This Is How We Do It [Marketing], Part 2

Last week, I outlined the first of two methods that are a must-have in your marketing plan in order to achieve explosive sales in 2019. I appreciated hearing that many of you found it to be “hugely helpful” information.

Today, we dive into Part 2 of This Is How We Market.

2. Show Up.

here are people who are looking for what you provide. People who need goods and services just like the ones you’re offering. But, are they finding you? Or are they finding your competition instead?

This is truly the heart of what marketing is. It’s showing up and being found. It’s announcing how you can help someone. It’s being at the table. Being accessible. If you aren’t getting enough business or your ideas aren’t spreading, you have a marketing problem. The good news is that these marketing problems can be solved with small, powerful changes to your marketing approach that help your product or service show up, get noticed, get discovered, and achieve sales.

Let’s talk about the top methods for showing up and getting found.

Get Found in Search Results

Google, and other search engines are indexes. Much like the card catalog at the library helps you find the book you are looking for, search engines help you find the topic you are searching for by feeding you a list of web page results. You want your business and expertise to be ‘findable’ by the search engine.

Some people are convinced their business is “too small” to get to the top of Google, but this isn‘t true. It’s not about the size of your business or even the size of your ad budget. There are many small businesses and small ad budgets that are at the top of the Google index. Many of my small business clients are using SEO (search engine optimization) to help them land business and you can too. If you’re interesting in learning more about SEO, see my offer at the bottom of this article.

If you don’t yet have a Google My Business page, it’s time to get one. A My Business page is a profile for your business and it appears when people use Google Search or Maps to look for businesses like yours. If you already have one, be sure to update it with the latest photos and 360 degree views of your place of business.

Quality Content

Content is king, baby. It’s important for the search engines and it’s important for your prospective buyers. If people don’t understand you, they don’t buy from you. Read more on this topic here. And, if Google doesn’t know how to index your site, well, you won’t show up in search results. Be sure to write your web content around very specific topics, keeping a narrow focus on the subject matter.

It can be helpful to ask a friend to read through your website or blog and get feedback. When I first started writing for business, eleven years ago, I asked a friend to read a newsletter draft and tell me what she thought. I remember her saying, “I don’t totally get it but maybe that’s because I’m not in your industry.” Bingo. That’s when I knew I needed to get away from industry speak and really break down my marketing tips into easy-to-digest chunks so that I could better help the business owners I was trying to reach. Get the buzz out about your website and solicit feedback at the same time with your friends and colleagues!

Calls to Action

Let’s start by defining what a Call to Action is. Anytime you have an offer like, “Call Now”, “Book Your Appointment”, “Get Started Today”, you are using a Call To Action. Read more on this topic here. Without them, potential clients are unsure what the next step should be.

Showing up for your potential clients through search results, quality content, and a call to action should be part of your marketing best practices for a fantastic 2019. If you have questions about any of these methods or want to schedule a time to talk more, hit the reply button! I offer a free 30 minute consultation for business owners just like you. I can help you to apply these methods, focus on the customer experience and help ignite your company’s sales so that they crackle and BOOM in 2019!