Building an online presence doesn’t have to take years. We reached out to CEOs and marketing experts to uncover their most effective strategies for gaining traction quickly in the digital space. From delivering valuable educational content to harnessing the power of live streaming, these fourteen expert-backed approaches will help you accelerate your online growth and make an impact fast.
- Provide Educational Content
- Maintain Consistency and Appeal
- Become the Face of Your Business
- Host Virtual Events and Challenges
- Choose Your Platforms Wisely
- Utilize Social Media SEO
- Engage Actively With Others
- Focus on Storytelling
- Leverage Collaborations
- Leverage User-Generated Content
- Specialize in One Platform
- Leverage Influencer Partnerships
- Partner With Micro-Influencers
- Utilize Live Streaming Sessions
Provide Educational Content
It depends on the product or service, but one of the most effective strategies I recommend focusing on is education. Many potential clients often don’t understand the nuances of your product or industry, so by educating them through clear, valuable insights at a basic level, you can bridge that knowledge gap and differentiate yourself from the majority of competitors. This not only helps them make informed decisions but also establishes your brand as an expert in the field.
Providing educational content sets you apart from your competitors and builds trust with your audience, which in turn encourages them to stick around and interact with your brand more deeply.
Anna Stella, Marketing Expert & Founder, BBSA
Maintain Consistency and Appeal
I would say that consistency and emotional appeal are essential components of building an online presence. This means regularly posting content that resonates emotionally with followers—be it humorous, nostalgic, touching, or inspirational. When potential customers see a consistent posting schedule, they begin to recognize the brand, making it more likely they’ll engage with future posts.
For example—we might post a weekly “Sticker Story” series, showcasing unique uses of our stickers through customer stories or visually appealing images. These stories could range from humorous tales of a sticker prank to touching narratives of how a particular sticker represents a cherished memory for a customer. Through the emotional aspects these stickers can evoke, we not only maintain visibility but also build a genuine connection with our audience.
David Rubie-Todd, Co-Founder & Marketing Head, Sticker It
Become the Face of Your Business
A powerful strategy for building an online presence quickly is to become the face of your business through organic content marketing. Show your personal expertise and authentic experiences. By sharing valuable insights, relatable stories, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of your journey, you humanize your brand and promote genuine connections with your audience.
This approach builds trust, amplifies engagement, and encourages organic growth as people begin to associate your business with a real, relatable person. Through consistent, value-driven content, you can establish yourself as a thought leader while simultaneously driving your brand
Rutba Khan, Copywriter & Social Media Specialist
Host Virtual Events and Challenges
A less common but highly effective strategy is to host virtual events or challenges that encourage user participation and content creation. For example, launching a hashtag challenge where users are prompted to post content related to your brand in exchange for a chance to win prizes. This type of campaign creates a fun and engaging way for users to interact with your brand and generates a large amount of user-generated content that can enhance your brand’s visibility and credibility. Make sure to leverage all social media platforms relevant to your target audience to maximize participation and impact.
Marc Bishop, Director, Wytlabs
Choose Your Platforms Wisely
Getting your online presence up and running fast isn’t about flooding every platform. You’ve got to pick your battlegrounds wisely. Think about where your crowd actually hangs out. B2B? That’s LinkedIn. Lifestyle? You’re looking at Instagram. Short, snappy content for Gen Z? Go TikTok.
One trick that works wonders is content repurposing. Got a killer blog post? Break it down into short, punchy tips for social media. Turn key points into a Reel, a Twitter thread, or even a podcast clip. The key is tweaking the content for each platform. What slays on LinkedIn might tank on TikTok, so keep it flexible.
Timing matters, too. Are your folks scrolling in the morning, lunch break, or late at night? Check those analytics. No point in posting when everyone’s offline. Stay on top of trends, especially on TikTok and Instagram. Use popular hashtags, jump on trending sounds, and keep things fresh.
And don’t just post polished content. Let people in on the messy, behind-the-scenes moments. Show what’s really going on. It makes your brand relatable, not just another company pitching for attention.
Lastly, know who you’re speaking to. If you’re aiming at Gen Z, quick, relatable videos are your ticket. For millennials, you want stories with some depth and visuals that catch the eye. It’s not about how much you post but how well you connect with your crowd.
Peter Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer, Strategic Pete
Utilize Social Media SEO
Utilizing SEO for social media content is a less commonly tapped strategy that can provide long-term benefits in building an online presence. By optimizing your social media posts with keywords, participating in trending topics, and using popular hashtags, you can increase the discoverability of your content. This approach helps you appear in search results, not only on social platforms but also on traditional search engines. It’s a dual-edged strategy that boosts both immediate visibility and sustained engagement.
Jason Hennessey, CEO, Hennessey Digital
Engage Actively With Others
One strategy for building an online presence quickly is to flip the script on audience engagement.
Instead of waiting for people to find and comment on your posts, actively engage with them first—but not in a generic “great post!” way.
Spend time diving deep into niche groups or relevant hashtags and leave thoughtful, conversation-starting comments on other people’s content. Don’t just interact with influencers—engage with micro-communities and smaller creators.
This creates a ripple effect, where you build trust within tight-knit groups, and their curiosity drives them back to your profile.
It’s like planting seeds in the right soil, and it grows faster than just broadcasting to a passive audience.
