When I think back to my health coaching days, online marketing was the bane of my existence. I always struggled to come up with content ideas. When I did come up with them I would do one of two things:
- Overthink it & never post.
- Post it & then overthink it because I didn’t get the engagement I wanted.
This led to a cycle of posting & ghosting my audience leading to them never being able to build the know, like, trust factor with me. You might be in a similar cycle too… your days are so packed with clients or projects on top of being a spouse, parent, etc.
That is why Katie, my business partner, and I believe that your online marketing has to be sustainable & in alignment with your lifestyle. If you can’t be consistent, it won’t be sustainable. If this is something you struggle with, book a free consultation to learn more about how we can optimize your current strategy.
In today’s blog, I want to give you tangible digital marketing tips to revamp your current strategy so you can create content that will attract, nurture, and convert your audience efficiently.
Making Digital Marketing Easy to Understand
If you were to go on any social media platform, you will see people like Alex Hormozi, GaryVee, etc telling you to post 7x a day 365 days a year. I do agree with them that the more you post the faster your business can grow.
However, what we have to remember is that these people have the ability to invest in numerous marketing softwares and teams to help them brainstorm, create, edit, and publish their content. That isn’t realistic for many business owners to be on all social media channels.
I remember putting so much pressure on myself to post everyday because I felt that was the only way I would grow. I would even go as far as cold DMing or commenting on other people’s stuff to get people to notice my digital products or services. I cringe just thinking about it.
What I learned from this is that people are looking for:
- Authenticity in the content they create.
- Stories to learn more about the person behind the brand/business.
- Consistency as this creates a feeling that you’re reliable.
When I was posting everyday, I wasn’t hitting any of those marks…The way I think of online marketing is leaning into what is sustainable and something you can stick to.
For Katie & I, what is sustainable & maintainable for us is:
- Get crystal clear on our marketing goals.
- Focusing on only 2-3 marketing channels at a time.
- Posting a minimum of 1-5 days a week (depending on the platform).
- Driving all traffic to our email list.
- Thinking out what we can repurpose rather than what we need to create from scratch.
When you look at your strategy, think about how you can simplify it. There is no reason to be on all of the platforms if you don’t have the support behind you. Select two that light you up to be on & are easy for you to create content on. There is where you want to focus your marketing efforts on.
From there, you can think about how you can use your social media marketing to build your email list with potential customers. I will go to grave with this – that all business owners should have an email list. That is data that is your’s unlike social media where that can all be gone in the blink of an eye.
You might like this too: 4 Effective Email Techniques to Boost Your Online Business Growth
Boost Your Online Presence with Smart SEO and Keyword Strategies That Work
As a business owner, your digital marketing strategy will often include organic & paid platforms. I will always stand behind doing organic marketing before jumping into digital ads.
Organic online marketing (i.e. social media, emails, etc) allows you time to get clear on your target audience, how they want to be marketed to, and lastly it is free. There is a time and place for paid marketing campaigns (such as digital ads on Google or Facebook), but I can talk about that in a different blog.
The key thing that is overlooked with organic marketing is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & keyword strategies. Keywords are what make you searchable and easy to find for new customers. I used to dread keyword research. It felt so tedious and overwhelming. I just wanted to create to get it over with.
However, if you’re blogging, podcasting, making YouTubes, or utilizing any social media platform, it is critical to do keyword research. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time hoping your content gets in front of people.
My favorite tools to use for SEO & keyword research is:
- Keywords Everywhere (can be used for Pinterest, YouTube, other social media posts)
- NEURONWriter (specifically for blogs)
- AnswerThePublic (great for market research on people are googling)
- ChatGPT (can be used to understand content trends, high ranking keywords, & so much more)
Each of these simplifies the process of finding keywords allowing us to create a bank of keywords to always refer back to.
The way to include this into your strategy is to dedicate a day for researching & brainstorming. Begin by getting clear on the two platforms you’re utilizing as the strategy needs to be in alignment with the platform.
Once you have that, you can begin conducting research on what people are searching for & how you can incorporate the keywords into your content. For example, Pinterest wants the keywords in the cover, title, & description whereas Instagram is dependent on hashtags.
Now that you have your keyword bank, you can start brainstorming content ideas that would utilize them (this is where ChatGPT can be handy). You can do this within 60-minutes by setting a timer & clearing any distractions.
Before we move on, something to remember is that effective digital marketing is a long-term game. Don’t look at your analytics everyday or check for engagement every 5-minutes. Let the content marinade and once you’ve done this for 30-days then you can look at the data.
By focusing on the short term, it only leads to frustration.
