Though the concept of business development differs depending on business size and objective, for me it is about building long term relationships with other relevant businesses, suppliers and potential customers.
With the explosion of the digital landscape and concept of being online and engaged 24 hours a day seven days a week, the internet has become a focal point for every business development strategy where the following points are key for supporting your success:
Harness the power of LinkedIn
Do you proactively use LinkedIn Or is it just a platform that showcases your CV” When used regularly and properly LinkedIn provides one of the most valuable online business development tools worldwide.
Aside from the fact you are open to a huge network of potential customers, suppliers and relevant contacts, LinkedIn also provides you with the opportunity to showcase content, ideas and updates relevant to your business which in turn could engage members of your target audience and support your business development strategy for the long term.
Read more articles written by Mark Wright:
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Valuable content
We all want to shout about our own company achievements and successes, but a big part of business development involves reaching out to others and engaging interest in return. This interest is far more likely to be received if you have something to offer your target audience, such as useful and valuable content.
Posting this content on your company blog, on social media platforms and even within newsletters or e-shots ensures it remains constant and accessible, whilst increasing organic brand engagement.
Enhance online images
Developing a strong digital presence that is valuable to your target audience is a challenging but significant task. Aside from publishing well-written and valuable content, it is important to create a strong and consistent digital image through your website, blog and social media platforms. Not only is this more likely to engage your target audience, but will also increase brand loyalty, word of mouth and repeat business moving forwards.
Overall, the success of business development lies in a proactive and consistent approach. Harnessing the power of digital marketing to create a positive and valuable image online will go a long way into supporting your efforts and delivering success.
On 22 February Google finalised its roll-out of the permanent removal of all Right Hand Side Ads across the Search Engines Results Pages worldwide. How will this impact businesses
Mark Wright is director of Climb Online.
