What to consider

Thinking of your online presence you need to consider:

• Your identity
• Where / Why?
• Content
• How easy is it for potential customers?

Be your own customer

Step back from your business and be your own customer.

• What did you find?
• How consistently is your business / product represented across different digital platforms?
• Ask a 'crital friend' to be your customer.
• Check out 3-5 other similar businesses and include one competitor.

What is your digital footprint?

Your digital footprint is important to your business and it helps determine the standing point of your brand on the internet. It is the digital trail that your business leaves behind from such things as your:

• Website
• Social Media
• Blog posts
• Customer Reviews
• Comments
• Listings
• Videos etc.

What to look out for

As your business grows and online activity develops, you’ll embrace different platforms, connect more with others and therefore over time a review of your digital footprint will ensure that your business name, details, contact details etc are up to date. It’s an opportunity to refresh, combine, archive and delete content.

What do your customers see?

If you want to find out what your customers see when they research your business / you then there are several ways to do this.

• Google your business / yourself.
• Go 'incognito'.

Going incognito means lets you browse the web without storing browsing data on your browser so that it can't be retrieved later. This means that your searches, visited pages, login details and cookies will not be saved on the device after you close your private windows. It is helpful for your business as you can do your own market research into our business.

• Open your internet browser.
• Right click on the 3 dots at top right hand side of your screen.
• Select “New incognito window”.

What does your online presence look like on a PC? A tablet? A mobile?

With the volume of internet users on mobile devices rapidly rising - ensuring your site looks good on different devices is vital.

Is your website set up with ‘responsive pages’ - this will automatically enable best layout for different devices?

You can search ‘help’ on your website platform - and/or consult your website designer.

Visual consistency

Start with your avatar.

• Avatar is an online representation of yourself, or your business.
• Important part of your online business identity.
• Online Representation of your business that can show up in places where you may leave comments, posts or on other networks.
• Instantly recognisable across your different platforms.
• Logo or visual from your work.

Text consistency

Consider the wording that you use across your platforms and ensure text consistency such as:

• Social media tags/names
• Business v Personal Representation
• 'About’ descriptions
• Key words

What to consider

List all the platforms you are on and consider:

• Do they all do the job for you?
• Are you focusing on the right ones?
• How often do you use it?
• Delete obsolete and rarely used platforms.
• Be on the platforms your audience are most likely to use.
• Know the reasons for being on different platforms.

Facebook

• Build a Community
• Still popular
• Often 1st to be searched
• Images, Videos, Polls
• Live Videos
• Older demographic
• FB Shop

Twitter

• Start a Discussion
• Regular business updates
• Brief Announcements
• Discussion threads
• Businesses/Organisations
• Fleets

Instagram

• Sharing Visuals
• Gallery/Portfolio of your work
• High engagement
• Younger demographic
• Instagram stories
• GTV/Shopping
• Reels

YouTube

• Share Video
• Share virtual tours of your studio,
• how-to videos, vlogs
• Build an audience of similar interests

Pinterest

• Share Images/Mood boards
• High percentage of female users with disposable income
• Audience is often actively looking to buy
• Links directly to your website, shop, social media or blog

LinkedIn

• Professional Network
• Connect with industry contacts
• Start conversations
• Find helpful articles & tips from successful people in your industry
• Share your own blog articles & tips

Review your content

When thinking about your content:

• Consider the style of your content in terms of the story you’re sharing.
• It’s quality not quantity.
• Plan 1-3 months at a time with flexibility for updates.
• Is your business story reflected in your regular content?
• Do you want your content to be passive, e.g. a gallery, showcase or do you want to encourage engagement e.g. conversation, action?

What is your call to action?

What do you want your customer to do when they engage with your social media platform(s)?

• Is it obvious what you want your customer/client to do when they engage with your website and/or social media platform(s)?
• Have you made it easy for them to engage the way you want? eg: Is the ‘Subscribe Here’ button on the bios of social media, home page of the website etc.

Top 10 checklist

• Swap you mindset and 'be your own customer'
• Review your existing digital footprint
• Go incognito and google your business
• Check your website looks great on all devices
• Are your tags / names / avatars about descriptions / holding images consitent?
• Review your social media accounts, update / delete / focus why and how you use them
• Check your selected 'call to action' is clearly visable and accessible across all your platforms
• Plan your key messages and stories for the next 3 months
• Be realistic and have reasonable expectations
• Be realistic with time, quality verses quantity, you still need till torun your business