Entering the world of online marketing can often feel like navigating a vast, uncharted digital ocean. With so many paths to take—ranging from social media and SEO to email marketing and beyond—it's easy to feel lost and overwhelmed. This guide is written for small business owners who acknowledge the necessity of marketing their businesses online but are daunted by the prospect of where to start, the complex jargon, and the intricate technology required. Let's embark on this journey together, simplifying the world of online marketing into manageable steps.
Identifying Where to Begin in Online Marketing
Understanding your current position is the first step in any journey. Within the realm of online marketing, this means acknowledging that feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume and complexity of information is perfectly normal. The digital landscape is immense, and it's okay not to have all the answers from the get-go. Your initial task? Identify your primary objective for wanting to market your business online. Whether it’s to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or foster community engagement, having a clear goal will serve as your north star, guiding your steps through the digital wilderness.
Action Items:
Goal Setting: Dedicate time to articulate what you aim to achieve through online marketing. Aiming for one to three specific goals is an excellent start.
Online Presence Audit: Review and assess any existing digital assets you possess, such as websites or social media profiles, for areas of improvement or updating.
Selecting the Appropriate Platforms for Your Digital Marketing Efforts
A common misconception in digital marketing is the necessity to maintain a presence on every conceivable social media platform. This approach is not only overwhelming but also largely unnecessary. Begin by pinpointing where your target audience spends their digital time. Your business will likely benefit more from concentrated efforts on one or two platforms where your audience is most engaged. Whether it's the visually driven Instagram, the professional network LinkedIn, or the community-focused Facebook, select platforms based on where you can most effectively connect with your customers, not based on the latest trends.
Action Items:
Audience Research: Allocate time to investigate where your target audience predominantly spends their online time. Utilize industry reports or surveys to guide your research.
Platform Selection: Choose one platform where you're not currently active and establish a business profile there based on your research findings.
Simplifying the Approach to Audience Engagement
At its core, online marketing is fundamentally about cultivating relationships with your audience. Begin with authenticity—share the story behind your business, your passion, and what makes your offerings unique. Encourage dialogue by posing questions and actively engaging with the responses. Remember, the foundation of successful online marketing is built one post, one comment, and one interaction at a time.
Action Items:
Content Calendar Development: Develop a content calendar that spans a week and incorporates a diverse mix of promotional, informative, and engaging content.
Daily Engagement: Commit to spending a few minutes each day to respond to comments, direct messages, and to interact with other profiles on your chosen platform.
Crafting a Straightforward Digital Marketing Plan
Embarking on your digital marketing journey doesn't necessitate a complex strategy from the outset. What are your objectives for the next quarter? Is it increasing your follower count, enhancing website traffic, or perhaps something else? Set a handful of attainable goals and chart out simple, actionable steps to achieve them, such as maintaining a consistent posting schedule or initiating a monthly email newsletter. Remember, digital marketing is more like a marathon rather than a sprint; persistent, measured efforts are the keys to long-term success.
Action Items:
Goal Specification: Clearly define one to two specific objectives for the upcoming quarter (e.g., augment website traffic by 20%).
Weekly Task Breakdown: For instance, if your aim is to boost website traffic, a potential task could be to author and publish a blog post weekly.
Embarking on Your Digital Marketing Journey
Now is the moment to take your inaugural step. This might be something as simple as creating a new social media profile on a platform where your audience is active or setting up a Google My Business account for your enterprise. Initiating this journey is often the most challenging step, but once undertaken, it paves the way forward.
Action Items:
Google My Business Setup: If not already done, configure a Google My Business listing to enhance your visibility in local search outcomes.
Profile Optimization: Optimize your newly created or pre-existing social media profiles by incorporating a succinct description, contact details, and a direct link to your website.
That's Where We Come In
At Wicked Good Marketing, our mission is to help small business owners learn the ins and outs of marketing so they can find their people online and grow their business. We know how confusing it all can be, but we want to help you cut through the technology obstacles, corporate jargon and complete overwhelm to help you take small but efficient steps forward. Follow us on Instagram to get more information, some funny memes and learn when the Wicked Good Entrepreneur Membership opens so you can network with the best small business owners around (and get some goodies from us each week!) Cheers to growing your business, making wicked good friends and having fun!
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