Make sure you know who it is you’re targeting

Your Customer; they’re at the heart of everything your company does and they should also be at the centre of your online presence.
Everything should be about them and how you answer what it is they’re looking for.
You’ll have no doubt heard of content marketing by now and that to a large extent is about adding value to those visiting your website.  In order to do that you’ll need to know what it is they value and what drives them to make the decisions that they do.
Build a picture of who it is you’re targeting and what motivates them to behave that way.

Don’t try to be everything to everybody

You can’t be absolutely everything to everybody and if you’re trying to be then you’ll inevitably be losing out by diluting your message.  It can sometimes be tempting if one person asks you for something specific to think that that request represents the needs and desires of the masses.
By working out exactly who it is you’re targeting you should be avoiding the trap of trying to attract everybody and connecting with nobody.

Make sure you know how to reach them

So you know who they are, with that you should also know what channels are best to reach them.
Is it Facebook? Twitter? Email marketing? Regular blogging?
The answer will be unique to each business and whom it is they’re targeting but make sure you prioritise this list.  Quite often smaller businesses won’t be able to do them all so make sure you’re focussing on the tools at your disposal that will give you the best possible chance of reaching your target market.

Make sure you have a plan

A marketing plan doesn’t have to be a sophisticated document written from a groovy design studio by some trendy young guy in a waistcoat and thick rimmed glasses.
It’s a document that gives you a sense of purpose, a drive towards what it is you’re working toward.  It can be as long or as short and concise as you want it to be.  One suggestion we’d give is don’t try to get too clever, get too intricate and overcomplicate.  There’s room for that once you have all the basics in place.
It’s a bit like building a house; make sure you have the foundations in place then add all the fancy bits later.
No foundation; no house.

Make sure you have the resources

This is a massive one for businesses in Devon and Cornwall.
There are not enough hours in the day! So do you have the resources to carry out the plan? If not, do you need to get some help in and if you do can you afford that help?
Your plan should give you an idea of where external help would be best deployed.  If it’s something you don’t think you can yet afford then concentrate your efforts on those channels and areas that are going to give you the most benefit.
By prioritising and focussing you’ll get the benefits of revenue and you can build and grow with that extra profit.

Make sure you report and monitor your efforts

For the moment forget that the word ‘intangible’ ever existed.  You need to know what’s working and build on it.  If it isn’t working then ditch it (after a period of time; sometimes things do take time to come to fruition!).
By having reporting in place you’ll be making business decisions backed up with business information; always a better place to be than throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks.
That’s definitely not what you want to be doing!

Don’t become despondent

Don’t let yourself get down! Once you have your plan the chances are it won’t be driving huge amounts of revenue within 24 hours!
If someone isn’t yet ready to buy from you or doesn’t yet know that they need to then it will take time.
Remember that nobody ever buys from a business they don’t know exists.  By identifying your customers, where they are, what they want and when they want it they’ll know all about you by the time comes to make a decision.
You’ll find that brings success.
For more information on how we can help you gain more success from your online marketing please give us a call on 01566 784860 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk

The post Seven Tips for Businesses in Devon and Cornwall looking to market their business online appeared first on MiHiDigital.

If you were going to lose weight you might have a target weight in place along with a plan of action as to how you get to that weight.

Your online activity should be no different.

Why is it you’re doing it?

Many people will spend plenty of time online, updating their website, sharing news on social media and interacting.  But to what end?

Have you ever asked yourself what it is you’re looking to achieve, put a plan in place to achieve it and checked back regularly to see if you’re getting there?

Online goals are often very obvious but they still need writing down and working toward.

Are you looking to reach more people?

The internet opens up new markets for businesses.  If you’re trying to reach new people you otherwise wouldn’t have done with your activity make sure you’re using the right tools and connecting with the right people; the ones that are going to buy from you.

Are you looking to drive sales and revenue?

A common frustration when people enter online marketing is that everything is going to happen immediately; it unfortunately won’t, it will take time.

A single tweet is unlikely to lead to a sale in isolation.  However, building relationships with people that may buy from you will move you further up their buying priorities when they come to need your service or product.

Is it to build better relationships with customers?

If you have customers that will buy your product and then have a long gap between their next purchase, online marketing can be used to strengthen these relationships by creating contact points with your brand.  This can lead to repeat sales.

It may well be a combination of all of the above!

Life isn’t simple so it’s likely you may well be looking to fulfill all of the points above.  In this case it’s even more important you have a clear focus on what you’re doing, otherwise you’ll end up spending more time than you need to without a clear understanding of how or exactly why you are doing it.

Your goals may seem obvious to you but if you don’t have them written down you’ll have less clarity.

For information on how we can help you build an online strategy that brings home the bacon please give us a call on 01566 784860 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk

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If the answer is no then get thinking, if the answer is yes then have you got them written down and are you regularly measuring your achievements against your goals?

Social media can sometimes be an area of business viewed as something that you know you should be doing but is rarely measured or devised into a plan.

What other area of your business would you do for hours a week without measuring the gain and understanding exactly what you are getting from it?

Once you have your goals and objectives you will undoubtedly have more focus to your activity because you will consciously be working toward achieving them. This benefit can be seen in a variety of means, whether that is monetary gain, time efficiency or a combination of both.

Goals for social media are not always fiscally orientated. Ok, if you are selling online then a significant part of your activity will be geared toward gaining sales but in what capacity does your social media activity drive this sale; is it through creating regular dialogue with a certain stakeholder group, is it reaching new customers that you otherwise wouldn’t have found or is it delivering the sale itself.

The likelihood is that it will be a combination of these but understanding where it fits into your wider sales funnel will be an important part of achieving the goal.

With that we have touched on a wider point, which is that your time on social media should not act in isolation, it should be part of your wider business and marketing strategy planning. Marketing is far better when integrated and social media needs to be in this mix. Thinking about how and where you spread your content, how you create dialogue and how you get people to buy from you.

Your social media plan should provide you with a roadmap to future success; to gain more from your time and more benefit.

For more information on how we can help your social media presence please give us a call on 01566 784860 or email hello@mihidigital.co.uk 

The post What are you achieving and what are you looking to achieve from your social media activity? appeared first on MiHiDigital.