We’ve heard from several clients that they know they need to market their businesses online, but they simply don’t know where to start or have the time to teach themselves what to do.

There’s also a lot of misinformation out there that can make digital marketing seem more intimidating than it actually is. We’re here to clear up the top 3 myths that are likely preventing you from marketing your business successfully online:

1. My business should be on every social media platform.
False. Here’s why: each platform has its own purpose and its own audience and not all of them will apply to your business. Plus, it’s unlikely that you will master them all with the limited time you have as a business owner.
Instead, consider your target audience and which platforms they’re likely to use. For example, if you’re appealing to Gen Z, TikTok and SnapChat are great places to build your presence. If you’re targeting Gen Xers or Millennials, you may want to focus on Facebook or Instagram.

Another way to decide is to consider the type of business you have. If your company is B2B, LinkedIn is an obvious choice. For an e-commerce business, think about Instagram – where it’s easy to showcase products or product videos and share user-generated content (UGC). If you’re in professional services, Facebook or LinkedIn are still tried-and-true options.

One platform almost every business should consider is YouTube. Today, videos are consumed more widely and rapidly than any other form of content. They also offer unique opportunities for audience engagement through every phase of their buying journey with you. Not only are they a great way to introduce people to your brand, they make it easy to demonstrate a product, offer DIY tips, or share customer testimonials.

2. I don’t have enough content.
Whether you’re running a law practice, a local plumbing company, or a yoga studio, you have the ability to post relevant, useful information that can assist your potential customers along the “buyer’s journey.”
For example, a local plumber could do a series of DIY videos that offer simple home maintenance tips like how-to unclog a garbage disposal or how-to inspect a water heater for damage. A law office might offer tips on estate planning or closing on a first home. A yoga studio could demo poses that promote restful sleep.

The keys to content creation are:

● Plan it out in advance: think about the common issues or questions your customers have and create a series of blog posts or social media posts that answer those questions in helpful ways.

● Post at regular (and sustainable) intervals: quality and consistency are equally important when it comes to content creation. But don’t think that you have to post multiple times a day, or even daily. You probably don’t have the time to do that anyway.

Depending on the type of business you have and the complexity of your content, 2-3 times a week could be plenty. If you can only make time for one post per week, do that. But make sure you develop a rhythm you can stick to!
The goal here is for your potential customers to develop trust in your brand. If you post too sporadically or create irrelevant content, that won’t happen. Social media scheduling tools like Hootsuite, Later, and Sprout Social can help keep you on track.

3. My budget is too small for online advertising.

You don’t need a $50,000 monthly advertising budget to run successful online ads. Virtually any business can take advantage of online advertising through Facebook or Google.

While both platforms can be intimidating for the uninitiated, they can offer serious ROI when used thoughtfully. You can always hire a marketing consultant or agency to help you with the details, but here are some pointers to get you started.

For Facebook Ads, which is driven by personal user data, consider the following when planning out your campaign:

● Advertising goals: Are you trying to raise brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or get customers to take a specific action (like call or make a purchase)?

● Target audience: Look at your current customer list and put a profile together of your best ones. What interests and jobs do they have? What brands do they like? This one takes a little bit of imagination.

● Location: If you have a local business with a defined service area, that question is easy to answer. If you have an e-commerce or other non-local business, start with the states, regions, or cities where your best customers currently live and go from there.

The beauty of Google Ads is it’s designed to advertise only to users who are searching for your products or services online. If you’re considering Google Ads, think about the following:

– Keywords or search phrases that are relevant to your business and indicate a high buyer intent. If you already have a Google Ads account, use the Keyword Planner to do this research.

– Location(s) for ad targeting.

Narrowing down your ad targeting location is really important because it can have a huge impact on the amount you spend. So, hyper-target when you get started.

And that’s it! We hope this helps inspire and implement your marketing game plan. If you have any questions or want hands-on help, contact us at hello@wildflowerdigitalinc.com.