Austin Benton, Marketing Consultant, Gotham Artists
Focus on Storytelling
One of the quickest ways to build an online presence is through storytelling. We often think paid ads are the answer, but without the right content, even the best ad campaign will struggle to deliver results. Instead, focus on storytelling and content that truly resonates with your audience.
For example, create a challenge that depends on your follower growth—this encourages engagement and gives people a reason to follow along. Another strategy is segmented documentary storytelling. By sharing your journey in real time, you invite your audience to follow you for the end result. This creates a personal connection and keeps them invested.
Katharina Garmon, CEO & Founder of Socialkind Studio, Socialkind Studio LLC
Leverage Collaborations
One effective strategy to build an online presence quickly is to leverage collaborations and partnerships. By partnering with influencers, complementary brands, or industry leaders, you can tap into established audiences. This approach amplifies reach and boosts credibility. A couple of different ways you can collaborate online are by co-hosting live events, running giveaway contests, or collaborating on regular in-feed content. Collaborating will accelerate brand awareness and follower growth in a short period of time.
Milou Pietersz, CEO / Marketing Strategist, Simply Multimedia
Leverage User-Generated Content
We’ve found that one of the most effective strategies for rapidly building an online presence is leveraging user-generated content (UGC) campaigns. This approach not only accelerates growth but also fosters authentic connections with your audience.
We create a unique, branded hashtag and encourage followers to share content related to our client’s products or services. This strategy works particularly well because it taps into people’s natural desire to be seen and acknowledged. By featuring the best UGC on our client’s main feed, we create a virtuous cycle of engagement—followers are motivated to create and share more content, hoping to be featured, attracting more followers to the brand.
We’ve seen this strategy dramatically increase follower counts and engagement rates in a matter of weeks, not months. The key is to make the campaign feel genuine and aligned with the brand’s values. We always ensure that the call for UGC resonates with the brand’s core message and target audience.
Daniel Lynch, Digital Agency Owner, Empathy First Media | Digital Marketing & PR
Specialize in One Platform
To build an only presence quickly, consider specializing in one platform. Many young CEOs are told to make sure you’re active across all social media platforms—but with the way each platform’s best practices differ more and more each year, that isn’t a good use of your time if you’re looking to go far, fast. Hone in on one platform whose content style you can churn out, and get really consistent. This will produce not only quick results, but results that you can sustain.
Olivia Shalhoup, Founder, President, Amethyst Collab
Leverage Influencer Partnerships
One effective strategy for building an online presence quickly is to leverage influencer partnerships. Collaborating with influencers who align with your brand values can provide immediate access to their established audiences, significantly expanding your reach.
Start by identifying influencers in your niche with engaged followings and propose collaborations, such as co-hosting live events, product reviews, or social media takeovers. This not only enhances your visibility but also adds credibility to your brand, as followers are more likely to trust recommendations from someone they already admire.
Additionally, consider creating shareable content that resonates with both your target audience and the influencer’s followers, encouraging organic shares and engagement. Combining influencer partnerships with consistent posting and audience interaction will help you build a robust online presence rapidly.
Shreya Jha, Social Media Expert, Appy Pie
Partner With Micro-Influencers
I can confidently say that one effective strategy for quickly building an online presence is leveraging partnerships and collaborations with micro-influencers. This approach allows for authentic engagement with niche audiences while building credibility and visibility for your brand or platform.
We implemented this strategy by partnering with up-and-coming writers and bloggers. We reached out to content creators in our niche, offering them a platform to publish their work, which not only gave them exposure but also brought their audience to our website. By aligning our platform with their personal brands, we created a symbiotic relationship where both parties benefited.
For example, in one of our campaigns, we identified bloggers who specialize in trending news topics relevant to our audience. We invited them to write guest posts on our platform and promoted these pieces through social media. By doing this, we tapped into their existing audiences while providing them with professional exposure.
Within a few months, our website traffic saw a substantial increase, with many new visitors coming from these influencer partnerships. This approach helped us grow our user base organically and position our platform as a trusted source of information in the market.
This strategy works because people are more likely to trust recommendations from influencers they already follow. Collaborating with influencers who align with your brand values ensures authenticity while expanding your reach to targeted audiences.
In conclusion, partnerships with micro-influencers or content creators are a cost-effective, time-efficient method for rapidly building an online presence. This strategy fosters community and credibility, two key factors that drive sustainable growth in the digital world.
Kamel Ratkusic, CEO, RDDIGITALWEB
Utilize Live Streaming Sessions
One tip to quickly build a social media following is to take advantage of live-streaming social media sessions. Aside from streaming straight content, engaging with your audience in real time (such as allowing them to vote on which topic to discuss next or ask questions in a live Q&A) and co-creating content with them is key. Live-streaming live Q&As make users feel like they’re part of the show and have a say in the creation process.
In particular, what works for me is to run those live streams as a series of workshops or Q&A (Question and Answer) sessions, where viewers can go away with some sort of insight or skill that is new to them, around their chosen industry, or a sought-after skill. That way, viewers also get direct insights and—if taught—skills that immediately hold value for them and position your brand as an expert and thought leader in the field.
Getting viewers engaged in this kind of personal experience can boost your social footprint immeasurably and, most importantly, do so in a meaningful way. It can also hugely amplify your reach, turning a viewer or two into a cheerleader (or advocacy machine) of your brand.
Alexander Henschel, Digital Marketing Manager, Boulevard
