Have you ever decided to try or avoid a restaurant based on its online reviews? If so, you know how much a strong online community can influence a business’s growth and success. In-person customers who become online followers can help expand your business’s reach beyond your local area. As a business owner, you might have succeeded in attracting and engaging customers face-to-face, but how can you extend that connection into the digital space and foster an engaged online community?
Establishing an online presence lays the groundwork for long-term success, enabling you to reach more customers and maintain relationships beyond the checkout counter. In this post, I’ll outline eight actionable steps to help you seamlessly transition your in-person customers into loyal online followers.
STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR GOALS
Defining your goals is essential for understanding what success looks like and guiding your content creation and engagement efforts. It helps you prioritize where to invest your time, money, and energy. To be effective, your goals should follow the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. This approach ensures you stay focused on what matters most and use your resources best.
STEP 2: BUILD A GREAT WEBSITE (OR OPTIMIZE THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE)
A great website is essential for building a strong online community. First impressions matter; a visually appealing, easy-to-navigate site attracts positive attention. Your website is the main hub for sharing content and facilitating interactions among your customers and your business. Start by listing websites you find appealing and that meet your needs as a consumer. Next, identify the features you like most about those sites. Compare them to your website. If you don’t have a website yet, use this list as a wishlist of features to include in your design.
STEP 3: SET UP SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Instead of setting up accounts on every available platform, consider how your target audience prefers to spend their time on social media. Each platform has a distinct user base, so choose the one that best fits your intended crowd. Additionally, think about which platforms align with your business goals. For example, if your business would benefit most from visual or viral content, select TikTok or Instagram. On the other hand, if you want to drive traffic to your website, consider Facebook, Threads, or LinkedIn. Visit all available social media platforms, take notes on the engagement styles, and assess which ones suit your needs best. Once you choose your platform(s), ensure you set up a business account—not a personal one. A business account gives you access to valuable insights and analytics about your audience.
STEP 4: CLAIM YOUR GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LISTING
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool from Google that lets you manage your business profile and how it appears in Google search results. Once you claim and optimize your listing, you can control how your business information appears when someone searches for you online. This significantly boosts your online visibility and search ranking. GMB also allows customers to leave reviews, which helps build a positive reputation and attract new clients. Whether you receive positive or negative feedback, use the opportunity to showcase your excellent customer service and demonstrate that you value customer engagement.
STEP 5: LEARN ABOUT SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps your website rank higher in search engine results. This improvement strengthens your online following by making it easier for potential customers to find your business through organic traffic. To optimize SEO, choose keywords and phrases that potential online followers would search for, ensuring your website appears on the first page of results. As more people find you, you gain more opportunities to create meaningful engagement online. Once you identify the best keywords and phrases, create content that attracts your target audience and addresses their needs. Effectively using SEO enhances the quality of your content and keeps customers engaged.
STEP 6: DEVELOP A CONTENT STRATEGY FOR ATTRACTING ONLINE FOLLOWERS
Creating a content strategy enables you to consistently deliver valuable and relevant content that resonates with your audience. A clear plan for providing content ensures you attract and retain those who enjoy engaging with your brand. Start by listing key topics and themes that resonate with your audience, and then create an editorial calendar to plan and schedule your content.
EXAMPLE: Increase blog traffic by 30% by posting two new blog posts each week that align with my audience’s interests, and promote them through email newsletters and on social media.
STEP 7: BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST
This step is essential for facilitating personalized and direct communication with your audience. Here’s a fact: email communication achieves higher engagement rates than social media, so you can’t afford to skip this. Why? Because people who take the time to subscribe to your email list have already shown interest in your content. Email offers an effective way to share your content with followers who are genuinely interested in what you offer.
By focusing on this group, you can go beyond brand awareness and build true brand loyalty. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Loyal customers who feel valued can become your best advocates, leading to stronger online engagement. If you leverage email marketing well, you can establish lasting relationships, build trust, and elevate your digital presence.
STEP 8: CHECK OUT YOUR ANALYTICS
Analytics can provide actionable insights as you are developing your online engagement strategy. It is useful for understanding the demographics and online behaviors of your target audience. You can also use analytics to track how users interact with and respond to specific content. Each platform has tools for analyzing data and learning more about your audience.
- Google Analytics – tracks website traffic and audience behavior
- Social Media Insights – all social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) provide useful data for business accounts.
- Email marketing tools – all email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, Hubspot, etc.), provide detailed analytics about your email subscribers.
THE FLIP SIDE
While an online presence offers significant benefits for most businesses, there are times when it may not be worth your effort. If your business serves only a local market or cannot manage a sudden surge in demand, taking your operations online might not be the best use of your resources. Building and maintaining a website can be expensive, and consistently engaging with your audience takes time. If you’re facing budget or time constraints, consider holding off on developing your online audience until your situation improves.
THE TAKE AWAY
By following these steps, you can successfully convert in-person customers into loyal online followers. However, avoid two critical mistakes: inconsistency and neglecting analytics. Posting irregularly or failing to track your results can undermine your efforts.
To stay on course, focus on the platforms where your audience is most active and use tools like Hootsuite to simplify management. Maintain a social media calendar, optimize your SEO, and regularly monitor your performance. As your audience grows, adjust your strategy based on your analytics. With these tips, you’ll steadily build a strong online community that enhances your in-person success.
I’d love to see how your business has grown since applying the information you have found here. Feel free to share your journey on social media and tag @designfulmedia to inspire others. Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and community—together, we can help more small businesses and entrepreneurs achieve their goals!
