3 Quick and Easy Ways to Build an Online Presence

As a professional woman, you know you need an online presence. But with all of your responsibilities, it can be easy to give this a low priority on your “To Do” list. Not to worry! You can create a great online-presence to improve your business relationships, brand-image and more without spending a lot of time or money. Here are three, quick ways to get started:

1. Create a Simple Web Site. With all of the services now available, it’s possible to create your own Web site in minutes – without having any technical knowledge whatsoever. Check out easy and affordable solutions such as Go Daddy!, WordPress, and BuildAGreatSite.com. These services offer easy-to-follow templates and simple guides that will walk you through the process. And if you just don’t have time for this, check with your local university or a site like www.elance.com to find an affordable designer who can help create your Web site for you.

2. Tap Into Social Media. Take a few minutes to register for a free account on Twitter®, Facebook®, and LinkedIn®. And if you have time to write a few paragraphs each week, start a blog via WordPress or Blogger. All of these services are free and offer valuable tools to connect with friends, co-workers, business associates, current and potential customers, and more. Once you set up your profile on each site, it only takes a few minutes to enter information and respond to messages on a daily basis. To make it easy, combine all of your social media posts. This way, you can add one item, and it will automatically appear on your Twitter, Facebook and other accounts too. For help with this process, check out here and here and other sites related to this process.

3. Get Involved. Once you have your Web site and social-media accounts set up, take a few minutes each day to post comments related to news and industry-trends, links to interesting articles and valuable information your target-audience will want to read. (Note-People DO NOT want to hear about what you ate for breakfast, how sleepy you are from being out all night, that your partner dumped you…) Also, add comments on the appropriate forums, blogs and sites of others, with a link back to your site, to increase online visibility. Ask for help and suggestions on current business issues or events, and stay active by adding your suggestions and feedback. Soon, you’ll be networking online, obtaining great insights and introducing your products and services to potential new customers – very cost-effectively. The Web is Calling… By setting aside just a few minutes each day to add valuable links, tips, and other content on the World Wide Web (or finding a helper to do it for you), you can build a professional, online presence that will help your business grow fast!

By Melanie Rembrandt