The world is a complex place. Change can be driven by shifts in politics, the ups and downs of business, or the ways that people communicate. This makes some people crazy while others thrive.
The world of marketing is no exception. If you know a lot about your business, you may not have the time or interest to keep up with all the changes in the way your competitors market. This lack of experience and education around marketing can make you vulnerable to those who would have you spend a lot of time and money on products and services that may, or may not, move the needle for your business.
When you hear someone you respect talk about social media for business, you know that you are missing something because your company has no social media presence. You, like some other business professionals, are not using social media because you are not sure where to start. Perhaps you do not know what questions to ask. For all of us, the big challenges are not in knowing the answers; they are in knowing the questions.
So, let’s make the digital/social/mobile marketing consideration a simpler one. Look at your own website and ask these three questions:
- Is it responsive? If it is responsive, then it looks good and functions properly on a phone, on a tablet, and on a laptop or desktop. Resize the window or look it up on your phone. How does it look?
- Is the blog up to date with regularly added content? This is an easy one. If you have no blog, or the last blog post is 3 months/years old (and the previous post is another year or so older), then nobody is managing your marketing content. That’s something you can fix.
- Is the social media current? This means that it is branded to look like your company, you and your employees have an online presence that is tied to the company brand, and your content is being actively shared with a growing online community. If you are connecting with a growing and engaged market online, then you are doing many things well.
A company founder invited me for a drink to talk about her lack of social media savvy. As we talked it became apparent that the website had no social media link and no content to share. And as we talked further, it was clear that there was no content to share because the company’s marketing strategy was foggy. So, the question about social media ended up as a conversation about the company’s purpose, market, buyers, value, etc. From there, a strategic planning opportunity surfaced.
If I’ve described your company, you are not alone. Many business leaders who would benefit from a simple diagnostic approach, and a strategic way to market smarter.
Let me know how I can help.