Side hustles are the new trend. And, everyone seems to have a side hustle these days. The internet, especially, is full of entrepreneurs and professionals looking for ways to boost their income and make extra cash. What’s better, many of them have turned their side hustles into full-fledged businesses. This is excellent news for everyone interested in creating a side hustle.
But doing these side hustles without an online presence can be difficult and isn’t always the smartest idea. Here are five reasons why you need an online presence:
- An online presence boosts accessibility.
This is one of the most powerful benefits of a robust online presence. Having a social media presence allows YouTubers, bloggers, and other online creators to share their content with their audience by a tap of a button, no matter where they are.
If you have a traditional business (or even a side hustle that doesn’t involve an e-commerce store), it’s easy to feel isolated or disconnected from the rest of the world if you don’t have an online presence. Having an online presence can help your customers stay connected with your business and reach out when they need something. It also enables a connection with the current customers and reaches out to new ones.
- It touches a wider audience.
With statistics of more than 3 billion people using social media globally, it’s clear that there is a large audience for businesses and creators alike. Having a social media presence can help expand your audience beyond local consumers, allowing you to reach customers from all over the world.
Given the internet is open 24/7, you can even use Google Ads on your website to target specific demographics like age, gender, and location—so you’re reaching the right people at the right time. Then integrate social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram into your marketing strategy to get even more eyeballs on your products and services.
- An online presence shapes customer relationships.
Maintaining an online presence helps build credibility for your side hustle. It also creates an opportunity for customers to get to know you outside of their purchases, which allows them to stay more connected to your work.
Social media platforms allow creators to connect with their customers in real-time by liking, commenting, and sharing their content. This personal interaction helps build customer relationships and trust in your brand.
For example, if Jane Doe loves buying your homemade candles, she’ll be able to follow along on social media and see behind-the-scenes photos of how they’re created, as well as updates on new scents and designs in the works. This unique connection can help cultivate both loyalty and trust in your business.
- It enables painless marketing.
The news that content is king is everywhere when it comes to building a successful online presence. That’s because useful content can be distributed through multiple channels and help you reach new audiences through a digital marketing agency.
Every piece of content you create—whether it’s a blog post, infographic, or YouTube video—is another piece of marketing material that you can distribute through social media or email marketing.
Content marketing doesn’t require a huge budget or a lot of time to produce results. In fact, it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business online.
- It shows what work and what doesn’t
With an online presence, it’s easy to see which of your marketing efforts are working and which aren’t. For example, let’s say you decide to post some flyers around your neighborhood promoting a recent promotion on your photography services. You write down how many flyers you placed and collect the contact information of everyone who schedules a photoshoot with you during that promotion period.
Using this method, it’s hard to tell which customer found out about the promotion through a flyer and which one saw it elsewhere. However, if you promote the same offer on Facebook and record how many people saw the advertisement and clicked on it, you may get a high number that will translate to later sales.
Because of the internet, a simple side project can grow into something so much more. Whether it’s for a business, blog, or even a passion project, having an online presence is one of the important ways to get started and get your name out there.
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