Small Business Marketing Essentials

Believe it or not, starting a small business is always a huge step forward. Despite the plethora of competition, in time, you’ll find that you have much more freedom, cash flow, and ownership than you ever would working for a much larger organization.

For me, one of the early lessons I learned is that I can’t do it all. For instance, you might be effective at running the day-to-day operations of your business, however, marketing might be a foreign concept.

But it doesn’t have to be daunting. As a matter of fact, there are four easy ways to launch your digital marketing strategy.

Social Media

Even before building a website, you need to have a social media presence. Generally, it’s easier to consistently add new content to your social media profiles than it is for a website (unless you have a blog; more on that later).

Also, everyone is “on social media”, whereas a website just doesn’t have the same initial impact. With that in mind, you can treat your social media presence as your initial website. Your Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Instagram can and should encapsulate all of the same information that’s on your website, only in a streamlined manner.

With a strong baseline in social media, you can:

• Provide every important contact detail

• Flex your expertise

• Demonstrate your passion

As an added pro, you can focus your message on certain geographic regions. So, if you’re business is based in a Chicago suburb, it’s a pretty straightforward path to becoming the go-to [insert profession here] in that area.

Build a Website

Does it sound like I’m contradicting myself? Let me explain.

Although your social media platforms can showcase most of the same value and information that a website does, they aren’t replacements. It’s kind of similar to how a LinkedIn profile isn’t a replacement for a résumé.

As far as your digital properties are concerned, your website is your headquarters. That’s where you can really allow your creativity and vision to shine. From setting up a customized contact page to raking in SEO points with reoccurring blog content, a website is a great tool for building a brand and demonstrating credibility.

Write, Write Write

If you’re handling your marketing on your own, you should still be focused on putting your voice out there. Whether you write, 30 words or 3,000 words a post, search engines love organic content…and you should, too.

Not only do blogs present the reader with an insight into your thought processes, it also sends all of the traffic directly back to you. For those who aren’t paying for any type of social media/Google advertising, this will be huge for the beginning stages of your small business.

Establish a Newsletter

Commercials, such as the one for Constant Contact, improperly market email marketing as send email and get instant calls.

However, I think email marketing is actually better as a brand-building vehicle. Similar to social media posting and blogging, start by establishing a frequency of delivery. Some people send an email out to their contacts every month. Others send it every week. Some even send it every day. Whatever your timeline is, keep it consistent.

With that first portion out of the way, you can utilize email marketing as a channel for keeping your customers, prospects, friends, and family in touch on the latest pertaining to your business.

Summary

With the combined synergy of social media, a website, organic content, and a newsletter, you can have a very well-rounded digital marketing strategy without diverting too much of your energy away from other areas of the business. Not only do these help to engage with your audience, you’ll find that they’ll also further reinforce your passion for your company’s mission.

To get started with creating a comprehensive digital marketing strategy for your business, send us a message at RizzoYoungMarketing.com.