There’s a big misconception that small business owners + entrepreneurs can’t effectively do their own digital marketing to grow their business. There is somewhat of an unspoken belief that it’s too hard and confusing to do on their own. 

That’s simply not true.

Don’t get me wrong, digital marketing can be hard.  But, that’s only when you don’t have the right tools and strategies in place. It’s like anything else, you just need the proper knowledge to do it well.

And, there are actually benefits to DIY digital marketing!

Control

There’s no better way to know that your marketing is being effectively executed than to do it yourself 🙂 You don’t have to worry about what someone else is or isn’t doing to market your business.

(Side note-I know it seems impossible to imagine committing to doing more for your business, but you really can simplify your marketing, see results and grow your business by investing only a few hours a week!)

I’ve met many small business owners that have worked with people and/or agencies only to find out they weren’t doing everything they had promised. So, not only did they waste money in the process, they had no results to show for it:(

You can easily avoid this by doing it yourself, but unfortunately, many small business owners don’t feel confident or like they have the time to do their own digital marketing. But, I promise, you just need the right tools + strategies!

Unique= Most Effective

People love transparency- especially when they’re looking for a product or service. They want to know who they are investing their money in. Since the pandemic forced so many online and we all had to stay at home, there wasn’t any way other and to be fully transparent. We were now on Zoom meetings at our kitchen table. Our kids were yelling and doing school in the background- we have all become accustom to seeing the real behind the scenes over the last year! 

Who can show them who you are better than you? Nobody! You have a great opportunity to show your potential customers what makes you and your business special!

In addition to providing helpful content to help people solve their problems, be sure to share information about you, your business and your employees. People love to see the “real people” behind businesses and nobody can share your unique message better than you can!

Do you donate a % of your profits to a local cause? Share that and ask people to consider donating as well. Explain why you believe in supporting this cause/organization.

Do you provide additional training to your employees? Holiday parties? These are great topics to share- be sure to include a photo or video so people can see it!

You will get more engagement the more you share 🙂

It can take time to get some engagement, so if you’re posting, blogging, emailing, etc. and nobody is commenting or engaging- don’t give up! They will…and there’s a good chance they see what you’re doing, but just aren’t ready for your product or service.

Many small business owners don’t feel they have anything “unique” or “special” to share, but I promise that you do! If you’re not sure what your messaging is or how to share it with your potential customers, get started here. 

It Can Save You Money

This is one phrase that most of us small business owners love to hear 🙂 Instead of spending money paying someone else to do your marketing, you can take that money and invest it in other ways to grow such as scheduling apps or social media advertising.

There are many tools out there that can help you effectively market your business that are very inexpensive and/or FREE! 

A Few Tips

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Effective marketing starts with knowing who you are targeting. You need to take some time to figure out who your ideal customer/client is. This is called your “buyer persona”. For instance, if you’re selling RV’s and retired couples are generally your biggest client base, do you know where they hang out online so you can engage with them? (Tip: they’re probably not on Clubhouse) What does their typical financial situation look like? What are their hobbies? What do they read?

Your website is your flagship, your first impression on potential customers. This is your first opportunity to make a good impression because if they do not like your website, they’re going to be skeptical about learning more about your business. Go over your website and social profiles- are you using words and terminology that your buyer persona would relate to? Is your branding + messaging consistent across your website, social media, email? Do your links work? Is your grammar correct? Are there calls to action so people can take the next step you’d like them to take? I.e. sign up for an event, download a piece of content, etc.

There are numerous social media platforms and unfortunately, most small business owners either try all of them at once or none at all. There doesn’t seem to be much of a happy medium when it comes to this point. The truth is, you only need to stick to a few. Anywhere from 1-3 should work to start. Get comfortable with one then add another and another. If you really start to get engagement on one, you can start to cross that over to another platform. What social media platforms should you be on? Again, think about your ideal customer- where would they be? Go there!

Need More Help?

I know how limited your time is as a small business owner- if you’d like to learn more about effectively doing your own digital marketing, let’s set-up a time to chat!