Importance of Online Presence: If I Googled you, what would I find?
In today’s highly digitalized world, most people research their new clients or providers before the finalizing deal. Doing your homework on the other party is a common practice, so shouldn’t you at least ensure that your media platforms clearly portrays your professional identity.
The deal could be with anyone: a new company, product, service provider or even influencer or speaker. The same way you look up a hotel in Mombasa to visit or the details about your new date is the same way your employee will look you up to know the real you.
Questions searchers will ask while investigating you: ‘Does your profile make me want to start business with you?”, “When did you last update it?”, “That picture you posted a week ago, do I really want to work with them?”, “What do their reviews and comments say? Are they good?”, “What do you stand for?”
What a person finds about you online, will have a big impact on the decision they make about you, whether they want to continue with the deal.
Online visibility can be categorized into 4 main groups:
- The Phantom/Ghost
The worst case for any professional is this one. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Even if I called my FBI friends to help me, I wouldn’t find any online trace of you. If a potential client googles your name and finds nothing, or very little information that still amounts to nothing, they won’t have much confidence in you or your company/product.
An online presence is very important, it tells me more about you and your work.
Unless you are a secret agent, you have no excuse to be a ghost. Some people do value their privacy, and this is understandable however, you aren’t being forced to put your whole life story out there. Just ensure that a good amount of professional information is present. Boost your clients and audience’s confidence and trust in you.
2. Social Presence
Those who have social media platforms and use them to advertise themselves fall into this category. All information on you, is already on your social platforms.
Linked In is where we post about our professional selves. It’s the best site to make strong and great business connections. This is where your strongest professional online presence should be as this is where potential clients or business proposals are likely to check first. So, make your Linked In lively, add a captivating summary about yourself, add videos and a blog for reference.
Linked In should be your strongest presence but not your only presence.
Ensure that your Twitter, Instagram and even website are up to date. The same goes for YouTube channel owners.
3. Present and Acknowledge
When one is present and acknowledged, not only do they have a great number of well documented and updated social platforms linked together, but you also have traces of your work in channels that aren’t owned by you, but acknowledge you. This includes articles you have written for other companies or stated featurettes on another person’s YouTube channel.
Some sites allow you to collect all this information about yourself and link them together in one site. About.me page and Medium are such sites.
It would also be great to have organizations and other companies acknowledge you either in their o your pages, for the services you provided them with. This gives your portfolio the extra ‘Umf’ factor.
4. Omnipresence
If you really want your brand to thrive in the marketing world you are going to have to surpass ‘Present and acknowledged’. Aim for omnipresence.
Online omnipresence is when you are everywhere, all over the internet, for a good reason. Your name comes up automatically in the search engine. At this point, no one needs to look for you, because you are standing right there.
Don’t misuse your big ‘omnipresent’ break. Ensure that you continue to display Professionalism through the context you produce. Ensure that you show your clients and audience what you stand for.
To achieve this ‘deity like’ level, one needs to be able to share their ideas, wisdom, insights, views, and expertise continuously and freely with the online community, without the expectation of getting anything in return.
Becoming omnipresent online not only takes commitment and consistency but planning as well.
So, If I googled your name, what would I find?
