Ep - 145 What Does Your Online Presence Actually Say About You.. By Kristina Milosevic Digital Marketing Strategist

Hello, hello. What does your online presence actually say about you? If I search your name or your business online right now, what would I find? Because I can tell you from experience, from my experience, most business owners have absolutely no idea what their online presence is saying about them.

And in many cases, it is costing them clients every single day. Welcome to the KSM Podcast, Growing Business Online with Christina. Today is a solo episode. I'm super happy today to be a host and talk about how to build presence online and digital marketing.

but it's going to be also a series of solo podcasts on this topic. And today, we're starting at the very beginning with the one thing every business owner needs to do before they spend a single penny on marketing. We're doing a full online presence audit. By the end of this episode, you will be so clear about building your presence online and what is it about.

So here is the reality. The most people do not talk about that, do not talk about presence online. And before potential clients picks up the phone or sends you an inquiry, they Google you and they check your website. They look at your social profiles and they read your reviews and in about 30 seconds they make a decision about whether you are worth connecting or not.

That 30 second window is your online presence doing its job or failing to do it. And the scary part is you are not there to explain yourself. Your digital, this is your digital footprint has to speak for you, has to speak about who you are, what you do and what is your business about. And then I want you to think of your online presence like a shop window.

If someone walks past the window in dusty, the display is confusing. And there is no sign telling them what you sell. They walk on. And that is what a weak online presence does.

so there are five areas which I wanted to cover today about building your presence online and how someone can find you what need to do before go someone goes and google it and try to find about your business. So there are five areas. First one is Google search results. The second one is your website.

Third one is social media profiles. Fourth is reviews and testimonials and consistency action across platforms. So this is very, very important. And let's start with the area of number one.

We can do it. Let's do it together right now. And there are, as I mentioned, five areas. Area number one is Google search results.

First, open a private browser window and type in your business name. What comes up? Is your website first? Is there a Google business profile with your address, opening hours and reviews?

Are there any reviews and are they good? If your business is not showing up clearly and professionally in the first three results, you have work to do. So as I said, this is very important. And you know that we can always have some questions.

Hey, am I going to be first on Google? And there are many things there, especially about keywords, about the metadata. How do you optimize your profile? This is so important.

But when I mentioned Google search results, I wanted to repeat it. When someone type your name in his or her browser, what comes up is your website first. And do you have your business or your business profile, your address, let's say physical address, depends if you're a service-based company or product-based company, what you do. you have to have your postal or physical address, your email address, opening hours from your duration when you work and reviews.

And if there are no reviews, if there are what people, you need to have reviews that someone will put review on your Google business page and you can map that out. And in that way, if your business show up clearly, this is very important that you are on the right way, that people can find you and work with you. So if you're not, you need to fix that, to write your address, to change something, to get more reviews about your business, etc., etc.

The second area is your website. Go to your homepage. Read the first line. Does it immediately tell someone who you help and what you do?

Can a stranger understand your business in under 10 seconds? Is your contact button visible without scrolling Is the site mobile friendly If the answer to any of this is no that is a problem So you have a lot of things to do and to fix it up to help your business and to fix your website. Just think about who you are, who do you help, what problems do you solve, and this is so your contact button. That someone, when it comes up on your website, just, let's say, more than 10 seconds to know what to do.

and remember that it's very important that your website is mobile friendly because you know that more than 90% people in this world use mobile phones and when someone comes up on your website and want to get to know more about you what that person is going to do is going to type on his or her mobile phone in Google search results Third section, third area is social media profile or social media profiles. Now check your must use social media profile. Is the bio complete? Does it say clearly what you do and who do you do that for?

Does your profile picture look professional? Is your most recent post more than three weeks old? Silence on social media tells potential clients you are either not active or not serious. And you know that in terms of your profile, you can also go and create and put your professional image, image, either that you use a LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, former Twitter, or other platforms.

