5 Ways to Establish an Impactful Online Presence
Reputation Matters
Even if you don’t care about negative reviews, your clients definitely do. In fact, 89% of buyers don’t make purchase decisions without checking reviews first. So, the more positive conversations and reviews your target audiences see about your brand online, the more likely they are to consider doing business with you.
By responding to positive and negative reviews, checking listing accuracy across multiple sites, and reacting to online conversations surrounding your brand, you can build a trustworthy brand image and win your clients’ trust and hearts.
Another great step to showing your audience you care about their opinions and feedback is inviting them to leave a review. This is also an amazing way to highlight your products and services to future customers. Use review widgets to display positive reviews on your homepage, and watch as your website visitors convert into paying customers.
Make SEO a Top Priority
With 93% of all online experiences beginning with a search engine, a well-planned SEO strategy is a must if you want your website to be found online by customers. High search engine rankings are one of the most cost-effective and sustainable ways to generate web traffic and leads.
For example, in a competitive and niche industry like the cannabis industry, choosing the right keywords and target phrases can go a long way in boosting your online rankings. From on-page and off-page SEO optimizations, quality backlinks, and meta tags to maintaining accurate and up-to-date listings information, a professional SEO expert can help you navigate the evolving SEO trends and stay on top of search engine rankings.
Establish Yourself as the Local Expert
You know you work hard to deliver the best possible products and services to your customers, but do they know that? The quality of your website content, your online ratings, and social media activity matter when it comes to ranking high on Google and other search engines. If your online presence is not up to the mark, your competitors will steal your clients!
Informative, engaging, and relevant blogs, social posts, online videos, and other interactive forms of content are the best way to establish your brand as the go-to business in your locality. This way, your business is both at the top of people’s minds and at the top of search engine rankings.
Set Up an Online Store
Does your website showcase what you do best? With today’s customers relying heavily on online shopping to find what they want, e-commerce has become essential for growing businesses.
As two-thirds of shoppers already use social media to find new products, social commerce is another avenue businesses should consider in 2022. With platforms like Instagram now allowing brands to tag products on posts, consumers can buy your products without leaving the app.
Optimize Your Website for Multi-Device Browsing
In 2021, 53.98% of all web traffic came from smartphones. This means mobile-first websites are no longer an option for businesses—they are a necessity. Additionally, 61% of users are more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly website. Clearly, this is not a market that brands can afford to ignore.
Need help building a fast, responsive, and mobile-optimized website? Our expert team of website developers is here to help.
Though a necessity, digital marketing can be an intimidating space to navigate by yourself. Fortunately, the Outrageous Digital team is here to help you stay on top of digital marketing trends and conquer the digital world. Schedule a consultation with us today!
Digital Marketing Agency Disclaimer
The Effects of Advertising
Advertisements are still a standard in television today. However, it’s changed drastically since 1941 when it all began. Today, it is a multi-billion-dollar industry.
While that’s impressive, even more advertising now happens online than on television.
In 2017, digital advertising surpassed TV advertising for the first time. Giants like Facebook and Google make billions every year from digital advertising.
Online advertising is not limited to the giants, though.
Blogs and websites carry advertisements. Celebrities and influencers advertise with their social media pages where they can reach millions of people with each post. The influence of social media on advertising is consistently increasing.
With the increase in advertising, there is a possibility of losing the ‘Truth in Advertising.’
Truth in Advertising
When someone is presented with an advertisement, the ad should be truthful and not misleading. This applies to all ads regardless of whether it’s a radio, television or internet ad.
It’s the job of the Federal Trade Commission in the United States to make sure ‘truth in advertising’ laws are adhered to.
The standards are not different for traditional media or digital media.
The FTC insists on some requirements for ads:
- Advertising must be truthful and non-deceptive – This means that your ad should not contain promises you will not fulfill. It should also not contain statements that are attractive but not accurate. Advertising for a ‘free’ trial drug that users will have to pay something for – even something nominal – is a good example here.
- Advertisers must have evidence to back up their claims.
- Advertisements cannot be unfair – Your ads should not promote products or services that can cause harm to the health of users.
The FTC focuses more on ads that affect consumers’ health and their pocketbooks. Ads on food, drugs, dietary supplements and alcohol are put under considerable scrutiny.
Claims on high-tech products and the internet also receive significant attention.
Truth sometimes isn’t black and white. An ad does not have to be untrue to be considered deceptive.
What is a Deceptive Ad?
According to the FTC, an ad is deceptive if it does one of the following:
- Contains or omits information that is likely to mislead consumers acting to the best of their knowledge.
- Contains or omits information that is important to the consumer’s decision to buy or use the product.
If there is a chance your ad will leave an ordinary consumer with a false impression, then it is deceptive.
The FTC has provided a helpful Advertising FAQ that works as a guide for small businesses.
In 2017, Uber settled a false ad charge for $20 million. In a bid to attract drivers, Uber had exaggerated the earnings the drivers would make. This is considered to be a deceptive ad.
That same year, Moonlight Slumber, a company based in Illinois, was charged with deceptive advertising. The company ran ads on its website that claimed its mattresses were organic. The FTC, however, found out that they made very little of the mattresses with any organic material.
The company also presented its products to have been certified by the ‘Green Safety Shield.’ It did not state, however, that the Shield was its own designation. The company basically created it and then awarded it to its own products.
It’s not difficult to see how deceptive that was to consumers.
How Does the FTC Determine a Deceptive Ad?