Here’s an extract from an article I wrote for Women Unlimited recently: 3 Golden rules to optimise your online presence on how to get noticed online.

Having an online presence is a given for any business these days. And many business owners have all the pieces of the puzzle for a powerful online marketing strategy but haven’t put it all together yet. And, let’s face it, the options are overwhelming and we are often faced with conflicting advice on which social media platforms we should be on, whether to blog or not, how to build our client base, and so on.

So, before you leap into the nitty-gritty of your online marketing consider the first of 3 Golden Rules to optimise your online presence.

1. Be Clear On Your Goals

What are you trying to achieve with your online marketing? You may think it’s obvious but dig down and consider what outcome you want to achieve? What does success look like for you, and how will you measure it?

• Are you establishing yourself as an expert or building your personal brand? If so, you want to position yourself as the go to person in your niche. You’ll need to spend time building up your credentials, creating an active and engaged community and getting noticed by influencers in your field. You online marketing strategy might include starting a LinkedIn or Meetup group, hosting webinars and hangouts, or starting a Google plus community.
• Perhaps you’re focused on making sales as an affiliate marketer? If you run an online business you may want to remain under the radar in which case you’ll focus on building a sales funnel, writing excellent sales copy and keeping up with the latest product launches.
• Your goal may be lead generation. Social media is an excellent way to generate leads for your business and build your list. Then you can rely on your auto-responder series, and blog, to communicate regularly with your list and convert prospects into customers.
• Perhaps your goal is to find Joint Venture partners and to connect with key influencers in your industry. Hop on over to Twitter and join the hashtag party and leverage LinkedIn to make those important connections.
• If you’re running a side business or want to make some quick cash you might be selling through an established ecommerce site such as Ebay, Etsy or Amazon. In which case, Pinterest might compliment what you’re doing and offer an alternative way to promote your clothing line or hand-made jewellery to a new audience.

Decide what your primary motivation is so you can laser target your online marketing and spend your time and efforts on those activities that give you the best results.

What techniques do you use to optimise your presence online?