GRAND RAPIDS – No doubt. Website marketing is a big challenge for most small businesses.
However,
many people take a far too technical view of the problem which only makes it
that much more difficult to solve. As a business owner, or subject matter
expert, you may lack the basic understanding of website strategy (or may have
glossed over it) and have found yourself stuck with a website that isn’t
performing up to your expectations.
Like many
business owners you may have turned to the web in search of the latest tools
and techniques to solve your problem. There are literally 100’s of options out
there designed for everything from search engine optimization to social media,
to in-bound automation. It is easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated. Or
worse yet, waste time and energy messing around with tools and techniques
you’re not sure you really need, because the tool providers make it all
sound so easy.
Here’s a quick
and easy way to put a strategy around your online marketing tactics so you can
focus on the things that matter most for your business and choose the right
tools for the job.
Think of
your marketing strategy as a big machine with three main parts.
1. Drive Awareness (getting people to
your website)
2. Lead Generation (after coming to your
website they give you contact info so you can follow up)
3. Lead Nurturing (following up with them
to help them buy)
Here’s where
most people run into trouble. They spend too much time on #1 and not enough
time on #2 and #3. Why? Because each one of these parts is like peeling an
onion and it is easy to get caught up in the first one at the expense of the
others.
For example:
Driving
awareness includes tactics such as search engine optimization (SEO), search
engine marketing (SEM/PPC), social media, display advertising, public
relations, etc. Each one of these tactics can be broken down further into sub
categories such as search vs. display networks, inbound marketing, remarketing,
etc. Each one of those sub categories can be broken down even further into.
You get the
point.
So, before
you spend too much time learning about how to drive awareness, make sure
your other two engine parts are working and you have at least one or two tactics
supporting them as well.
In
conclusion, you don’t have to be a technical genius to work out a good web
marketing strategy. Just think of it as a big machine with equal working parts.
Always think strategy before implementation and you will be in good
shape.
Choosing
tools, technologies and partners will be a lot easier after you have sketched
out a strategy like the one above. Technical implementers will be able to help
you establish goals and metrics to support the strategy right from the
beginning and increase your chances of success. `
Jody
Burgess, MI-SBDC Technology Business Consultant
