Do you have a bit of time on your hands while at home staying safe from the pandemic?  Are you looking for your online presence to gain you an edge over your competition? Here is a list of five things you can do to sharpen your online brand and draw more traffic and leads your way.

1. Sharpen your social media platform presence. 
   Make sure your logo, header files, and staff images are current and attractive. Update your hours and operation policies as COVID updates and keep your customer informed during the Pandemic of your business happenings and updates. Most importantly, freshen the images with new photography – and look at your social media from the perspective of all of your customer types. Make sure you have content that entices all of your audiences.
2. Facebook Advertising
   Consider Facebook advertising - Facebook, and most other social platforms are now operating on a cost model - in other words, not much is free. Click To TweetThere are organic ways to engage and gain traction on the social platforms, but Facebook targeting is too powerful to pass up. For a reasonable budget, you can direct new eye balls to your brand. Check it out.
3. Review Your Web Site
   A blog is a mandatory part of a functional web site – it is necessary to keep up to date to gain search engine rankings. Update the photography with images from business and personal happenings. People want to get to know YOU, and not just look at your logo and brand images. Can they trust you? Do they have shared interests? In summary, make sure your site projects what you do and a bit about who you are!
4. Launch an Email Newsletter
   If you have not taken advantage of email communication, the pandemic is a great reason to start. Provide value add content like how-tos, useful articles and industry trends. Brand the newsletter with your logo and brand messages. Make sure your list is up to date – this is a good time to clean it up. You can set up an opt-in email asking people again to re-subscribe to make sure you are sending email to people who really want to hear from you. This keeps you legal and compliant and also helps your open and click rates to stay high.  Compose a “2020 in Review” email to get started and tell people the positive happenings and challenges of the year.  What strategies worked to overcome obstacles? What didn’t? If you need tool recommendations, ask us, or check out Constant Contact, MailChimp, and Emma.
5. Google Business Manager
   Make sure your Google Business Manager account is up to date and fully populated. Click To Tweet This is so crucial in letting Google know you are in the market and open for business. Update the hours to reflect your COVID operations and create a COVID post to let people know any changes to your business because of COVID. Finally, if you haven’t verified your business yet, do so right away so Google can begin sending your site traffic.

Though the pandemic has brought tremendous struggle to many businesses, it can also be used as a time to sharpen your brand and advertise – in preparation for the return of business once the pandemic is over. Don’t waste the time stewing, put it to good use! When you are busy again you won’t have time, so take advantage of this chance to make things the best they can be online for your business.