Establish Your Authority with Value-Driven Content Marketing
This is my favorite marketing method because people online can sniff out bullshit a mile away when it comes to online marketing. We are very much in a time where people want valuable content that leads to some type of short term success.
This success could be something tangible (i.e. a software that can incorporate asap) or intangible (i.e. a different POV on something they’re struggling with). In the past, you could post generic content and go viral, but that is not the case now.
The thing to remember is that going viral doesn’t lead to sustainable business growth. Sure, you might get more followers and some conversions, but it doesn’t last. What lasts is having a marketing tactic that allows you to be consistent so you can build authority in your industry.
When I look at people who are extremely successful, they are always showing up. They aren’t showing up just to show up, they show up to serve their audience.
That is what keeps me going is that I am here to serve my audience. Even if one person likes my post, I know I served them and that is a win!!
The way to create valuable content is #1 the keyword research & brainstorming. This validates that your audience wants a solution for XYZ. It allows you to create content that will reach your target audience. Something else I like to focus on is my target audience’s fears, pains, and how I can provide a solution for those.
That is why it is so important to understand your target audience like the back of your hand. It makes content creation & online marketing 10x easier & faster to do. Plus, it will reap the most benefits in growing your digital presence too.
Using Your Stories to Connect with People & Optimize Your Online Marketing
Beyond creating valuable content, people want to know more about YOU! Content marketing involves the ability to weave your core message with a story is what will make you magnetic.
By being able to tell your story, you are able to create a deeper connection with your audience. Plus, it allows you to streamline your creative process as you will never run out of ideas.
What one of my clients taught me is that your content must have a goal & story to draw people in. That is how you can have those moments where people DM you saying “how are you in my head right now?!”
It allows you to humanize your brand & business while building amazing relationships with your audience/new customers. The place to begin is to write out your story. This is the first thing my mentor/client had me do when testing out one of her offers.
It allows me to see my journey from a bird’s eye view. This can be your anchor in creating magnetic online content.
If this is something you want to learn more about head to xaylibarclay.com to learn more!
Before we move on, as a little bonus, one of the most effective ways to share your story is through video marketing. That is the fastest way for your audience to get to know you. Plus, people aren’t really into pretty graphics anymore.
Automate & Outsource to Save Time on Your Digital Strategy
Automation and outsourcing will always be the best way to reclaim your time without sacrificing your business success. The place to begin is automating what you can before you outsource it all.
Many people believe that outsourcing will lead to automatic growth. That isn’t true as you’re still responsible for your business. VAs, Online Business Managers, etc are there to support you not run your business for you.
The main things I would automate is:
- Social media scheduling
- Automatic DM, story & comment replies
- SMS marketing for flash sales
- Email sequences to nurture your new subscribers (this is so important for effective email marketing)
The best digital marketing tools for this are Later Media (scheduling), ManyChat (Automatic social media replies), Twilio (SMS campaigns) or Convert Kit.
Our system allows you to do all of this without having to learn or investing in a million one tools. If this interests us you send us a message here.
Beyond automations you can outsource aspects of your online marketing. What this can look like is:
- Having someone draft up a content calendar so you just show up to create it.
- Proofing, editing, and optimizing your website & content for findability.
- Repurposing and scheduling of your content across numerous social platforms.
- Managing incoming engagement.
The one thing I believe you should never outsource is the content creation itself. The reason is people want valuable content that has your story weaved into it. Yes, a copywriter can do this eventually, however, it is best that it comes from your energy.
That is your power and what makes you magnetic. It makes you stand out from your competition. That is something you can’t outsource, however it is something you can make time for.
Marketing is the funnel that brings opportunities, clients, and money to your door.
You might like this too: Build a Social Media Strategy: 6 Essential Tips for Online Business Growth
Final Thoughts
By following these top digital marketing tips, you can ensure that your content marketing efforts lead to the best results. Each of these digital marketing activities allows you to optimize what you’re currently doing. You can also utilize these tips to help you incorporate something new (like getting started with email marketing). Something that I always have to remind myself is that a successful marketing strategy can only be effective if it is sustainable. Marketing is one thing that will never go away as it is what grows your business.
P.S. If this blog was too long to read, here is the gist:
- Simplify your marketing strategy by focusing on 2 platforms.
- Focus on SEO & keyword research for better finability & visibility.
- Create value driven content that serves your audience.
- Weave your story into your content to make you stand out from your competitors.
- Automate or outsource aspects of your marketing strategy.
- Book a free consultation if you’re ready to optimize your strategy without adding anything to your to-do list.
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