Your online presence is so important.
That’s not the first time you have likely heard that. There are so many reasons why having a solid online presence is important. Of course, I am not talking about just your personal presence but also your business presence. There is no denying the internet has changed our lives and how we search for information. Just think about the last time you needed to have a question answered…you didn’t go to the library or open up an encyclopedia, you Googled it.
Imagine, what would happen if a journalist Googled something like tips to help your kids sleep after the time change and you are a sleep consultant? Will your website or blog come up? What about your social media?
Imagine, that same journalist does find your website and loves the content you are sharing and wants to interview you. Do they know how to reach you? Is your contact information easy to find? Have you made it clear how and when people can reach you and what you can talk about?
All these things are your online presence. You want to make yourself as visible and available online as possible if you want to get press for your business. There are a few things you must have to help you get noticed by the media, to get their attention so you can get press to promote your business.
Website/Blog
- About Me – Be clear about who you are. Include a concise bio, what you do and how you help your customers solve a problem, and contact information like an email address so people can easily reach you. This is a great spot to put all those media logos from your previous media appearances.
- Media Kit or Press Page – Everyone should have a media kit or press page so you can add your contact information again (email & phone number). You also want to make sure you let everyone know you are available to speak to the media and welcome the opportunity. Be sure to include topics that you can speak about. This is an excellent place to put all your previous media appearances and/or news clippings. You can also have a spot for all those As Seen on/in media logos here too!
Social Media Platforms
- Twitter – Use this platform to share all the great content you post on your blog. It is important to spread the word so when journalists go searching for stories and researching experts on Twitter that you have content out there to help them find you. Twitter is a great place to find journalists to pitch stories to. Create a list of journalists (producers, reporters, writers) to follow so you can see what they share and retweet/share it to your community. Be sure you to have a complete Twitter profile with a picture, short bio and a website link.
- LinkedIn: This is less social sharing and more professional but it is a great place to research journalists. It is also the perfect place to share business content. Be sure to have a complete profile with bio, picture, and links here too so when journalists are researching they are able to learn as much as possible in a quick glance. Don’t make them work at it.
- Facebook: Your professional/business page should have a solid profile with a picture, bio, and links. You want to be sharing solid content and links to your website. Again, it is all about helping journalists find you when they hit the internet to research stories.
Social media and the internet has changed so much about how journalist do their jobs every single day. They depend on it to help them find stories, research stories and locate experts and thought leaders. The numbers vary depending on the studies but anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of journalists say they use Twitter to do their jobs. You need to be where they are. So, be sure all your social media profiles are complete. Make sure you are easily accessible on your website. You want to make yourself as visible as possible online. Share quality content! Create quality content!
Your job today is to take a few minutes to look at all your social media profiles and clean them up. Make sure you have a good picture, solid bio and links to your website or an area you want to promote. And start sharing your content. Then have a look at your about me and contact information on your website and make sure it is easy to find.
