand. It provides all businesses with an opportunity to reach audiences they would never have had access to with conventional marketing and a restrictive budget. This increase in reach means you potentially have the whole world within your reach. To successfully achieve this, you need to stand out from your competitors by cultivating a unique and appealing brand identity, preferably without shouting about it.

 

It's all about the customer's experience

An effective online presence must be aware of the customer's journey, as using your digital presence effectively provides a direct point of contact for customers. In a world where customer bases increasingly share their experience of your company, this direct link will provide plenty of opportunities for your business to show it cares about its customers. When people see first-hand that you respond in a timely manner and do your best to solve peoples problems it reassures them, increasing their feeling of security and the likelihood they will use your service or buy your product. Focus on creating the best online customer service experience possible, the benefits will be more than worth your efforts.

 

Build authority by becoming a thought leader in your industry

'Street Feet #1' - Raul Gonzalez via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

While an online presence must appeal to your target audience in an engaging way, it can also be used to let them know you're at the forefront of your industry. Having your digital presence seen in the right places will enhance your standing in potential customers minds. While your overall marketing campaign may focus on areas that appeal to your target audience in a more general sense, some of your content should be directly aimed at establishing authority. Nike doesn't post blogs or articles about car manufacturing, and an online casino wouldn't create content about sports shoes. They would both stick to their market. While an online casino would create fun content surrounding special offers and the games they have available, they should also create content about law and technology changes that affect their business and customers, showing a degree of interest and expert knowledge on topics specific to their industry to build authority - in other words, offering more value to their readers.

 

Be seen by all the right people

Your digital presence allows for a much more targeted approach to your marketing. Traditional marketing can be potluck. If you run an advertisement on the side of a bus, or in a popular mainstream newspaper, lots of people are going to see it who are outside your target demographic, whereas digital marketing allows you to target specific locations, age groups, genders, or even people who have particular interests. A simple example comes from Facebook's option to choose the target audience of an ad or a promoted post, but this potential extends to the biggest online marketing platforms.

There are many more advantages to strengthening your digital offering and ensuring you maximise all areas of your online presence. Businesses that are actively pushing to achieve this are reaping the benefits and thriving in a world full of smartphones and tablets.