Digital Marketing: The Bare Minimum

Let's talk about social media posts. If you run a business and you don’t tell a single soul that you’re offering a set of services how many customers or clients do you think you’ll have knocking on your door? If you said anything more than zero then keep reading.

Now let’s say you tell two people about your business. Maybe you’ll get a couple of people within their bubbles to visit your business. Let’s compound that by using social media to signal boost your business. Now that’s when you get the customers coming in off the street because they saw someone post about it or your business came up in a search for services you provide.

People tend to think marketing is this huge beast, and it can be if your business is huge and spans across more than one state. But for most local small businesses, you and maybe one other employee can handle the bare minimum of digital marketing.

When I say the bare minimum I mean the following:

• Instagram Marketing

• Posts and engagement

• Facebook Marketing

• Posts and engagement

• Website

• Organic SEO

That’s it. That’s all. I’ve frequented many businesses just because they consistently post even 2-4 times a week. It lets patrons know the business isn’t dormant, they care about their image, and they’re engaging with their audience (customers, clients, and their community). Plenty of businesses have taken off and been successful just by utilizing those big three platforms.

So what does utilizing the big three truly entail?

Instagram Marketing

Post. That’s all. Obviously, make sure the pictures you’re posting are showing your business in good light, i.e. the images aren’t blurry, you can clearly tell what’s in the picture (if it’s abstract explain in the caption), and they’re your images. I’ve come across many businesses that steal images from Google or Pinterest of products that look “similar” to theirs just so they didn’t have to take images of their own work. What does that say about the quality of the product coming from that business that they’re embarrassed to show their work? Most everyone has a smartphone these days and they have incredible cameras. Don’t lose potential clients and customers because you’re afraid to showcase your work. That’s the very thing setting you apart from the competitors.

Facebook Marketing

Facebook over the years has evolved and every person I meet gets something different out of it. Some people are using it for news, whereas others are using it to interact with niche groups that share similar interests. How can you showcase your business on Facebook? There are a number of ways, however, someways won’t garner the amount of traffic you’re hoping for. I’d say the best thing to do is obviously, share on your business page, then share it to your personal feed and tag some friends who might be in your circle who support you and then join those niche groups that fit your industry. If you sell handmade wooden tables then look into groups that are within your bubble, i.e. farmhouse decor, community buy, sell groups, and local craft fairs. There’s a corner for everything on the internet; you just have to find it.

Website

Now, this may seem tedious, but it can provide legitimacy to your business when needed. You don’t have to pay astronomical fees for a website and it could be incredibly basic, i.e. no order form, just a couple of pages showcasing your business, contact form, and an about me. You could easily get this done in a few hours, but the long-term benefits are great. If you don’t think you’re savvy enough to do it check out Fivver for someone to contract out to. The bare minimum here can do a long way.

The big key here is don't lose out on potential customers and clients because you don't like social media. People are using social media much like Google these days to look for businesses that have what they're looking for. The tools are at your fingertips, don't let it go to waste!