Why would you choose to postpone putting time and effort into digital marketing?
Small business owners often believe that they don’t have the time or money to be competitive online. Many solo entrepreneurs prefer to take things slowly and stick with one or two basic forms of advertising, assuming their business will evolve as time passes.
Case in point. I have a client, who after 13 years online, still would rather spend lots of money on seasonal exhibitions, shows, and direct mail brochures, than beef up his now very outdated website.
Meet Your Customers Where They Live
Do you think you’re simply not ready for digital marketing? Maybe you just need some time to get established and then you’ll figure it out!
Problem is your potential customers are already online. Right now. Today.
They expect to find you there with a website and a social media presence. They may be looking for reviews so they can learn what other people are saying about your company and whether it is a good place to do business.
If a potential customer can’t find you online, they will quickly head somewhere else.
Your Competitors Are Online
When you look at what your competitors are doing, you will get an idea of what is working and what isn’t. Most likely, whatever type of business you are in, your competitors have a web presence. What kind of content are they using? Are they blogging, or are they using a lot of graphics and videos?
How do they communicate their brand and what makes them unique? How well do they engage with the audience? Do you think you can do better? You can’t if you don’t participate in competing in the digital world.
If your prospects begin to search for a business similar to yours and are able to find your competitors’ website but not yours, your business is not even in the running. Your competitors have just raced ahead of you regardless of whether they have an effective website or a clear message.
Let Your Customers Come To You
If you have an online presence but your competitors are easier to find and are found first, you still might not be found at all. Besides creating a website, search engine optimization is a strategy that helps you move ahead of your competitors.
What is Digital Marketing?
This is an umbrella term for all of your online marketing efforts.
Digital marketing is a way to make yourself accessible to the people you are trying to reach to offer your products and services. You are able to attract a much larger audience than you possibly could by just catering to local prospects.
Businesses leverage digital channels such as Google search, social media, email and their websites to connect with current and prospective customers. From your website to your online assets like digital advertising, content marketing, email marketing, online brochures and beyond.
The best digital marketers have a clear picture of how each asset supports their overarching goals.
Are You A Tortoise or A Hare?
Here is a tale of slow and steady wins the race and why it matters to small business owners.
“One day, Tortoise and Hare agreed to a long and difficult race. Stretching over miles and miles of rough terrain, hidden pitfalls and unknown enemies, the path before them rewarded only those travelers who could survive its impending dangers. Those who successfully navigated the course were richly rewarded at the finish line.
It was that reward that enticed the unlikely competitors to approach the starting line and embark on a course neither had traveled before.
Hare, the quicker and better looking of the two, appeared at the start carrying a large backpack. Tortoise, an aging and average turtle, carried only his shell on his back.” Read the rest of this inventive tale here: Digital Marketing Allegory
Be A Tortoise
Few forms of advertising are as cost-effective as digital marketing. Patience is a virtue. Digital marketing in all of its forms takes time, a plan, commitment, and measurement.
Call Marcia at 561-906-3436 to learn more about how to fashion a Digital Marketing Plan for your business.