Constant Contact’s new marketing campaign promises that you can “be a marketer” if you use their product. Woefully, it’s not quite that easy.
While marketing is a game that you can excel in the more you learn and continue to stay current, using someone’s product doesn’t automatically make you a marketer, even if you’re sending out email campaigns
1. Claim Your Business Online
There’s a joke in the digital marketing community that’s a play on an age-old philosophical query: “Do you exist if Google doesn’t know you do?” Joke or not, this is a real issue. If you have a business but you’re not listed on Google, then you might as well not exist at all.
2. Optimize Your Content
First, figure out your keywords. Then make sure you’re actually using those keywords on your website (but don’t stuff them everywhere.) Lastly, ensure that the content you’re producing is in line with the topics your potential customers are searching for.
This means that if you’re selling data security solutions, you should be writing content about data security solutions. It means that each page of your website should discuss the problem of data security and talk about the solution that you provide.
Like I mentioned above, if Google can’t find you, you might as well not exist. Google won’t find you if you’re not talking about what problems you’re solving for your consumers.
3. Get on Social Media Platforms
Don’t be on social media just to be there — be there to engage with others.
Don’t be on social media just to be there — be there to engage with others, participate in the social community, and talk to your consumers when they talk to you or about you. It’s like making friends in real life: you can’t do it unless you actually care about them.
4. Get in Front of People
Marketing from behind a computer screen can only take you so far. What are you doing to get in front of your community?
Here are a few ways to get in front of people: send an employee to networking events and conferences, and have them introduce themselves and start to build relationships. Find a community cause and get involved with your staff to show that you care about the community as a whole and not just about business. Learn about the networking groups in your area and sponsor one of them.
Get your name and representatives out there, because while digital marketing efforts can cast a net that travels far and wide, there is no comparison for shaking someone’s hand and giving them a favorable impression of you, your people, and your company. You must allocate time and resources for both.
5. Contribute to the Digital Community
Instead of just talking about yourself all the time, take part in Twitter conversations and retweet things from other people. Follow other businesses on Facebook and promote specials they’re running. Share content from your customers. Get involved, and don’t make it all about you!
These days, marketing isn’t talking about yourself all the time…it’s playing nice in the digital sandbox with others, too.
If you’re not sure where to start with your marketing efforts, this can all feel extremely daunting. Taking stock of these general strategies will give you a better handle on getting in front of your customers, and will help you better understand what they’re looking for.