Online marketing for companies: endless space
The Internet is love and it brings many opportunities. But one thing drives me completely insane, and that is the incredible amount of possibilities. This ranges from the smallest decision, such as buying a new washing machine, to booking a vacation, to far-reaching considerations about your own marketing strategy.
To be able to compare the pure possibility seems to be an obligation for endless weighing bring with it. Sometimes I give up after several hours, tired and long for a little bit back to when the nice lady in the travel agency suggested a destination, we booked and drove there.
Just tried it out and not read reviews page by page and wanted to sit in front of an Excel spreadsheet and weigh the smallest pros and cons against each other.
In your marketing strategy, watch out for yourself, not others
The agony of choice on the Internet is only a problem as long as we make it a problem ourselves. The good news: We get to choose where to focus. This applies to the vacation trip, for the vacuum cleaner, and also for the own online marketing strategy for smaller companies. My most important tip at this point is:
Pick your marketing stars!
Think of online marketing for businesses as a huge firmament with a thousand shining stars. Sometimes one shines particularly brightly, sometimes the other. Sometimes marketing on Facebook makes great sense for your company and sometimes you want to finally start your own podcast. All of these possibilities are conceivable and could suit you and give you more reach.
But if you bag all the stars at the same time, they outshine each other and you don’t see any clear lines at the end. Specifically: More and more communication channels do not automatically mean more range. A star or two is sufficient, especially when you are starting out and are just starting out on your own.
The bigger your company gets, the bigger your own company name can become. So, start small and grow little by little. Because if you want to have them all at once, no star will shine as brightly as it could, but a flicker on a weak flame.
Online marketing overload for small businesses
Back to the ocean of opportunities in online marketing for small businesses. I started out very simply and started with a really very simple website. But suddenly everyone else was really on Facebook, recorded Twitter, shot videos and uploaded them to YouTube and, and, and. And every single strategy seemed so tempting that I wanted to implement it for myself too.
So I set up a Facebook company profile, logged on to Twitter, completed my XING profile, added the LinkedIn port, and, of course, had to be there on Instagram. And the result was overwhelming. Where do I post what and when? How do I address my customers on which channel? When is the best time to post on Facebook and what in heaven can I post as video content?
For all of these construction sites, there are tools that automate certain things. There are virtual assistants who can do some of the work for you. Still, these aids do not change anything in online marketing for the small business wanting EVERYTHING, nothing brings. Why?
- you communicate a bit everywhere
- automated online communication is not enough for human
- you don’t have a clear strategy anywhere
- you have a lot of wastage within reach
- you get bogged down with postings and publication intervals
- you get into a stress spiral of brainstorming and content production
- you neglect your customers’ orders
- you overwhelm yourself
It is oversized and not believable to dance at all weddings. Better just go to the good ones, but then enjoy the evening there to the fullest. Don’t stop by everywhere, but be really present where you are. Because if you are present and enable your target group to interact with you, they can really grab you and not just see you scurry past in panic, then your online marketing will bear fruit.
Then you create a qualitative reach, so you reach the people you want to reach and who could probably become your customers. So you decide: Facebook or Twitter, LinkedIn, XING, and Pinterest? More like Instagram or classic email marketing? Or both? Limit yourself to a maximum of three channels at the beginning so as not to overwhelm yourself and to get really measurable results from your marketing activities.
If you are present everywhere, you are nowhere really tangible. When doing online marketing for businesses, focus on your most important channels.
Also read our guide on Business idea: start your own business as an Instagram influencer in 2020
Fewer channels, more visibility
I started in high spirits and then gradually closed some social media channels because I couldn’t use them equally well and purposefully. I closed my Twitter account and LinkedIn pretty soon because I posted far too seldom for it to have added value for my followers. To do this, I included email marketing in my marketing mix because it is a very good way of gaining the trust of my interested parties in the long term and keeping their interest in my work.
Today I am convinced that I would rather be really available on fewer channels and interact with my followers and customers than ignite a little content flame everywhere that goes out the next time I look away.
But can a company really afford to do without Twitter, YouTube, and Co.? I think so, yes. Not in general, but most of us sole proprietorships can do without some of the marketing opportunities without having a guilty conscience or fear of failure.
Because solopreneurs and small businesses, in particular, are doing themselves a favor, taking the pressure off and staying within reach of their desired customers. And that’s exactly what it’s all about: relationships with real people.
How Much Online Marketing Is Enough For Businesses?
Of course, there are counselors who will recommend that you be present everywhere. That’s okay because it’s just their view of things. I recommend that you develop your business in a direction that is good for you. The foundation of your online communication is your positioning. If you know your benefits for your target group and know where this target group is, then with the right online marketing strategy you can reach them on two channels and do not need eight.
If you don’t know, you can also talk past them on ten channels. Your online strategy, your content schedule, your communication – all of this has to fit you and your target group. Reach is important, but it only makes sense if it is relevant. So when you reach out to and connect with the right people.
The sun of all online marketing for businesses: the website
You can pick your personal stars in online marketing for your company. Whether you decide that a podcast suits you or you go completely into Instagram marketing is up to you. But what you shouldn’t forget is the center of your online marketing.
Your website is like the sun amidst the many other stars. Everything leads to her in the end and everything starts from her. Your social media channels link to your blog on your website, your Twitter quotes the most important learnings from your website content.
Your Pinterest Pins lead to the blog on your website. Your website is the basis of any online marketing strategy and in my opinion, it is actually essential. Because if you only rely on Facebook or only on YouTube, you are completely dependent on one platform. If you are still asking yourself the question: Do I need a website or is it possible without it?
Tips for beginners for your online marketing
So, calm blood. It’s okay not to use all channels right away. No, in fact, it’s pretty clever to do that. Take a deep breath, concentrate on your own base, and then choose your marketing pillars. I’ll be happy to give you a few tips on the way.
Step 1: clarify positioning
Nothing works without your positioning. Many people start online marketing for companies without having clearly positioned themselves. I also made the same mistake and advertised an entire vendor’s tray in the early days. Hence my tip from my own experience and from working with my customers: Focus and work out your positioning clearly.
Recognize desired customers you know what you offer. But who actually needs your offer? Work out who your desired customers are before you run out of your marketing budget to somehow reach everyone. Everyone will not buy from you anyway, only the people for whom your offer has value.
Step2: Set up your own website
I always recommend starting with your website and blog because for me that is the absolute basis of your online success. Your website is the place for your content, your values , and your benefits. Don’t make yourself platform-dependent, but host your own website.
Step 3: Choose an online marketing mix
You don’t have to make a final decision right away, but can gradually grow and add new channels. In the beginning, limit yourself to individual spotlights, for example, a newsletter, and a Facebook company page. With the latter, you can increase your reach, with your newsletter you can maintain interest in your content.
Step 4: Stay with yourself
When the first people notice you, they try to classify you. They want to associate your name with an offer. The clearer you communicate now, the more you strengthen your brand. Therefore, when it comes to content, always hang closely to your positioning and create an unmistakable picture of your offer.
Bonus tip: grow slowly
If one channel is working well, add another one as soon as you want. But don’t overwhelm yourself by wanting too much at once. Online marketing in particular is lightning-fast and very often overwhelming. Dare to grow slowly, to deliver content that is easy to handle, and to take one step at a time. Then your online success will shine all the brighter and more enduring in the end.
Which channels do you choose? Are you still hesitating? Please write me a comment!