 Many business owners reach out to me and book a consultation. The top services that they inquire about are social media management, online ads, and digital marketing audits.
Their challenges?
Once we get on a call, their frustration is clear. They feel that being online is a gamble. It doesn't work. Their valuable time is wasted. The only truth is that time is being wasted. And that's because they themselves or a team member is managing their brand's online presence which by the way isn't their zone of genius. Being online isn't a gamble. Being online works. Share a piece of content on LinkedIn and in 5 minutes it can result in 15 impressions (amount of times seen). Share a piece of content on Instagram and in 30 minutes your thoughts and images can be seen by hundreds of accounts. Imagine then adding structures and strategies while at the same time aligning your marketing to your top business goals. It's one thing to reach people, but how impactful would it be if your expertise was amplified in the direct feed of your target audience? Many who approach me obtain business through referrals and networking. Now they want to honour their time by working smarter, not harder. They want to do this by leveraging the online space. They've invested lots of dollars into their websites that isn’t doing the heavy lifting that was promised. They've invested money into online ads that didn't convert. They've put in so much time (which by the way is money) engaging on social media only to slip back into doing business the same way… Networking and relying on referrals and feeling burned out as they physically show up to reach people. It’s affirming when clients refer new business to you. Those recommendations are a testament to your expertise and experience. I truly believe in the power of networking and I'm thankful for the referrals. I also believe in moving my business forward by utilizing the world wide web. Relying on referrals alone is risky business. Many people found this to be true at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when lockdowns ensued. Networking and relying on referrals saw many become lazy about marketing. They barely put in the effort to promote their work consistently. The result? In-person networking was paused, cancelled or the organizers went out of business. The referral pipeline froze because just about everyone was blindsided, confused, and trying to figure out how to survive as their employment or business was negatively affected. Word of mouth can have powerful outcomes, but it’s also unpredictable. If you are in business then you always need to be marketing… because you always need profits. There’s no excuse for relying on referrals only… in this day and age. There are far more reliable client acquisition methods like Social Media, Paid Ads, Search Engine Optimization, and Email Marketing. Do you have to do all of these to be successful online? No, you don't. However the online tactics you decide to use have to be implemented strategically and consistently. Referrals normally happen within a specific social circle or peer-selected group of people. This creates a limited market niche for your product or service. If your only mode of marketing channel is referrals, you will have to work extra hard to satisfy the existing clients that will refer you to other people. Referral marketing means the whole process of obtaining new leads is unreliable. You cannot guarantee that all your clients will attempt to refer you to at least one person. There are many factors at play that depend primarily on the client. And referrals do not last forever. At some point, you will have to look for new clients by adopting other means of marketing. For growing businesses, referrals can only take you so far. The referrals you are used to getting are normally subjects of luck which leads to inconsistency in revenue. Hoping for or chasing referrals, shouldn’t be the top-of-the-list marketing strategy. A marketing strategy that converts to leads and customers can and should be planned. So how can you take action today? Ask yourself the following questions:
Then reach out to a certified digital marketing professional and be ready to spend more time working on your zone-of-genius as your brand reaches hundreds and thousands… something that you as one person cannot do consistently, physically in person. And remember that you are still the boss. Online marketing might be new to you and this way may have you feeling unsure… but you have to be kept in the loop, see and understand the results, and know that what is being shared about your brand is in alignment with you. By not relying solely on referrals and networking, you put yourself in control of who you reach out to, how, and when. You’re not waiting for others to remember how great you are.
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 Why do companies use branding in the first place? Branding is important to companies because it makes sure that their products and services that they provide are easily identifiable. Imagine two different brands of coffee being poured into two white mugs. Without tasting the coffee and just by looking you wouldn’t be able to identify which is which. However, once the Starbucks coffee is poured into the Starbucks cup and the Tim Horton's coffee into the Timmy’s cup, the difference becomes obvious. The point is, anytime you see a branded product you know in an instant the company it represents. It doesn’t matter if it appears on their website, social media platforms, TV, billboards, or anywhere else. This is why it’s important to keep your branding consistent, it’s your way of differentiating yourself from the competition and solidifying your identity. Branding is important because not only is it what makes a memorable impression on consumers but it allows your customers and clients to know what to expect from your company. Branding can change how people perceive your brand, it can drive new business, and increase brand value – but it can also do the opposite if done wrongly or not at all. So be consistent on your branding between platforms, because failure to do so can communicate a business identity crisis and create confusion, a huge turn-off for customers. Marketing on social media allows your business to build trust. Its’s also the perfect arena to generate future business. Your strongly established brand can increase the value of your business by giving the company more leverage in the industry. Your brand should echo throughout your company and flow through the organization. It should be loud enough for consumers to hear — which makes design, marketing and public relations critical. Strong branding via your digital marketing channels will have no trouble drumming up referral business. From brand exposure to customer retention, and you will see measurable results. Ask yourself the following questions:
The clearer you are about your brand identity, the easier it will be to craft the right message in your online marketing. If you are looking to get clear on your brand’s message on social media and take it to the next level, we can help you with this. No matter the stage you are in your business or which industry you are working, your personal brand matters. As the saying goes, “People buy people.” They don’t want to connect to a logo; they want to connect to a person.  You may have noticed a bunch of relatively new changes on LinkedIn last year.
There have been over 40! But in the interest of keeping things short and sweet, I’m going to three, they are: LinkedIn Creator Mode If you regularly create and share content, this feature is for you! Creator Mode puts your content and activity front and center allowing your audience to FOLLOW you. Note…The Connect button on your profile will change to a Follow so Creator Mode may NOT be ideal if your current goal is to grow your network. LinkedIn Service Page If you offer a service you’ll definitely be interested in the LinkedIn Service page. This feature allows you to set up a dedicated landing page right from your intro card. Anyone on LinkedIn can message you about your services at no extra cost. Changes to Posting on LinkedIn LinkedIn increased the character limit of your posts from 1,300 to 3,000. LinkedIn is NOT favoring shared posts. LinkedIn is trying to decrease the number of people who post while tagging well-known or popular people in an effort to get more views. I love this… don’t tag someone unless it is relevant to them. They'll appreciate being tagged in the post and respond to it. Again these are just some of the new features LinkedIn is offering, but there are many more. What changes and new LinkedIn features are you using now? |
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