We have all been there. You built a killer website, you have a slick logo, crisp business cards and a flashy sign. There is just one problem, no one is beating down your door and clamoring for your business.
What did you do wrong? Where are they?
In reality, you probably did nothing wrong. They simply don't know you exist or why your product or service is so superior to every other one on the market. People are busy, their lives are more hectic than they want them to be and everyone else in the world is screaming at them for their attention.
The problem we are trying to solve is that you are not on their radar. They may know about you, just like you have known that acquaintance socially for years but never really knew what they did or how it was that different. You knew them but they were not on your radar.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital Marketing is the marketing of products or services that utilizes digital devices, it's that simple.
The Internet?
Believe it or not, digital marketing has NOTHING to do with the internet. It has to do with getting creative about how you get your message in front of people's eyeballs and past their mental clutter filter.
We have all been there, we swipe past pop up ads, we change the channel during a commercial break and we glaze over when that special someone pivots a conversation that is going great and you realize you are now "being sold." Nobody likes feeling like a project and believe it or not, our brains are REALLY good at tuning out things we do not care about.
In short, be helpful.
"You can have everything you want in life, if you will just help other people get what they want.
Zig Zigler
Google's Philosophy has a list of 10 things they know to be true. The whole manifesto of sorts is really fascinating to read and understand what has driven them to be the number one search engine and online advertising company in the world. Their primary "maxim" is:
1. Focus on the user and all else will follow
They expand on the idea that
...Whether we’re designing a new Internet browser or a new tweak to the look of the homepage, we take great care to ensure that they will ultimately serve you, rather than our own internal goal or bottom line.
Focusing on others, their needs, wants, hopes, dreams and desires and helping them get what they want is the quickest and most efficient starting place when you want to help them solve their problems with your product or service.
Location Marketing (Think Google My Business, Facebook Business Pages, Yelp, etc)
What Matters: Making sure that your primary information (address, phone number, services offered, etc.) is correct and consistent everywhere it is found on the internet.
Why It Matters: Because people trust the results they find on search engines and search engines want to provide reliable information so people keep using the service. Wrong or out of date information hurts everyone.
Who Can Help: Moz Local
The team at Moz are great and have serviced the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for years. They have a great product called Moz Local that takes the pain out of making sure the internet has the most up-tp-date information on your business. The service provides a central dashboard to compile all your correct information in one place, verify it, and then distribute it across the search ecosystem so that search engines and local customers can now find your local business.
Search Engine Optimization ("SEO". Think Keywords, Google Ranking, Search Results, etc)
What Matters: Making sure that the information you put on the internet and more specifically the words, phrases and content you use lines up with the words, phrases and content people are looking for.
Why It Matters: You can have all the best products and information and if the robots who run the internet don't think the information you have provided them matches up with the information it thinks people are looking for, then it will most likely show them someone else's website.
Who Can Help: Moz Pro
Again, the team at Moz have provided another really great set of tools that help you understand your site's visitors, track your rankings, optimize your pages and provide you with a structured plan to increase your visibility online with those you want to connect with.
Neil Patel
Whether you are looking to explore a new stream of online (or off-line) marketing or are curious what trends or new marketing tools/integrations successful brands are using, Neil Patel and his marketing blog are a great place to start. He offers a number of SEO products and a wealth of free marketing targeted at the digital space. He has also partnered with Eric Siu, another marketing thought leader, to produce a daily podcast called Marketing School. Daily episodes are 5 to 7 mins long and well worth it.
Generating consistent and engaging content may seem overwhelming and leave you not knowing where to start. With the way the world is going, bite sized and meaningful (aka "authentic") engagement is how people and brands break through the advertising clutter. Running an Ad agency that services Fortune 100 companies Gary is 100% real and willing to give his content away and ideas for free, if you're ok with a few expletives here and there.
Live in the Golden Isles and want a trusted local partner to help you figure out the best next step for you and your team? Check out a list of our Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce Partners Here.
