marketing+sales: 5 Keys to Building and Maintaining a Powerful Online Presence

In the past, an online presence was a luxury for businesses. But as society's attention has shifted to the digital arena, it has become a necessity. A carefully crafted website and fully operational social-media profiles can lay the framework for business success, whereas disorder and dysfunction can lead to outright failure.

The continuously evolving nature of the online world may appear daunting at first glance, but the good news is that today's technology makes it easier than ever for a business to create and maintain a stout Internet presence. While getting up-and-running seems simple enough, there's still a lot of work that goes into creating an appealing and engaging personal brand online. Here are five key components to building and maintaining a powerful online presence:

1. Your website should be branded, interactive and engaging. It's not enough for a business website today to simply contain a list of information, a description of goods and services, and contact information. An effective website must be engaging and compelling, and maintain the viewer's attention to the point that they want to pick up the phone and find out more. That means understanding your target market enough to hook them—and it means creating a site that echoes your expertise and the brand you are creating.

When designing a top-flight company website—or consulting with a third-party that will handle the technical design aspects—you should make sure you're keenly in-tune with your desired audience and customer-base. If there is disparity between your business goals and what you're hoping to promote, it will reflect on your website.

2. Demonstrate value. If your website, blogs, articles and social media outlets don't provide tangible value to your audience, they will be ignored. Use these platforms to share breaking news, analyze recent developments, and provide informational and practical tips to your audience. Update on a regular and consistent basis with new and exciting content that proves beneficial to your online readership.