Communicating with your customers and prospects can seem like a really daunting, time-consuming and extremely overwhelming task, considering the number of communication channels out there. In days gone by, you just stuck an ad in the local paper, or Yellow Pages and away you went. Today’s it’s a little more complex. But with that complexity comes opportunity. So as a small business, what should you be focusing on in 2022, to make yourself heard?…while avoiding the stress of communication overload!
What should you focus on?
There are a number of ways to speak with your clients and prospects, but as a rule of thumb, you should consider the following as fundamental to your marketing efforts:
- Website – Whether an established business, or trusted professional, word-of-mouth is your best marketing tool. But what happens if you’re just starting out, or when things dry up? Your website becomes really important for potential customers sizing you up against the competition. A dated, difficult to use website, or even worse, no website at all, can be really off-putting for people. But don’t worry, getting a website for your business is much easier than you think.
Social Media – If your website is your shopfront, then social media is the poster in your window. The likes of Facebook and Instagram are great for promoting your business, but they can be really time-consuming to keep updated, especially when new apps crop up all the time. Whether organic content or paid for posts/ads, social media is a great way of communicating with prospects.
- Email marketing – Email is a fantastic way of communicating with your customer base. Sending regular emails with offers, information on new products, or interesting information can help build your authority and should be considered fundamental.
- Content creation – whether it’s an eBook, infographic, downloadable brochure, podcast, webinar, or video series, content is absolutely crucial. It helps position you as a leader and authority in your space and provides excellent added value for your customers. Fractional content (drip-fed information or resources) can be an excellent way of turning interested prospects into loyal customers.
Don't try to do everything
Trying to keep up with the youngsters can be a very unrewarding process. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, sure, but must your brand have a very expensive App, or its own TikTok account? Yes it has a huge audience, yes it’s fun and ‘of-the-moment’ but are your customers REALLY going to watch a video of you dancing in your warehouse and pick up the phone to make an order? Probably not. When resources and time are limited, stick to channels that appeal to your target audience and are most likely to convert into sales.
Play to your strengths
Instead of attacking all social media channels at once, why not choose one and make a real go of that? Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube, the big four are established, and known to help businesses with a bunch of excellent tools. Once you’ve got to grips with one channel, and it’s going well, then consider expanding out to others. If you’re comfortable in front of a camera, why not create some videos and put them out on YouTube, or Facebook/Instagram? If the idea of recording yourself fills you with dread, don’t do it, opt for email marketing, or blogging instead.
Ultimately, the key to successful content creation and communication channel management is to focus in on your strengths, avoid faddy channels and seek out your target audience where they hang out.
If you do that, you’ll be onto a winner.
Who is Rikki Webster?
The short version
I’m a former Chief Marketing Officer who, after working around the globe for the world’s biggest brands, quit his six-figure salary job, took what he knew, and built an agency that delivered over 100 projects for clients in its first year.
But more than that…
