5 Simple Tips for Digital Marketing Success
Follow these tactics to avoid wasting time and money.
An onslaught of digital and online products and services has given small businesses access to highly sophisticated marketing tools. The problem: Who has the time or expertise to use them to their maximum potential? This is why many otherwise brilliant business owners fail at marketing their goods or services.
“Creating the right marketing program for your brand takes hours of development, an investment in resources, and a tolerance for trial and error,” says Elissa Feldman, Vice-President of Marketing at Fora Financial. “Sometimes, what you start out thinking is perfect is really the pathway to a much better solution,” she adds.
Get on the right marketing path for your growing business by following with these dos and don’ts:
1. Don’t be nearsighted about your customers.
It’s easy to count on the usual suspects to support your brand. But in disregarding less obvious market segments, you can lose out on revenue opportunities.
Example: You’re opening a wellness practice and gym, so you see upwardly mobile professionals from 22 to 55 years old as your core. Meanwhile, there are two communities nearby for active seniors. These are neighborhoods full of people with disposable income and gobs of time to focus on their health and fitness. No-brainer.
2. Do meet your customers where they live online.
It’s easy to assume that everyone uses social media in just the same way that you do. But are you your customer? If you’re 50 and a Facebook devotee, it’s unlikely that the 25-year-old prospects you want to connect with your brand of craft beer are right there with you. Instead, you may want to explore TikTok, Instagram, and/or Vimeo. Check out this primer for small businesses venturing into “social.”
Did You Know?
81% of shoppers research online before purchasing?
Source: https://www.businessdit.com/small-business-online-marketing-statistics/
3. Don’t build what you think you should have.
Some entrepreneurs want it all for their marketing programs: A big web site with lots of dynamic content, a twice-weekly blog, daily social media posts, and maybe even a monthly MailChimp newsletter – because that’s what everyone does, right? But do you have the time, money, or ongoing desire to create all the content to live in those great spaces? Trust us: Error pages and blog posts from 2018 are not sexy.
4. Do learn more about key analytics.
Every digital marketing campaign is an opportunity to better understand your audience and deliver more engaging messages. But many small businesses invest in marketing campaigns without knowing the ABCs of basic digital analytics like click-throughs, open rates, bounce rates, and geographical data. These metrics tell you if you’re reaching your desired audience – and if you’re keeping them engaged or losing them after the first sentence. Google Analytics offers a great overview of this topic.
5. Don’t do it yourself.
“Who knows our brand better than we do, right?” Well yes and no. A marketing firm with small-business marketing expertise can see things from a vantage point that knows your industry, your competition, and what it takes to make you stand out. Its objectivity is key to creating an effective program that can turn prospects into customers – and first-time customers into loyal supporters of your brand. Don't know where to start looking? Reach out to local business groups, SCORE, and/or the SBA for assistance and referrals.
Following these dos and don’ts will put your marketing efforts on solid ground, so you don’t end up adrift in a sea of dead Web pages and stale content.
Since 2008, Fora Financial has distributed $4 billion to 55,000 businesses. Click here or call (877) 419-3568 for more information on how Fora Financial's working capital solutions can help your business thrive.