When you hear the words, “digital marketing”, how does it make you feel? So many small business owners that I talk to cringe when I start to talk about their digital marketing efforts. It makes them feel anxious, stressed and, overall, uncomfortable. 

Why do they feel this way? Because most of them aren’t sure how to do it, don’t feel like they need to do it or don’t feel like they have the time to learn it.

But, we all know that marketing is essential to growing your business, so pour a cup of coffee and let’s debunk these popular myths!

Myth #1 – It’s too hard to get started

It’s not surgery or rocket science- I promise you that it can be implemented into your business!

With the abundance of tools, apps and platforms, many small business owners are unsure of where to start, so they just don’t. Or they keep doing what they’ve been doing, but it’s not working anymore.

But, don’t let that scare you! You just need to know which tools and strategies work for your business!

This means you need to:

1. Know who your ideal customer is
2. Create messaging that resonates with them
3. Ensure that your online presence connects with them (your website, content, social and email)
4. Implement effective SEO strategies so they can find you at the right place and at the right time in their purchasing journey
5. Utilize social media to amplify your brand and create relationships with your ideal customers
6. Nurture them with email marketing (but not the annoying kind where you blow up their inbox multiple times a day 🙁
7. Learn which programs you can use to automate A LOT of your marketing tasks
8. Learn how to go over your analytics so you know what is working and what isn’t so you can adjust your marketing strategy accordingly
9. Implement effective offline marketing as well- it’s still a great idea to get out there and talk to people face-to-face. Consider hosting events, joining a networking group or sponsoring a local organization.

 

Myth #2- My business doesn’t really need to do it

It’s 2020. If you’re not getting found online through effective digital marketing strategies, you will get left behind. Google is now a verb in our culture. People talk about major life announcements such as marriage, a baby or a break-up as being “Facebook official”. If a business doesn’t have a website (or a decent one) or current social media profiles, consumers are skeptical.

People start their research waaay before ever they ever reach out to a business. I recently got an email from Google and it discusses how the customer journey has majorly shifted and no two people’s journeys are exactly alike- even if they’re searching for the same product in the same category. It’s a really interesting read, you can read it here. People are creating their own unique path to purchase- your business needs to touch them along the way. The only way to do that is with an effective digital marketing strategy.

Myth #3- Digital Marketing is just social media

A lot of times when I talk to small business owners, they start telling me about their Facebook posts and when I ask about the rest of their digital marketing strategy, they look at me like I’m crazy. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that digital marketing is just social media, and while it is an aspect of digital marketing, it encompasses so much more than social media. It includes things like optimizing your website and blog posts for readers and search engines, effective email marketing, reviewing your analytics on your website, social media and email, and a solid content strategy. 

Ready to master your marketing + grow your business? 

Let’s chat! 🥂