We know. You want your business to grow. The first quarter has come and gone. As you are reviewing the numbers, you’re probably highlighting opportunities for improvement and reviewing your goals. And, almost always, those numbers leave you wanting more. More customers, more contracts, more product sold, and more profits. Here’s where it’s important to pause. The old-school mindset is to plan on how to go get “more”. What if there was a better way? What if you could help the “more” come to you?

 

Good news. You can, and you should. Here’s how:

  • Make Sure Your Focus Shifts from Outbound to Inbound. We’ll talk more about this in point 4, but content marketing is a key to being found online and is the underlying tenant of inbound marketing. Being able to bring clients to your business is what inbound is all about–in fact, the first phase of this type of marketing is classified as the attract phase. Attract sounds like a far better term than some of the traditional marketing terms such as capture or cold call. The concept is simple: provide quality information and resources that your prospects want, and they will come to your business.    
  • Don’t Assume Paying Google is Your Answer. Remember the days when marketers spent all their time vying for a top-ranking spot in Google advertising or, if the budget didn’t allow for paid efforts, debating the best ways to stuff keywords on a webpage? We do too. While Google still holds the power, it would be a mistake to follow old thinking and only focus on paid ads, or worse, keyword stuffing. In fact, you should focus on quality content. While you certainly don’t have to entirely abandon advertising efforts (social ads can still be beneficial for your business), putting all of your time and resources into disruptive marketing will not result in maximized digital success for your brand. Instead, you’ll need to work carefully to blend content efforts with paid support, which leads us to…
  • Strategize. Strategize. Strategize. We’ve said it many, many times. Without a solid (and frequently reviewed) digital marketing strategy, you have no pulse on the success or strength of your business online. It is also hard to collaborate with a team or produce cohesive marketing without a clearly-defined plan to guide your efforts. A basic strategy is fairly simple to assemble. If you need help, there are lots of resources available to help you get started (including one from your own Posse).
  • Make (or Review) Your Content Marketing Plan. One key component of your overall digital marketing strategy is your content marketing plan. This is where you decide what your business should be known for and as to your potential customers. If you are a camera company, you will probably want to put together content that highlights beautiful pictures, photography tips, camera care information, equipment comparison charts, and other camera-related resources. To ensure you are providing adequate amounts of attention to the topics your audience most cares about, make sure you have a plan in place that includes the type of content to share, the platform on which that post fits, the target demographic for your information, and any supportive efforts you might need to exert to further the reach of your targeted, well-crafted content.
  • Talk to Your Audience (Current & Potential). It may seem like common sense, but still one of the most overlooked elements of social media for businesses is the ability (and need) to engage with the customer. Everything you’ve done thus far for your business (great content, targeted ads, clear digital strategy, attracting clients) is meaningless if you don’t engage with the traffic you get. When people ask questions, leave feedback (positive or negative), share photos, or comment on your posts, you need to talk back. Failing to do so makes a statement of apathy toward your demographic–the very last thing your business would do in real life!

There is probably an ever-growing to-do list somewhere on your mobile device or desk. You have important tasks to tackle, and focusing your time chasing potential clients and hoping they will pay attention to you is not a good use of your very limited time. Instead, direct your team’s efforts toward helping your business stand out amongst its competitors in the digital space by offering unique and quality content that brings the customers straight to your doorstep website.