Last week we posted a quiz about how to develop online brands. So far, the thing you’d like most to do to improve your company’s online presence is:

• Keep your website content current and reflecting your brand
• Actively engage customers in ways that are meaningful to them
• Or, both

Which leads to this question posed by one of you:

• How can we get our customers and prospects more engaged on our blog and other social networks?

There’s no such thing as “build it and they will come.” Yes, first you build a website that gives visitors a true experience of your brand (through navigation, functionality, content and a visual look and feel that’s designed to meet your visitors’ reasons for coming to you in the first place). But the content is also important. It has to be meaningful, interactive, engaging and relevant (and somewhat fresh, so that they have a reason to visit more often than once). Content gives visitors a reason to believe that you are thinking through what’s most important to them.

Once you have your hub (your website) built and aligned with your brand, get out there and find, listen and engage in social networking. Just like you do for real-person encounters, research where your customers and influencers hang out online and start there. Join their community. Build trust. Say something interesting and drive them to your website or blog. If it is current, authentic and engaging that will inspire visitors to either join your blog conversation or mention you somewhere in their network. That’s how it works. It takes time, patience and a penchant for listening, but it pays off when you realize you are not just part of the conversation, but are the subject of conversation.

What are your thoughts? Do I make it sound too easy? What are the barriers you face in building your online presence?

If you haven’t taken the quiz yet, help keep the conversation going and give yourself a chance to win a Flip video camera all at the same time (just scroll down the page)…

Beth Woolley

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