Any businesses which are trying to boost their profile must make sure that it has, and maintains, a positive online presence. Online Marketing is now one of the leading marketing types in the United Kingdom and globally, so if you want to keep up with your competition, then you must make sure that you build up a strong presence online.

Online marketing is multi-faceted and you should therefore consider a number of different strands if you want to come out on top. Whilst you do not need to use all of these ideas, you should remember that many of these strands actually work together to enhance one another.

Company Website

In recent times, people have started to look to the internet more and more when they are trying to find out information about a company. They expect a company website to be easy to find, and filled with useful information about that company. Having a website designed and published which provides potential and current clients with all of the information that they need is virtually a must.

Your website should also encourage potential clients to get in contact with you. Get an expert to make sure that your website is search engine optimised (SEO). Good SEO techniques will help to ensure that your website displays highly in search engine rankings. Most people will not look beyond the first page of Google, so your company needs to be up on the first page if you want people to find it.

It’s important that if you do choose to use the services of an SEO company that you choose that company wisely. There are no end of so called SEO experts out there that could easily do much more harm than good.

You should also ask an independent party to carry out a usability test on the site. This will make sure that your site is as easy to use as you think it is. Working on a website for a long time means you know the ins and outs, and therefore may not notice problems that outsiders could have.

Google Business Features

Use all of Google’s free business features if you want your business to do well with Google. Google is currently the world’s most important web search engine, so it is important to utilise it properly. These features will allow you to make the most out of Google and will help you to get your business displayed properly on Google maps. Having your business on Google maps will help when people search for scaffolders in their local area. It is also useful if they are looking for directions to your main office.

Lastly, many people feel as though a business is more “legitimate” when it displays on Google Maps. Amongst its many other features, Google will also help to display your business contact details in a more accessible way. The more obvious that your contact details are, the more likely that people are to choose to contact you.

Online Reviews

People are now highly influenced by the reviews that they read online. If you have done great work for a customer, encourage them to write a good review on an online platform. If you have worked with other local businesses, they are most likely to write a review using their Google+ profile. These reviews may display when your business is searched for.

You can also ask customers to put reviews on certain social media platforms. Do not despair if you do get a bad review – use the review as a learning experience and use the feedback to improve your work if you feel the review was fair. Some platforms allow companies to respond to bad reviews as some people will just leave negative reviews for no justifiable reason and negative reviews could negatively impact your business. If you feel you have been unfairly treated, then you should explain your point in a calm, articulate and rational manner and this could even enhance your reputation.

Social Media Marketing

As well as an independent website, you should also have pages on major social media platforms. These pages should be updated regularly, should include your most recent contact details and should be used as a way to interact with your customers.

If you are going to have a social media presence, you should make sure that you use each site regularly as failure to update your pages in a long time can leave customers wondering whether your business is still in operation. You may only need to do small activities, such as tagging your clients or other businesses in posts when you are working with them.

Potential clients may also like to use sites like Facebook or Twitter as a way to get in contact with you. Many people are happier to ask a simple question on Twitter, rather than picking up the phone to ask something really short and simple. Increasing your presence on social media platforms can also help to bump your website up the search engine rankings.

LinkedIn

As a business owner who hopes to work with other businesses in the construction industry, LinkedIn can be a very important social media tool. Unlike some of the other social media sites, LinkedIn is specifically designed for business to business networking. You can use it to make contact with other local business owners who may need scaffolding for their projects. You can also use it to establish yourself as a local expert in scaffolding.

Active participation in forums and discussion groups can help people to recognise your name, and they will think of you more readily if they need any expert advice. You can also use the site to write and publish industry relevant articles about scaffolding and interesting scaffold projects that you have recently worked on.

YouTube

You can use Youtube to show off some of your best work and to further establish your credentials as a local industry expert. Make short videos about situations where people may need scaffolding. These videos can help to create a buzz around your company. Making videos about unique situations that you have worked in, or particularly difficult scaffolding problems that you have overcome will help to keep people interested in what your YouTube channel.

Advertising in Online Directories

Make sure that you get your company listed in relevant online directories. These directories are helpful for people who are looking for companies with a strong presence in their local area. Make sure that your contact details are up-to-date and include links to your website if possible so that people can find further information if they need to.