Why your business needs a digital strategy

...and how to build your digital reputation in a positive way.

Prior to doing just about any activity these days, our first instinct is to “Google it” – and your customers are no different. We live in a ‘hyper-digital world,’ and establishing a digital reputation for your business is crucial. In fact, your business may already have a reputation online that you don’t even know about – so playing a role in shaping that reputation in a positive light is important.

Whether you are a small fleet owner or a company with multiple rigs and employees, here are some benefits and guidelines for enhancing your company’s online visibility. Make sure to download the summary of tips to keep on hand.

Benefits of a digital business strategy

Informs the public about your business

The obvious reason for having online visibility is to let the public know about your business. This includes providing basic information such as services you provide, areas you cover and practical details such as business hours. If you’re able to increase organic customer traffic to your business by using a digital strategy, it will ultimately lead to cost-savings.

Fosters relationships and trust with your customers

By sharing videos, photos and stories related to your business and employees, you showcase the human side of your company, the faces behind the services you provide your customers. This helps build trust with them and allows them to connect with your company.

Serves as an online recruiting tool

Building your digital reputation can help you attract not only customers, but also potential employees. During a time when fleet owners are grappling with driver shortages, being able to offer insights into your business, its culture and the benefits your company offers can provide a huge lift in recruiting. Highlighting employee stories, community involvement, or charitable activities online can also enhance recruitment efforts.

Establishes your business as an industry resource

While sharing information on your company, culture and employees can help build your business, positioning yourself as a thought leader in the transportation industry can also enhance your company’s visibility and credibility. By using your digital platform to provide valuable resources on policies, trends and other industry-relevant stories, you can become a go-to source and increase brand recognition.

Tips to boost your company’s online visibility

Enhancing brand awareness and online visibility is crucial for your marketing strategy – but it doesn’t have to break the bank. While it requires time and effort, a large budget is not necessary to build your digital brand.

Create your own website for free

A website is the online identity of your business. Your customers expect you to have a digital presence, where they can find information about you, your services, your values, and even your job offers.

There are many tools out there today that can help you quickly set up your website – and you don’t need any previous web experience. Look to tools such as Webflow, WordPress or Wix as they offer useful templates that help you customize your website based on your business needs.

Think about organic referencing (SEO)

When you do a Google search for something, do you scroll through all the pages of results or go with one of the top results? Chances are you never made it past the first page of search results because you found what you were looking for – your customers are no different.

Your goal when building online visibility is to appear at the top of the search results to attract traffic to your company’s website. This is called search engine optimization (SEO). You can do this by regularly publishing new content to your website – which will help boost your search engine visibility (getting you to the top of the results).

Use SEO tools

To help you get to the top of the search results, think about getting an SEO tool that can help. There are some free tools available to help make it simpler and easier to manage and monitor your search engine rankings. You can use tools such as SEMrush or Moz (both have free versions) to help ensure your website is search friendly and optimized to give you the best results.

Choose the right social media platform

If you decide to use social media for your business, choosing the correct platform can be a challenge. The biggest social media mistake small business owners often make is to set up accounts on every platform at once. Instead, select the appropriate social media platform for promoting your business relies based on purpose and industry.

LinkedIn is often effective when targeting businesses or the business community. Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram are good for sharing attractive posts and behind-the-scenes moments to connect with potential customers.

Publish and share content regularly

You don’t need to be a journalist to regularly publish and post information about your company or your industry. Regularly publishing content from your website creates links and helps with boosting your search engine result rankings. One word of caution though when posting on your company’s website or social media.

Make sure all social media and website content reflects the business's values and intended identity. Maintain a consistent tone that reflects the overall image the business aims to convey. Emphasize the importance of sharing high-quality and relevant information that directly pertains to your business or industry.