Are you in the process of having your first website built? Have you thought about who will be waiting with bated breath to see your grand reveal? If the launch is unsuccessful, it might just be family and friends looking on.

In my last column, I told you about a friend of mine who is starting up a new retail business. He’s opening a physical shop and plans to sell online. At that stage he was debating the value of a professionally designed logo. Luckily he listened and is excitedly awaiting the finished concept.

His business idea has progressed and his next online challenge is to start implementing his pre-launch strategy. For most business owners, a pre-launch strategy involves purchasing their domain name and publishing a landing page that says ‘coming soon’. This approach ensures a number of missed opportunities. A more advanced strategy is to place a mailing list subscribe form to capture email addresses of interested visitors. That way you can contact them when the site has launched.

My pre-launch strategy revolves around one objective. That is, to build an engaged audience prior to launch. To do this I focus on two things – building both an audience and anticipation well before your website is finished.

Central to this strategy is the tactical use of blogs and social networking. Like most online business owners, my friend is not from a digital background. He trusts my advice but asked two common questions – ‘what’s a blog?’ and ‘why do I need to be on Twitter?’

I told him that blogs were originally used as online journals but had evolved to be seen as a publishing platform for individuals and businesses alike. I said there were two main ways to use them – to document an ongoing story (like a diary) or to publish themed content like a magazine. “But I’m not a journalist”, he said, “won’t we look unprofessional?” I explained to him that the two most important elements of blogging were being able to craft a compelling story and use a spellchecker.

This is a strategy that all businesses can use. Start by telling your story and what people can expect to read about on your blog. Use it to set the scene, write about your passion for your new business and its industry, and publish ‘sneak peeks’ of your web design and branding. Let your excitement for your new business shine through your writing – enthusiasm is infectious. Take your readers on a journey and they’ll start to feel invested in the outcome.

It’s important to have content on your blog before you start your Twitter account too. At this point, create a personal account – sign up under your own name if it’s available. Tweet three times and slowly start to build your network up from there.

Search for bloggers in your niche and industry bodies and connect to them. Later, you’ll use your account for customer service and acquisition, reputation management and more. Write regular, compelling blog posts and you’ll start to gain your readers’ trust and, perhaps most importantly, their attention.