"Just Google it"

During the rise of the Internet, many search engines fought it out to be the best search outlet online. They used simple and noticeable branding. For instance "Ask Jeeves" was a popular competitor early on. With its advanced search abilities Google has definitely outlasted the likes of Yahoo and AOL. For these reasons, it’s of best interest to get acquainted with how Google searches work.

(Digital Garage, 2019)

When you develop your webpage or Google listing, be sure to add as much information and details into the SEO (search engine optimization) categories. This is how Google decides which websites and companies will be populated in numerical order on their lists. If someone is searching for something similar to your company and your SEO tags and information match perfectly, then you will populate in a Google search. Google knows that with accurate technology and updated information comes the knowledge that people will come back to their technology again and again. So much so that they have allowed their users to update Google listings as being closed or of able to change the actual work hours of a company. (Suggest Edits to a Place in Search Results - Computer - Google Search Help, n.d.) If you haven’t already, it’s time to update your SEO. Include as much relevant information as you can think of this information as tags or hashtags that seem relevant to your company. Get as specific as possible and add as much information as you can. If your site becomes readily available on Google, you will see an increased volume of traffic to your website. You may even receive new calls and inquiries about your business.

References

Digital Garage. (2019, January 14). Intro to search engine optimisation (SEO). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stHBZGm_hMo

Suggest edits to a place in search results - Computer - Google Search Help. (n.d.). https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9879130?hl=en

 

Your Company Should Be Online

Silly videos and dance trends are not the only things successful on social media these days. Diverse groups of audiences are online every day seeing what is happening, not just one type of person or just one age category but nowadays more and more people are logging on every day to see what is happening online. From the comfortably of their work or home they can see what is happening around the world. Your company can join the conversation. Your brand can get involved in what really matters to your audience.

 

(Statista, 2022)

If you’re a realtor, joining home ownership groups on Facebook, or adding hashtags like "potential new home buyers" to your post, could connect you to your untapped clients. If you’re a local handyman, connecting to other plumbers and contractors, could help line you up with future referrals just by liking and commenting on what they have online. If you’re a new restaurant, engaging other community accounts and chatting with them can get you involved with their events. You could plan and start inviting new customers that have never heard of your restaurant before. You could also feature your employees and the work they do. "Profiling the people behind any business is a great way to humanize the experience for customers." (Austin, 2022)

 

However, you’re choosing to engage online is up to you and your business. Developing a strategy that can be effective is your next step. See what works and see what doesn’t make adjustments and you’ll start to see some growth. Maybe one social media platform like Instagram is better for your audience than another like Facebook. Don’t expect instant gratification instead play a long-run game set a goal for a year or six months and see how that goal turns out and adjust accordingly. The technology involved in social media is changing rapidly, so get involved now and stay above the curve.

Austin, K. (2022). The Guide to Restaurant Social Media Marketing. Toast Tab. https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/examples-of-awesome-restaurant-social-media-marketing

Statista. (2022, July 26). U.S. internet usage penetration 2021, by age group. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266587/percentage-of-internet-users-by-age-groups-in-the-us/

 

 

Your Representation Online is Important

In the early development stages of social media, smaller circles of friends allowed for personal interactions to stay intimate. As popularity grew circles became larger. More people wanted to see what Facebook was all about and why people were discussing it so much. "In December, 2009, Facebook hits a major milestone. With 350m registered users and 132m unique monthly users, it becomes the most popular social platform in the world." (Boyd, 2019) Fast forward to a time when your boss is now online and they will most likely search for you on social media in the hiring process. Remember those party pics from the bachelor party, it may be a good time to take those down.

Professional boundaries have been established online and more observance of how you are acting is happening. If you’re at the beginning early stages of your career, this may be a good time to assess what your profile looks like. Companies now are referencing someone’s credibility and how they act in the world based on their online presence. Some people may be easily scrutinized for insensitive materials they have posted. These materials may have once seemed funny and relevant, but now can feel insensitive and demeaning. 

The social media site, LinkedIn specializes in professionalism and is a place to go if you are looking for new work and connections to the industry. There is a potential to lead to great career paths by logging on and creating a resume and account that seems approachable and unique. "95% of recruiters are on LinkedIn looking for the right job candidates." (Baes, 2022) So if you haven’t already, now is a great time to reassess your presents online and figure out how you can represent yourself to the fullest of your nature. Start off by simply creating your profile and answering the general questions. As time goes by and you feel more acquainted with Facebook and LinkedIn you can hopefully take full advantage of the opportunities presented by these resources. This is still social media, so try your best to represent yourself as you would in the real world, and how you would communicate naturally. Just don't forget, the internet is forever.

References

Baes, H. (2022, October 25). How to Get Recruited on LinkedIn + Tips from Recruiters. Jobscan. https://www.jobscan.co/blog/recruiters-find-linkedin/

Boyd, J. (2019, January 25). The History of Facebook: From BASIC to global giant. Brandwatch. https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/history-of-facebook/