And you can also use your branding colors, which you use for your website, for your business card, just think about that you can create all your professional coloring colors and for your brand. And I think that is very important that your colors are so recognizable and how you can create that on your website and you can create your social media profile, business profile or pages or group on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram. This is very, very important to use the same colors, to use the same professional pictures, also to be active online.

What is the meaning by that is that you can post, let's say, three times per week or once per day. and from my perspective as a digital marketing strategist and coach and consultant I know that I do all three I'm present on LinkedIn I'm present on Facebook I'm present on Instagram because of all my audience are on all those three platforms it takes time but I wanted to get to know, to tell you and to remind you that it's very important, let's say, to use only one profile, only one business page.

Like if your audience is on LinkedIn, just start and work more on LinkedIn or if your audience is on Facebook, be more present on Facebook because sometimes it's time consuming. You need time to post everywhere either that if you do alone, but if you have your team who does that for you, that's the other pair of shoes. How can I say it? And this is very important that you can engage and delegate someone to does that for you.

but if you're not active if you're not present if you don't put a post or on YouTube I just forgot it because on my podcast with Business Online with Christina I'm also present on YouTube channel as well and I'm present also on Spotify on Apple as audio and video on YouTube so I have to be honest I have a lot of work and it's time consuming, but I really enjoy what I do. And you must be aware of it that people come up and algorithm also is very important. If you post, let's say, solo episodes, that algorithm works different than when you have guest speakers, let's say on your website, on your podcast or your interview, or you can create something live on your Facebook group, and then you can just repurpose it and put as video material, as video, as like a solo podcast or like a masterclass, which you are going to put on your YouTube channel.

So there are many things, but the point is just to be active be serious and just post on it once a week, but don't put it that you don't post it maybe one month. And then when people come to you, they will say, and I, from my perspective, working with my clients, I can see that there are many of them who have Facebook profiles. They have Facebook pages, but they are not active. And you know that from those platforms is your traffic for your website.

to this like the same kind of your funnel, et cetera, et cetera. Area four is our reviews and testimonials Where are your testimonials Are they visible on your website Do you have Google reviews LinkedIn recommendations If a potential client is looking for proof that you're the lever, can they find it easily? No testimonials means no social proof. no social proof and no social proof means that the risk feels too high so you know that we can go there and have our reviews let's talk about website you can go on when people come to your website to be honest I'm still I create I have my team www team.

promosis.com but now I also have my Christina www. Christinaasson.com and my website is still in phase under the construction and I still work on that and I know from my perspective the testimonials are very important you have to have your clients to give your testimonial don't don't put fake testimonials try to ask your clients who do serve or former clients or existing clients to give you testimonial because someone will come there and if someone read that name maybe someone will come to your to that testimonial and connect with and say okay hey X X was my my you know I was working with X and and someone will ask about that X but if you go and find testimonial which is not appropriate which is no real testimonials this is so bad for your business.

So just think about to try to ask your clients, your collaborators, your partners, whatever you do in your business, try to ask for real testimonials and reviews. So reviews are very important also, or a recommendation on LinkedIn profile. For example, I'm super happy that my ex-mentor put about what I do. I have many reviews there.

If you go to the LinkedIn Christina SM, seven, I mean, you know, sometimes I cannot remember every kind. Or if you go on my Christina KSM podcast, I'm going to be seeing someone with Christina, you will find all my links to my LinkedIn page, my LinkedIn profile to my Facebook profile and Instagram. And I want to say that recommendations are very, very important. And again, ask your clients, ask your partners, ask your collaborators, contributors, customers to give you and write for you a real testimonials, recommendation and review.

Because once, as I said, when someone will come there, it could be very negative for you if that testimonial is fake. Because you know that someone will come and ask that testimonial. People come there and they can read, they can see those testimonials and that person can type on LinkedIn the name of that testimonial and ask, hey, is that person, are you a real person who give real testimonials? Did you work with that ex-ex company?

