Being an entrepreneur requires a growth mindset. You may encounter this word without actually considering what it means for you. When you get over the first major obstacle of getting your small business up and running, there isn’t often much time to dedicate to professional development.
You’ll learn a wide range of skills on the job, but one of the most challenging steps for business owners is social media growth and digital marketing. The most common mistake is going the sales route, which takes a business-centric mindset when the focus should really be on providing value to potential customers.
If you’ve checked all the major boxes but find yourself stagnating on the digital front, here are a few ways you can improve your business’s web presence.
Diversify Your Strategy
Search engine optimization is important for your site, but what does it do for your social media? The truth is that organic SEO rarely delivers the results companies want or need with web pages online. SEO has evolved, and it’s now most effective when you use it in conjunction with other digital marketing strategies.
Consider your cross-platform approach to sharing your content. How are you reaching your audience and creating a seamless experience for them? Your website, Instagram, and Facebook pages shouldn’t feel like they’re completely separate entities.
Instead, the goal is to drive traffic from social platforms to your site in addition to trying to get those coveted featured snippets.
Expand Your Education
You may find that going back to college for a degree in digital marketing is the most powerful way to fuel your business’s growth in the long run. While there are many skills you can learn online, the depth of education and experience you gain in college is hard to beat. You can start by looking for online programs that allow you to work and study at the same time.
Taking out student loans from a private lender allows you to invest in potential growth without compromising your finances for a better education. Company founders who get a bachelor’s or master’s in marketing or business are more likely to build brands that are adaptable.
With so many major changes affecting every industry imaginable, having such a good education is one of the best ways to safeguard your success story.
Make Content That Does More Than Just Promote
Good content can sell a product, but great content sells a brand. If every post is a pitch, no one is going to want to follow you says Kevin Crockett, a car accident attorney in Orange County.
Think about your social media posts and blog content. Do they all seem to center around driving traffic to your site and converting into customers right away? This may work now and again, but it generally doesn’t lead to the audience growth and reach expansion that most businesses are hoping for online.
Instead of always tying your products into the mix, focus on building a presence that educates, informs, and entertains. Don’t be afraid to be specific, either. Having a niche makes it easier for you to stand out and come up with content ideas that don’t feel so generalized.
Engage With Your Target Audience More
Think about excellent public speakers, professors, and politicians. What makes them so captivating? Their excellent communication skills are part of their success, but what people really love about them is the connection they feel. While you can’t make eye contact and strike up conversations with a smile online, you can still show genuine interest in your audience.
Make sure you always like and respond to comments in a timely manner. Start following people who follow you, and check out who follows your competition, too. Create stories on Instagram that utilize polls as these are fun, but they also have the potential to give you free insights into your audience.
You can even get creative and start challenges, host giveaways or make your customers feel like part of a community with a custom hashtag.