%20(2).png)
Look better online and get found by more people
Ten Tips for Teachers to Look Better Online and Get Found by More People
presented by EdCopy
So you have been trying to figure out your online presence for a while now.
You see others doing everything right. And it seems like everyone makes it look so easy.
But for some reason, success keeps eluding you. Every time you feel like you are close to figuring out how to establish and manage your websites and socials, something happens, and will you look at that— you're still where you started.
Not this time.
Because this time you are going to be armed with the same tips and secrets that the most successful businesses know about managing an online presence and what it means for teachers interested sales, marketing, and branding. So give these tips a try and see if they work for you too...
Tip one:
Never underestimate the power of being listed as a local business.
There are numerous advantages of being listed locally, including traffic from Google, better search engine ranking, increased visibility on local search engine results, higher click-through rates through search engine optimization (SEO), and increased customer engagement. Here are ten tips to help you make a real difference in your local business community.
Local business listings are the lead magnets of the internet. When your company’s name is easily found by visitors who are most likely searching for it and when you rank well on Google, people will click through to your website or some other predetermined page. But just because you’ve been listed as a local business does not guarantee you will get more customers. You need to read and learn the rules and procedures that make for effective local listings.
WARNING: A common mistake that teachers make is assuming that their only real authority to teach is given to them to by their state teaching agencies. In kind, teachers also assume that they have no place or authority to be doing business. They feel as if they can't compete with the established and trained people who are cut out for business. However, our brother, Carter G. Woodson, with his book The Mis-Education of the Negro, suggests different:
“In the schools of business administration Negroes are trained exclusively in the psychology and economics of Wall Street and are, therefore, made to despise the opportunities to run ice wagons, push banana carts, and sell peanuts among their own people. Foreigners, who have not studied economics but have studied Negroes, take up this business and grow rich.”
Do not act on a feeling of lacking authority. The authority does not ned to be given to you because it is already with you. Go among your people and get to work.
Tip two:
Avoid the how-to-get-followers guessing game. Follow proven formulas that attract the right people.
We all like to know how we can increase our online followers. Followers bring credibility and help you build your brand because people are more likely to trust you when they know you have a large following. But followers are tricky things.
People like to follow talented people. This is especially true in the social media era where people are both more inclined and more equipped than ever to find out about new things and be inspired. There are many ways of getting positive exposure for your business on social media including: author accounts on blogs, video blogs, and image galleries. But there’s one thing that stands out and that is having a list of things you do daily which make people want to look at your stuff even without having your product handy. If you prove that your content and services are really something special, people might not want to miss out on them.
Tip three:
Be sure to deploy your online presence efforts where they best impact the consumer journey.
The purpose of your online presence (aka your online marketing, branding, etc.) is not to boost brand recognition or gain more leads for your business, it's about being found by more people. With social media and search engines now making it easier than ever to get found, there's no reason not to make the most of it. That means making sure that your online presence is more than just an address and phone number, but rather an effective marketing tool to entice prospects into doing business with you.
Many people are now looking online when they are searching for something, so this is a great opportunity to get them up to speed. If you're a local business and you know that some people already have an interest in your industry, it may be time to reach out and build relationships with these potential customers.
Bonus tip: Your customer's journey is an integral marketing funnel through which they decide on whether they want to keep on shopping with you or not. The more trustworthy consumers perceive you to be, the higher chance that they’ll choose to do business with you.
Tip four:
Do not be afraid to pay for advertising and promotion when the time is right. It is not as scary as you think.
Many people are afraid to spend money on things that they know little about. This includes advertising. Some teachers are afraid to spend money on advertising because they do not understand how important it is for their business to get found by those who are searching for solutions theirs. But, when done well, advertising is a money-making machine. You don’t need to have millions of dollars spent on advertising and promote your business to get found by potential customers.
There are numerous methods that can allow your business to be found and become more popular than ever before. Among the two most popular methods is paid search. and Google Adwords. Paid search sites like Google Ads and Bing Ads are great tools if you want to make money quickly from selling a service in your local area. The truth is that if you simply put in the work necessary to get your head around marketing, advertising, and running your business, you’ll find out that it actually is a ton of fun and empowering!
Tip five:
Be sure to have your business information listed correctly on all the right sources.
Unless you already have a huge knowledge base about your business and its industry, it’s difficult and often impossible to get found on search engines, so for most of us, it isn't enough to just have your own website. You also need to look for leads and customers in other ways. One of the easiest ways to increase traffic to your site is to strategically list your business' contact information on various social media channels and other relevant websites.
Have your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Google My Business, and Yelp pages all set up correctly. It’s not enough to just list your business name; you have to also provide contact numbers, email addresses, and other specific information. This is especially true in today’s digital world where many people are looking for information prior to visiting a website and most likely won’t find you if they don’t know where they can find you.
Tip six:
Allow yourself to get clear about the type of customer you are after.
When you’re managing a business, it is very important to know your target audience. You need to know what they care about, where they come from, and how they feel about your brand (or you), products, and services. This way, you won’t have to waste time trying to cater to people that just don’t want what you have to offer or annoy your current customers if you have any. Learn this data about your target audience and apply it to your marketing strategy. This is key if you want to grow a business and make money online.
Tip seven:
Let the sunshine in.
If you’re trying to bring your brand to the next level, you need to let the sunshine in. This means being open and transparent about your business and your brand. You want to let your customers and followers know that you’re a human, that you work hard, and that you care about them.
Tip eight:
Make sure the customer journey is treated with care every step of the way.
Customers have five major steps in their journey when they buy from you. First, they need to know who you are and what you’re offering. Next, they need to trust that you’re a credible source of information. Third, they need to be sold on the fact that your product or service is actually going to help them. Fourth, they buy from you. Fifth, if you do a really good job, they tell others about you and become repeat customers.
NOTE: Five Steps in a Customer's Journey
Awareness - Your offer captures a potential customer's attention. Now that the customer is aware, is she interested?
Search - The potential customer starts looking into your business. What will she find on her search?
Research - The customer scans the information her search turns up. She is reading up on you and her research will help her make a decision.
Conversion - The customer is interested in what you offer, but does she make the purchase? If yes, then...
Advocacy - The customer gets her experience with the product or service she purchases. Can you make it so good for her that she shares the experience with others?
Tip nine:
The two main research outlets customers turn to are online reviews and social media.
First, consumers look to see if the store they are visiting is honest and trustworthy. They will also look for positive customer reviews. If there are many reviews, this means the company has good communication with their customers. The higher the number of positive online reviews, the more important these factors are in customers’ mind when making a purchase. Plus, the more social proof a product or someone has the more people will gravitate towards it.
Take it for what it is worth. if other consumers are leaving positive reviews about your offer, your reputation gets stronger. If your presence and activity on social media are consistent and engaging, your reputation gets stronger.nd care.
Tip ten:
For every step of the customer journey, EdCopy offers specific solutions so teachers can be more confident when going into business. Try using Listing Builder first, a free way to start building a reputable online presence.
The EdCopy Listing Builder service helps customers find you. It also corrects inaccurate listing information so customers aren't led astray when they search for you.
In sum: Attracting potential customers for your education business is actually fairly simple when you apply the above ten tips to certain tried and true principles. So please receive on last tip...
Even if you do not feel ready, take action right now writing out your plan for moving customers from awareness to advocacy.
Hop to it— you are going to be glad you did.
-kaml-