So that's something which I highly recommend you to think about it and find real. There are people who buy testimonials. Don't do that. Just go.

and if you have only one one, if you have two to three, however, the very, very important thing is to have your real testimonials because if you have fake testimonials, that will cause and cause your business in a negative way, which is, I think, no one wants that. So just to be honest. Or also you have your testimonial on your Facebook page. You can go and write reviews, which I have done many, many reviews with my clients, with my partners, with my, so this is, this is very important.

And also, as I said, if potential clients is looking for that review, the testimonial, I said, it's so easy to check it out. Is that review real or not? Is it true or not? And if you put all those kind of things very punctual, very serious, so that risk for your business is less.

So you will be so honored. You will be so happy to move forward that someone comes up on your website and find a real testimonial, which is for you, you know, enormous in that positive way to build your business and have more clients. and five sector, five area is consistency across platforms. Finally, does your brand look and feel consistent everywhere?

Same logo, as I said before, same logo, same colors, same tone of voice. When someone bounces from your Instagram to your website, to your LinkedIn, Do they feel like they're in the same place? Inconsistency creates confusion and confusion creates doubt. So as I said, you have to create the same branding colors, same logo the same professional pictures When you go that and connect on your homepage and put your button for your social media like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp, or I don't know which one you wanted to use, which you use it.

But this is very, very important. And now I know that this might feel you overwhelmed, but so let me give you a priority order. Fix these things first in this order. Number one, your Google business profile.

Claim it, complete it. And your best clients for reviews. This is free and it directly affects how many people find you. Number two, your homepage headline.

Make it clear and client-focused. Number three, add testimonial to your website. If you didn't do it now, make it clear and client-focused. So if you don't have your testimonial, if they're not already there, you have to put them there.

As I said, for my website, I'm still in a phase of construction. So I know how it is important to have your testimonial there. And number four, update your social media profile, your bio. Number five, post something this week, even if it's just one piece of content.

And these five things cost nothing except your time. And they will make an immediate difference to how your business is perceived online. And if you challenge this week, that will be maybe spend 30 minutes doing this audit. So if you cannot do it alone, just engage someone and delegate someone to do it for you.

And go through all five areas, write down what needs attention and fix one thing today. Not next week, today. small action, real results. And this is what I wanted to do it.

I would love that for you just pick only one thing and do it and fix it from all those five things. So if you want me to look at your specific online presence and tell you exactly what to fix it, I do free 20-minute discovery call, and I will be completely honest with you. No pitch, just useful. And the link to the book, my call, is go to, like, you can go on christinasm.

com, and you will find my email address there to book a call. or when you go to the contact page, also you can connect with me on Instagram, christinasm.7, christinasm7 or LinkedIn, christinasm or on Facebook. And you can go to my website, christinasm.

com. So as I said, if you want for me to look, this is my call to action for you. If you want it from me, to look your website and to your specific online presence and tell you exactly what to do, please do not hesitate. Connect with me.

Put DM below this episode or DM me or you can also connect with me or info.ksmgrowingbusinessonline. info.ksm runningbusinessonline and gmail.

com so you can also email me and send me your information that you want some audit and that you want to discover pre-session called 20 minutes so I can do that for you no pitch no cost just to do it so and I can also give you some checklist if you want to also DM me so I can give you a checklist about this call today this episode today and this topic so don't don't forget to subscribe turn on notifications so you never miss an episode and if this helped you, send it to one business owner, send it to one business owner who needs it today.

I will be more than happy to be with you and I will be more than happy to help you to do audit and see how is your online presence. So don't forget to DM me and put is that worthy for you? Did you Learn something from this episode, but also I'm always open from strategy session call with you. No pitching, just I wanted to give you my advice and we can go together through this process.

And to see how it works, where are you, what do you need, what we need to fix it, what do you need to fix? And I'm always open. As I said, my call to action just is connect with me, send me a DM, and I cannot wait to see you on the top. Then, meanwhile, just subscribe to the channel, KSM Podcast Growing Business with Christina.