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Removing the “Jump Scares” from Digital Marketing

10/10/2022

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Boo! OK settle down my little goblins. It’s time to overcome your fears of digital marketing and create a scary-good plan that’s sweeter than pumpkin spice.
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Digital Marketing is a fear many business owners and entrepreneurs have when launching or growing their businesses. Not knowing where to start can keep you frozen in place. Well don’t worry, like a self-designated tour guide in a haunted house – or that one friend who doesn’t scream at jump scares – I’m going to take you through this scary process one step at a time. 
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​I’ve curated an easy-to-follow list of steps you can take to get started with digital marketing. As you move through this list, you’ll start to feel more comfortable and confident. 

Step 1: Outline a Strategy

If you don’t do this first, I can guarantee that you’ll have to rework steps 2-6 over and over until you get it right. Finding out you’re creating content for the wrong audience or creating content that doesn’t convert, is a tough lesson to learn! And it costs you more time, money, and resources in the end. And honestly, that should scare you the most! So, stick with the order and you’ll come out on top.

Write down the answers to each of these questions. Don’t just think about the answers as you read this. Take the time to write down the answers so you have an actual plan when you’re done with this.
  • Where are your customers/clients hanging out?
  • What are your customers/clients watching on tv? Buying at stores? Going through in life?
  • What would make your customers/clients laugh? What are they scared of? What are their goals? What are their obstacles?
  • How will customers/clients buy from you? How can you make it easy for them? How will you process payments?
  • What can your customers/clients get for free if they’re not ready to buy yet? What’s a sample or taste they can get of your services or products?
  • What can you send to those who haven’t purchased yet, but are signed up for your email marketing/newsletter? Tips? Recipes? Advice? Encouragement? Downloads?
  • What does the buying experience feel like to your customer/client? Would you enjoy going through this experience? How can you make it more enjoyable?  
  • What will your order confirmation look like?
  • What will your customers/clients get from you after they purchase from you? How can you ensure they feel good about their purchase?
  • How will you ask for referrals and reviews?
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​Thinking through these questions will you help you keep goals and priorities in mind as you continue down the list. 

Step 2. Build a stable foundation with your website

Start with your website. This is your home base. Even if you sell on Amazon and Etsy, you need a website. NEVER rely on a 3rd party site 100% of the time for your sales. You should always be prepared for the bottom to drop out of 3rd party sites. I’m not telling you to not use them. I’m telling you to be ready for the winds to shift, because, my dear, they will. And it can ruin a small business.
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If you think of your website as a foundation to your business, then you’ll understand that it needs to completely support you and help you reach your goals. You should include:
  • Content that’s worth visiting (education, entertainment, encouragement).
  • Lead generation forms (grab their contact info before they leave!).
  • Information about your products and services and what their first step would be to get started with you.
  • An “About Me” page that makes everyone fall in love with you and your company.

​Don’t forget Mobile & SEO:
  • Build for the mobile experience first. 72% of those around the world use mobile ONLY and 90% use mobile along with desktop. Ummmm… that’s feeling kind of like it’s almost everyone and their roommate depending on a good mobile experience. Most website-building programs allow you to see what your pages looks like on a mobile phone and will allow you to adjust your design accordingly (without changing the desktop design).
  • SEO (search engine optimization – how search engines find your site) is very important, but isn’t a hard-to-play game like it’s touted by SEO experts. SEO experts have tons of tricks to help you get search rankings while Google keeps saying “can you just follow best practices, please”. Why do they ask that? Because they’re constantly updating their algorithms to get rid of the tricksters and let the rest of us win. I was around in the early 2000s when a lot of websites got blacklisted and sandboxed and I’m here say … honey, just follow best practices. Start here. This guys is an expert and easy to understand. One more: I really liked this article, too.

Step 3. Pave roads that connect with your audience

Ok! Your foundation is built and ready for the world. Now it’s time to pave roads toward connection. These are all the ways you’re going to reach out and communicate with your audience. These roads are BUILT BY YOU and you control how often you’re communicating via these channels. Who’s going to hop on these roads you’re paving?
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You audience can consist of:
  • Those who are just now finding you and want to learn more
  • Prospects who are on the fence
  • Loyal customers who love you
  • Those who purchased from you, but don’t keep you top of mind

Make sure you’re communicating to everyone! Different roads could have more of one audience than another, so pay to attention to what they respond to and where they are in your sales pipeline.

Roads toward connection could be:
  • Email
  • Text
  • Groups on social media
  • Business pages on social media
  • In-person meet-ups

Remember these are roads that you’re building on your own. You choose what it looks like, what the experience is, if they walk alone or with you. Take time to think about the experience you want your audience to have.

Step 4. Start showing up online

While building your own road and experiences above, you also need to start reaching out to audiences in their own spaces. Join their conversations and meet them where they are.

Where are your prospects and customers online?
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
  • Presenting/networking
    • Networking organizations
    • Podcasts
    • Online interviews

It’s important to watch your prospects/customers, find out where they go for connection, and meet them there.

Send everyone back to your website (your foundation) where they can take an action with you. This is called a call to action and it’s sooooo important to growing your sales.

​Calls to action you can use:
  • Buy from you
  • Signup for newsletter/marketing emails/texts
  • Read more information on your website 

Step 5. Keep creating!

Now that you’re putting yourself out there, it’s time to start creating more content. There are so many ways to provide education, entertainment, and encouragement without giving your products and services away for free. If you need ideas for content, I recommend you sign up for Inspire-Starter, a subscription services that gives you ideas every day via text and a monthly content planning worksheet to map out ideas and start creating!

Think about what kind of content you want to create for:
  • Social media
  • Website
  • Articles
  • Blog posts

​Re-use content as much as you can! Share your Reels on TikTok and your TikToks in a Reel. Use video for stories as well. Another great idea is to embed tiktok videos and Instagram posts in blog posts or on landing pages. This saves you time and allows you re-use great content.

Step 6. Start paying for ads

Here’s the part that no one loves, but if you’ve been showing up online, on social media, and creating content, then this step is going to come easier to you than it would have before.

Set up an advertising account on the platforms you want to use. Most will try to give you an easy-to-navigate process. On the plus side, once you start advertising and spending money, many platforms will give you ad credit (ex. LinkedIn likes to give $50 to those getting started).

Start here:
  • Google
  • Facebook and Instagram
  • Snapchat
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

​Following these steps in order will help you get started with a solid foundation and build confidence along the way. Confidence is writing messaging, using new technology, and doing what it takes to meet your goals. 
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    First, I'm the mother of three crazy, sassy, sarcastic, hilarious children. Second, I work in the world of social media, email, digital marketing. Third, I'll probably try to tell you what to do.

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  • Home
  • Contact
  • Services
    • Winning Online: The Entrepreneurs Guide to Easy & Effective Digital Marketing
    • 60-Minute Consults
    • Social Media Master Class
    • Guest Speaker
    • Content Creation
    • Digital Ads
    • Customer Relationship Management
    • Design Templates
    • Social Media Management >
      • Social Media Cleanup
    • 4 Step Strategy Guide
    • Social Media Training
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Ashley Recommends
  • Finding Inspiration
  • Podcast - Fabulous Friday with Ash-Lea
  • New Page