So here you are, the proud owner of your very own business ready to hit the ground running. You have the talent, you’ve gathered the resources, and now you just need the customers. How do you find them….or an even better question…how do they find you? Marketing is the key to finding and retaining a consistent clientele. In this day and age of technology and endless possibilities, there are more marketing avenues than ever to exploit. Some may even say that there are too many. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, trade shows, print, radio, television….where does one begin and where does one draw the line? The reality is that marketing can, in fact, become a full-time job. The key is finding the right mix of paid and free resources to reach the right demographic at the opportune time with the ideal message as efficiently as possible…..no pressure, right?
Research, nobody can accurately give you a guide to your ideal marketing strategy without doing a little research; it is different for everyone. Building a Facebook page is a good place to start, with over a billion users, it is a pretty good bet that at least some of your target market is represented on this platform. It is free, it is accessible, and everyone is on it. Likely though, a Facebook page alone will not be enough to launch you into the fame and fortune that you desire. While it is tempting to represent your business on all available platforms, its very time consuming to maintain all of the accounts and engage with all of your networks. You would be better off to choose a few platforms that you can manage effectively, and that reach the most significant percentage of your target market.
Platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, are connectable; it is essential to develop a marketing strategy for both platforms. Keep the page content unique, feel free to reshare similar content at different intervals across the platforms. Remember to engage your brand followers on each platform separately.
I am set up, now what?
Once you have determined your ideal mix of social and traditional media platforms, you need to develop a strategy. What are you looking to achieve, and how do you plan to get there? Be specific. “I want to be rich and retire on a private island” is not going to cut it. Make a plan and a strategy to achieve it. At the end of each month, sit down, determine where you are and compare it to where you need to be to achieve your goals. Be realistic. Growth often takes time. Next, set out your marketing strategy for the coming month. Many small businesses post too infrequent and end up just creating content about seemingly random topics. This is chaotic and messy.
Pick a topic for the month and tailor all of your content around one centralized theme. Deliver your message through several avenues to target different angles while ensuring that the theme is consistent. You will look more professional, better organized, and your message will be easier to follow. Better yet, the delivery will be more efficient.
Now go out there and get started. You have something to sell, and the world is waiting to buy it!
Be clear, efficient and organized, spend time doing topic research. Take the time to set up your platforms correctly so that they create a loyal customer and brand supporters. This will leave you more time to do what you do best…..running your business.
Do you know that you don’t have time to run an effective marketing campaign as well as focusing on your business? That is where we come in. Our team conducts market research, content creation or social media marketing campaigns; we are here to help.
Until next month,
Angela
