What Does Being Web Present Mean?

Being web present means being visible, being found and being accessible online. Take that one step further and BE genuine, engaging, gracious and fun. Now you may just have a chance it’ll be read. Even if you ARE “present,” there’s information overload today – why should they read your posts, blogs or website?

It’s funny, it brings back memories of being in 4th grade with Mrs. Foster reading out our names to account for who was there. “Present” is what I would say. But, how present was I?  Was I thinking about the scuffle that occurred outside at line-up? Was I staring down at my notebook instead of giving eye contact to the teacher? Did I even bother to raise my hand or was I in a fog?

Actually, I’m pretty sure I was always there, not just present and accounted for, but there.

So, how do you get there online?  Follow these steps:

1. Form a Baseline – Ask yourself these questions and document it with today’s date:  How many visitors came to your site last month? How many people bought your product or service after having visited your website in the past month? Where does a simple Google search of your brand lead you? Now do the same with your name. How many connections do you have in LinkedIn? How many people have ‘liked’ your Facebook page?
2. Start Monitoring – Setup Google Alerts and Social Mentions on your brand, keywords, your own name and have it emailed to yourself. Monitor what’s being said and where you’re appearing. Begin the process of documenting that and sharing what’s valuable through your website and social media platforms.
3. Get Involved or Start Conversations with Your Audience – wherever they may be, whether it be in an industry-specific chat room or your own Facebook page. What is a meaningful way you could be in touch? You know what they say – “you’re only as good as your last contact.”
4. Have Fun – this is by far the most important of these steps. No one cares about your boilerplate copy anymore. We are a society of soundbites, headlines, entertainment trumps everything else. So, share what’s funny about your brand, your event, yourself – share the photos, the videos, the pulse of your brand.
5. Measure – From your baseline, you now have a way to measure your visitors, your new sales, your likes, your google ranking! The only way to know if it’s going well, is to know where it’s been and how it’s doing now.

Being present, getting found, being real is the name of the game. Go out and enjoy it!