What, Why, and How: Digital Presence

“Almost overnight, the Internet’s gone from a technical wonder to a business must.
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–Bill Schrader

If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, you’ve probably heard about “digital presence”, and how important it is to have one. But what exactly constitutes a digital presence, and how do you go about crafting one that’s right for your business? Let’s take a look!

Digital Presence: Your Brand’s Online Reputation

Broadly speaking, the term digital presence encompasses everything that your business does and says online, as well as what other people are saying about it. This includes any and all social media accounts, websites, blogs, and basically any other online activity concerning your business.

While that may seem like a pretty general description, that’s about as specific as we can get! Every business is unique, and so it follows that each business’s digital profile will be too. A small, locally-oriented business might be able to get away with a social media account or two, whereas a large multinational can be expected to have a network of corporate sites, blogs, and social media profiles. There is no “right answer” when it comes to digital presence; it all depends on the specific needs and goals of your company.

Why Digital Presence Matters

In today’s digital economy, it’s difficult to overstate the importance of having a well-crafted digital presence for your business. In fact, the success or failure of a modern business depends on it. Here are just a few of the many reasons why investing in your company’s digital presence is worthwhile:

Visibility
As obvious as this sounds, potential clients need to hear about or see your company before they can do business with you. As such, having your brand online, where increasingly more people are spending much of their time, is a no-brainer. Of course, there will always be a place for traditional advertising; billboards and television aren’t disappearing anytime soon. Nevertheless, digital advertising has become an essential component of modern business strategy; a company neglects it at their own peril.

Authority
Surely, we’ve all had this experience: you hear about an interesting restaurant and proceed to Google it, only to find a shabby website or an unkempt Facebook profile. Or worse yet: nothing at all. From a potential customer’s point of view, this is a huge red flag. Having a mediocre web presence, or none at all, isn’t exactly a sign of authority and professionalism. The takeaway is this: when people go looking for your brand online, what they find will be their first impression of you. Make sure they find something awesome!

Availability
One of the most powerful things about a website is that it’s globally and persistently available. That is, it can be viewed by anyone in the world at virtually any time. This gives potential customers 24/7/365 access to your company. Anyone that’s ever fretted over the limited time window of a print or television ad will understand just how revolutionary this aspect of digital marketing is.

Crafting a Digital Presence

Crafting a successful digital presence isn’t an overnight endeavor, but it is a well-defined one. Like most things in life, it’s simple but not easy. Fortunately for you and your business, that’s where Mutualism comes in! We have years of experience in digital marketing, strategy, and web design/development. We’ve had the pleasure of working with dozens of clients to help them realize their business goals and optimize their digital strategy. Whether you’re looking to build a new digital presence from the ground up, or to streamline an existing one, here’s how we can help:

Content
We’ll work with you to understand what your business is all about: what products/services it offers, as well as what its core values are. This is the essence of your company; it’s raison d’être, if you will. This is the message or content we want to communicate to your clients.

Strategy
Knowing what to say is the first step, but we also have to figure out how to say it. That’s where strategy comes it. We’ll work with you to craft a message that not only communicates the proper content, but also engages and excites your customers.

Design
Just as effective strategy makes your message as engaging as possible, effective design makes the difference between a mediocre website and a beautiful, easy-to-use one. Whether it’s thoughtful branding, user-experience and interface design, or anything in between, we’ve got you covered.

Technology
Last but not least, we have technology. You know, the thing that powers the Internet? Tech can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Whatever features you have in mind for your website or web application, we’ll find the right technologies to help you implement them, and we’ll be more than happy to explain along the way, so that everyone’s on the same page.

Take the First Step

Are you excited about building your digital presence yet? We certainly are!