Author: Patty Farmer
All businesses have times when things slow down. When that happens, these are the best times to plan out and implement digital marketing strategies to generate a buzz about your business. The reality is that the more people you get your business, products and services in front of, the more the opportunities you will have to generate more sales.
While traditional advertising has its time and place, you need to get creative and integrate digital marketing strategies into the mix. Below are 7 ways to increase the visibility of your business as well as placing you as an expert in your industry.
1. Guest Blog on Well Known Industry Sites
If you are not a writer, guest blogging may cause an automatic groan to escape your lips, but it is so effective that you need to start doing it. The great news is that you don’t have to write it yourself. There are services and individuals out there that write blogs for businesses and they are generally not terribly expensive. Once it is written, you should choose one of the top industry sites and find out how to get your blog published on it.
Guest blogging has a number of benefits:
- Establishes you as an expert in your industry
- Gives additional visibility to your business
- Adds SEO to your website by having links to and from a credible industry site
2. Comment on Blogs in Your Niche
As you find and read blogs relating to your business’s niche, comment on them. However, your comment needs to be more than just “great blog.” Your comment should be informative, adding your expertise to the topic.
3. Create an Infographic of Your Expertise
People love a good infographic and this is an excellent tool to use to attract consumers to your business. You can use it to explain some of your products or services, or as a “how-to” piece to answer a common issue your customers have. Your infographic should link to your website so consumers can find out more about you and find your products and services.
A compelling infographic:
- Contains bright graphics
- Breaks down a complicated process or issue into easy to read steps
- Is visually appealing
- Is easy to read and understand
4. Create A Private Facebook Group on a Specific Topic or Niche
Creating a group on a topic having to do with your business’s industry and niche is another way to set yourself up us as an expert in your industry. This is something that you must actively participate in by creating and engaging in discussions. One way to ensure that you are participating regularly is to pick one day a week that you will share in one of the thread offerings. As you share, you will also be able to see what others are doing as well.
5. Create Contests and Challenges
Come up with a fun contest or challenge for people to share and participate in. This will drive traffic to your social media accounts and website as well as encourage followers to promote your business when they share the contest or challenge.
6. Create A Weekly Podcast or Live Stream Interviewing Leaders in Your Industry
Podcasts, Periscope and Facebook Live are hot right now, so use that to your benefit. These can also be re-purposed later into blogs or saved onto your YouTube channel.
Here are some ideas for your Podcasts, Periscope or Facebook Live content:
- Interview leaders in your industry
- Give a video tour of your business
- Answer commonly asked questions
- Create a video “how to” on common issues your customers have
7. Create an Easy Opt-In in Your Email Signature
This is just a quick sentence with a link for people to click on which will drive them to your best FREE content, webinar or video series. This will get them on your website increasing your chances of making an additional sale.
As you can see, some of these ideas take a little more time and effort than others, but all of them will generate more visibility for your business. The point is that you should constantly be looking for new and creative ways you can get your business in front of consumers. So, get started on one or two of these ideas and watch your business boom and sales numbers start growing.
TIP # 1.
You must have a TEAM. In today’s world of solopreneurs and entrepreneurs, the biggest challenges you will face are isolation and lack of accountability. This is also true for partnerships and in small business. Building a strong team and meeting with your team on a regular basis will assure you of accountable to your time, your budget and any needs for change in your original planning.
TIP # 2.
A well thought out business plan is essential to success. This does not need to be the arduous “book” that we normally think of when we discuss business plans.
Rather it can be broken down to the essentials:
- What are you going to do? (Overview)
- How are you going to do it? (Simple marketing plan)
- How long will it take (Timeline)
- $$$ – How much will start up cost be and a budget of income and expenses. (The success of any business is in the books)
S B A and your local S C O R E chapter can be of enormous help with assembling this information and assisting with good planning.
Remember: their services are free!
TIP # 3
Rule of thumb – most small and startup businesses will not be able to take personal income from their business for the first year (+/-). It will be necessary to return income to the business to assure stability and growth. Do you have adequate funds or a plan to meet this demand in your new enterprise?
TIP # 4
Focus – Focus – Focus.
Webster defines an entrepreneur as: “One who organizes, operates, and assumes the risks of a business venture.” We all face the risk of yielding to the desire to follow the “new shiny object” that comes into our line of vision. As we work on our venture, we must be diligent and guard against the desire to start something new before we have fully expanded and realized success in our current venture.
The biggest and best tip I offer you is: FOCUS.
- FOCUS on your goals – are you meeting goals?
- FOCUS on budget – are you meeting your budget needs or do you need a team meeting to rewrite your budget?
- FOCUS on tasks at hand – learn to determine the difference between what is important to the advancement of your business and day to day issues that distract you from what is truly important.
If you want to discuss the life of a serial entrepreneur or need a word or encouragement, please feel free to email me.
Patty Farmer, Marketing strategist, International speaker, Radio Host, Magazine publisher, Event producer, Best-selling author
