6 Reality Checks for your Digital Marketing
Let’s look at some Expectations vs Reality for your Digital Marketing
Patience
We are sold on the idea that social media is the best if not the only way to sell your business online, that you can expect spectacular results if you just do it “right” and you only need to post the “right” stuff at the “right” time to the “right” people to earn your fortune.
So it is no wonder our expectations are high when we set out to sell our businesses online. We work hard on crafting the perfect message, the perfect graphics in canva, checking analytics to see when is the best time to post. We tick all the boxes, we publish our stuff and…. nothing. Quite often when we publish on socials we get NO response, which is entirely disheartening and leads many to say why bother, it’s a waste of time, and neglect their online platforms.
The reality is that online selling is more about persistence than it is about getting it “right”. Think of prospecting for gold, which is pretty much what you are doing when you are posting on your social media. You are prospecting for those golden nuggets in your audience who are your ideal person to work with. To prospect for gold you set up your equipment, find a location where you are pretty sure gold exists, and then work patiently until you find what you are looking for.
Digital Marketing is very similar. Set up your platform (web, social media, email), add your equipment (graphics, content, video), and publish your stuff patiently until new business starts to come to you (and then keep publishing your stuff to keep your funnel topped up!)
Keep the rule of seven in mind – it takes an average of 7 interactions with your brand before a purchase will take place (source: b2bmarketing.net). It may take more or less than seven, so be patient!
Perfectionism
We set such high expectations for ourselves, aim for perfection and accept nothing less. High standards are great, once they don’t get in the way of progress. As a good friend told me years ago, “Done is better than perfect”.
So find that line, set high standards and be ok with minor flaws. Minor blips are unlikely to affect your results and in fact, they show your audience that you are human, like them!
Don’t spend HOURS tweaking a design in canva or fine-tuning an email when all of your work after the first 10 mins or half hour is not going to make ANY difference to your customers.
Don’t stress over a typo in a post on social media. Obviously, it’s better to avoid them, but you are only human and your audience will forgive an error here or there as long as you don’t have consistent mistakes.
DO enjoy the process, have fun with it and see where your creativity takes you. That is why people are following and subscribing to you, to hear your individual take on your chosen subject.
Long Content
It is easy to think that we need to write and create TONS of long-form blog posts and content to generate traction online. And while it’s true that long-form content is effective, so are shorter bite-sized pieces.
If you have something useful or interesting to say then put it out there, attention spans are shorter and people are busy so there is an appreciation for information that is quick and easy to consume.
In addition, multiple pieces of shorter content feed into the idea of consistency in a way that is more sustainable than attempting to generate longer-form content on a regular basis!
Come up with ideas, have a place to capture them, and dip into this resource regularly to top up your feeds with tiny gems that your customers will love.
Likes
There’s such a focus on numbers on social media – how many likes and follows do you have on your page or profile – and email marketing – how many subscribers do you have? It’s easy to think that this means that these numbers are the biggest factor in how well we can sell our product or service.
In reality, the most important indicators are whether your audience is interested in purchasing, and whether they engage – like or share your posts, or better still comment. These indicators show whether your audience is taking a genuine interest in your content and is a better indicator as to whether they are a potential customer than counting the people who clicked like on your Facebook page once and never checked in since!
Focus on the quality of your content, and on making it particularly useful and interesting to your ideal client, to increase engagement. Doing this consistently can and will lead to sales, and the likes and follows will, well, follow!
Money
It is easy to think that the only way to succeed in digital marketing is to buy success. Spend on expensive providers, online ads, etc. I have seen so many business owners waste so much money here!
Ads absolutely CAN be successful and useful in promoting your business online, in finding new customers and in selling to those who have already engaged with you. BUT spending money is far from the only way to succeed online.
If you opt for “free” (there’s still a cost, in time and energy!) digital marketing activities you can absolutely grow your business once you have strategy and consistency.
At a basic level, this means knowing what you are trying to do and then posting consistently in line with that goal. Throw in some persistence if things don’t move as fast as you would like and success will come. Spending money may speed up this process if used correctly, but it doesn’t guarantee success.
Big vs Small Business
If I had a euro for every time I’ve heard it said that small businesses just can’t compete online I would be a far wealthier woman!
The truth is that big business DOES have advantages. They have bigger teams so have more ideas and more resources (time and energy) for their marketing campaigns. They tend to have bigger budgets so they can win online ad auctions.
However, small businesses have something that big businesses can’t buy. The personal touch. Chances are you know your customers, and possibly your potential customers as well, personally and by name. You can use this to create genuine connections with your customers which are far more valuable than paying thousands to get an ad in front of them for a brand they have no affinity for.
Nurture that personal side in your small business and you will reap the benefits. People buy from people and in particular from people they know. How many times have you purchased online because you felt like you liked the business? That feeling of connection beats fancy ad campaigns every time!
