Strengthen your online presence (while you’re stuck in lockdown

Frustratingly, many of us have recently found ourselves in lockdown once again. For some, this translates to more time on the property, with less hours spent on deliveries, at farmers markets and/or at dayjobs. Even for those who aren’t movement restricted, the natural ebb and flow of running a business means that sometimes a random quiet patch will appear, affording you the time needed to conquer long neglected tasks on your to-do list.

If improving your digital marketing is on your mental list, you’ll be pleased to know there are things which you can tackle yourself without spending a cent. The trick is in knowing which tasks – realistically - can be handled by someone who is not a tech guru, as well as discerning which improvements will deliver the biggest bang for your buck.

To give a little guidance, I’ve pulled together a list of three simple ways you can use your downtime to improve your online presence. All you need is an internet connection, a computer and a few free hours up your sleeve!

Note: if any of these suggestions are confusing, or you become stuck, I advise searching for a YouTube tutorial or a blog for clarification. There’s a wealth of information out there, once you know how to ask the right questions.

And of course, if the thought of anything on this list makes you want to lie down in a dark room with a washcloth over your eyes, get in touch! We may be able to divide and conquer to have your digital platforms sparkling without costing the earth.

Good luck!

1) Get busy on social media

Simply posting things to your Facebook page or Instagram account even if you do it frequently - is not enough to succeed on social media these days. You need to also spend time roaming around in the app, engaging with other people or businesses via liking and commenting on their posts.

You also need to post ‘Stories’ or ‘Reels’ (you can read about this in my website blog 5 Ways to Use Instagram Reels in Your Social Media Marketing) - now’s an excellent time to spend a few hours getting your head around these newer formats.

Doing these engagement tasks bumps up the likelihood that the Gods of Facebook will show your own posts to your followers. This is because the system ‘rewards’ you for being an active member of the community with more views, and punishes ‘inactive’ accounts by barely showing your stuff to anyone ...

2) Add backlinks to make your website more visible to Google

Backlinks are simply links which lead from someone else’s website back to your own website.

A classic example is a listing on an online directory like ‘Yellow’ (the digital Yellow Pages). Every backlink is gold for your website (they’re how the Google ‘spiders’ crawl to your site in the first place!) and the more popular the website you link to is, the better.

One great way of getting more links to your site is by offering to write a testimonial for a supplier and getting them to place it on their website, linking your business name to your website. Just reach out to people you’ve bought substantial goods and services from and offer a testimonial to place on their website (under the proviso they add a link to your website).

If you’re a major client of a particular business and you’re on good terms with the team, ask if they have a ‘clients’ page on their website that you could be added to, again with a link to your website. And always add your business to any relevant directories you can find online, from local area directories to sites like Trip Advisor, as well as specific olive or horticultural/agricultural pages you know about. The more the merrier rule applies here - you can never have too many backlinks!

3) Give your website a spring clean

Now is a great time to go methodically through your website and look for broken links (where you click a button or other link and nothing happens), photos which aren’t sized right or typos.

If your site is an online store, try to detect any ‘barriers to purchase’ - points at which a customer might ‘get lost’ or feel unsure where you’re supposed to go next.

Imagine the perfect route you’d like people to take through your site, from homepage to checkout or to contacting you, and identify if there are any hurdles along that journey. Then, if you’re able to, fix those problems; and if you’re not, look for a reasonably priced web developer in your network who can handle it for you.

Many Olivegrower readers will know Lauren from her great 2019 AOA National Olive Conference presentation and workshop, or last year’s webinar series. We’re excited to now welcome her to our industry journal with this regular column on digital marketing for small business and are sure many of you will benefit from her knowledge and advice. And if you need help with your digital marketing, you know where to go!