How to Project a Professional Image on a Home Business Budget By Drew Hendricks Updated April 06, 2016 Having a home busine...
How to Project a Professional Image on a Home Business Budget
By
Drew Hendricks
Updated
April 06, 2016
Having
a home business is the nearly perfect career solution. There’s no
commute, you don’t have a dress code, and you’re the boss of
your day. Nevertheless, there’s also a big problem with working
from home: You’re in a bubble. You likely don’t have physical
banners, a brick and mortar establishment, or walk-by traffic. This
means your entire profile and reputation exists online, and it’s
dictated how you present yourself and your business.
Fortunately,
even if you’re working in your jammies, your online presence can
be professional. Here’s how.
1. Make yourself look bigger than you are.
There’s
absolutely no reason anyone has to know that you have a home
business. While there’s nothing wrong with it, and more and more
people are okay with working with home-based companies, for some
customers or potential investors, home businesses hold less
credibility than traditional brick and mortar ones. Having a
professional website will help. Getting a business mail box and a
business phone line are other options.
2. Separate your home and office contact resources.
Get
a separate office phone number and consider getting an 800 number.
Make your online contact form look just as professional as a major
enterprise’s—including details about your “office hours.”
While an 800 number isn’t a requirement for all businesses these
days, it can be especially beneficial if you target demographics
(such as older populations) that relate an 800 number to legitimacy.
3. Use professional quality photos.
Whether
it’s for your blog, business’ social media page, or on your
website, steer clear of photos that are too personal. Instead,
choose professional images when and check out high quality stock
photography sites.
A low-quality photo might give away how small your operation is and
potentially scare off customers, and choosing the wrong size can
damage the responsive design of your website.
4. Start blogging.
Did
you know that B2B businesses that blog get 67
percent more leads than
those that don’t? Simply put, good blogging leads to good sales.
If you’re not a blogger, don’t fret. There are many quality
ghostwriters available at affordable rates. In fact, it’s best to
outsource this task so you can focus on your own priorities,
especially since committing to a blog is almost always a full-time
job in itself. Some business/site owners opt to write a handful of
blogs themselves each month (kind of like a “letter from the
editor” in magazines) while relying on contractors for the
remaining blogs.
5. Make social media count.
Your
content on social media should have a decent ROI;
it should be leading to increased traffic and sales. Not every post
will have a lot of likes and comments, but keep experimenting until
you see what people respond to. Most social media sites offer free
analytics, which can help you know what posts offer the most
results. If you’re struggling with determining what
to post,
or the time it takes, consider hiring a social
media manager,
at least to get you headed in the right direction.
6. Focus on SEO-rich content.
Content
is the key to search
engine optimization (SEO).
The more your writing/content follows SEO best practices, the higher
you and your business site will rank on search engines like Google.
7. Improve your website's experience.
Regardless
of the quality of your product or service, if your website is
confusing to navigate, difficult to find desired information, or the
shopping experience cumbersome, visitors won’t stick around. In
particular, shopping cart abandonment (adding items but not
completing a sale) is a big issue, and one that you can largely
control, by making your website easier to use.
8. Overhaul your site content.
Is
it a huge job to re-write all your website content? Of course, but
it’s well worth it if it’s 1) been awhile or 2) not well written
in the first place. Better site content can improve SEO, navigation,
and customer loyalty.
A
home business can be insanely lucrative; however, you need to harness your professional image
and control
your brand to
be a success. Luckily, there are many tools, tips, and tricks at
your disposal. Make presenting a professional image and experience
priorities, and you’ll reap the rewards.
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