When it comes to marketing your small business, do you ever feel as if you are going nowhere, despite having access to all of the information out there?
Fair enough, for most small business owners it is a battle to find the time to do it. And if they delegate or outsource it, they don’t know if it will be done properly. Not to mention that for many owners, it’s just not something they consider themselves good at.
But what do we mean by “noise”?
Things that make marketing difficult for small business owners:
1. Everyone is a coach.
Nowadays, everybody want to be a coach. Why? Because it is a lucrative business model. They either create online courses that cost hundreds of dollars or more, or they offer live coaching services for which they charge thousands.
When you open Youtube and do a search on how to market online, the sheer number of “experts” is staggering.
Everybody wants to teach you.
But here’s the real question:
Who do you listen to? Do you listen to the boring guy who might actually know what he is talking about, but he isn’t good in front of a camera? Or do you listen to one of the “polished” guys who do fancy videos and speak fluently?
You have no way of knowing. Many con artists have moved online, and they are among the smoothest talkers.
2. Every coach “knows the algorithms”.
Every social media marketing coach – or search engine optimization coach – will post regular updates about
changes to the algorithm”.
They “know” exactly what has changed, and what you should so to adapt to those changes. And according to some of them, the changes happen on a weekly basis.
But when you start noticing the differences in what they propose, the question pops up again: Who do you listen to?
You don’t know what you don’t know, so…
Tough choice.
3. Every second coach knows how to “make you go viral”.
Yeah, right. Every one of them knows how to market your hemorrhoids product in such a way that millions of people all over the world would want to know about.
But let’s say the agency you pick is actually able to pull it off…
How many of those people will actually be interested in your product?
And how many will watch it simply because it has entertainment value?
Entertaining people is relatively easy.
Moving people from being entertained to being ready to buy is something very different.
4. So many places, so little time…
Almost every coach who is an expert on some social network, will tell you that the platform they specialize in is great for your small business.
Maybe, maybe not. You can create a funny video about a coffin that can go viral on Tiktok, but how many of the people that see it will actually be interested? It’s a younger crowd.
On the flip side, you could go and sell skateboards on Facebook…
But young people are leaving the platform en masse. Your time would be better spent elsewhere.
And yet, so many small business owners feel they want to be “everywhere”.
So how do you deal with all if this noise?
First, figure out where your target audience hangs out. Look at the demographics for each social network, and then go look at what people from your industry are posting over there.
Is it well received? Fair enough, engagement rates don’t say everything. The number of likes is more of a popularity indicator than it is an indication of business generated.
But the number of comments is a slightly better indicator.
However, if you see something aimed at the right audience which is doing well, it is likely that to be generating some business for the business that posted it.
Look at what works. Look at how they structure their content, how regularly they post, what hashtags they use and what works for them in. See what people in your industry are doing to differentiate themselves from other similar small businesses on the platform that seems to work best for them.
Figure out what works, and then simply copy that formula. Figure out a way to make it unique or make it stand out – especially if your operate in a competitive industry.
And then just be consistent in what you do. After that, monitor to see what works well and what doesn’t.
Focus on what works well, and the results will eventually compound.
One last thing:
No matter what you offer, or which industry you operate in, always remember this:
You are dealing with real people – not just a list of followers or connections. As long as you put out content for people – and not just for a target number of likes – you will reach the right people along the way. The ones who are ready to do business with you.
Even if your numbers seem low.