There is little doubt that the expansion of the internet has changed the way that we find information on every topic. As consumers, we don’t reach for the yellow pages, we reach for our phone and find the information we need through a simple search query. This process has changed the way we locate phone numbers, addresses, and seek out products and services. It’s important that we take into account our own online behaviors when we approach our strategy for marketing and promoting our businesses.
Still, we see resistance among our peers about their digital marketing strategy. Some of the common challenges we hear most often are:
Getting Started
Social media has changed the way that we communicate personally and professionally. However, the growth of social has created a wide slate of options: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snap Chat, Periscope, Pinterest. It can be overwhelming to identify where best to start with a digital marketing strategy and how to get oriented with the etiquette of the platform.
Your choices may be directed by the demographic that you hope to attract or by how much time you are willing to invest in your social media strategy. Determining how, when and where to start with a social media profile are among the questions that we answer most about online marketing for Canadian businesses.
Investing the Time
While social media has provided the opportunity for a new outlet to connect with your audience, it is critical that you can commit the time to get your page(s) up and running and to perform regular updates that ensure that they communicate freshness of your content to your audience. Once you get started and identify a strategy, you may find that it is not as time intensive as you had originally thought. When social marketing becomes part of your daily or weekly routine, you create a rhythm that is easy to maintain but also becomes familiar to your audience and keeps them tuning in.
Building Your Audience
One of the common frustrations with creating a social media following is the sluggish start to building one’s audience. It can be somewhat demoralizing when you commit your time and creativity to post engaging content and it’s simply not being seen by a wide enough audience to have an impact. If you are devoting hours per month on social media and it is being seen by only a few dozen people – your time may be better invested in other areas.
Remember to put the “social” in social media and engage your network of contacts to help expand your following and create the reach that will help to encourage your active interest and use of this affordable medium to achieve your goals.
Are You Still Stumped By Online Marketing?
If you recognize that a digital marketing component is essential to take your business to the next level, we welcome the opportunity to discuss the scope of your current marketing program and determine how, when and where you can step up your efforts. Call us or drop us an e-mail today and let’s identify your strategy for success.
