DIY digital marketing is possible and the low barrier to entry makes it something that just about anyone can do given enough time and resources. However, there are some considerations on what is worth doing yourself (including educating yourself sufficiently in order to do it well) and what is worth outsourcing to an employee(s), freelancer, or marketing agency.
Website and Optimizations
Ensuring that your website is friendly to your target audience and is mobile-responsive is a must. As your digital storefront, it’s important to put your best foot forward. Make sure the site loads well, is easy to navigate, and works well across device types.
You also need to consider the purposes your users will have when they visit your site; be sure to conduct testing to ensure that they can find what they are looking for. It may even benefit you to ask some of your customers how they like your site and what pain points they might be running into. A tool such as Microsoft Clarity can also aid in gathering data about how users interact with your site.
There is a simple rule in business — make it as EASY as possible for people to pay you. If your site is inhibiting that process at all, it may be time to hire a professional.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
Now search engine optimization (SEO) has become more technical in nature over the past several years but it is still quite possible for small businesses to run this themselves. However, getting a freelancer or agency is much easier in my opinion (consider my opinion biased as I am a freelancer and work for a marketing agency; however, I have seen many small businesses struggle to do SEO property since it consumes so much time to do it right).
Other tips though include using relevant keywords in your website content, creating high-quality, valuable content that answers user questions, and asking for backlinks from other reputable online sources and directories.
Social Media Marketing:
A common mistake is to attempt to publish on every social media network possible. However, this is another tactic that can be quite time-consuming to do it correctly so I’d advise picking the top one or two channels that your target market is spending their time on and engaging there with content and communities.
Additionally, post regular content that would interest the user. Think for a minute about what pain points your audience is facing regularly and post content that helps with that problem. Not only can you build a community over time, but you can leverage that community to get referrals and boost word of mouth through social media.
Email Marketing:
If you’ve got content or updates that people enjoy or if you host events on a semi-regular basis, you may want to consider email marketing. This can start as a newsletter or events calendar on your website but quickly become helpful communication between you and past/present customers.
Email marketing is a great way to send reminders, offer incentives, and boost engagement with your content online (both SEO and social)
Content Marketing:
A content marketing plan can span across SEO, social, and email marketing as the content you develop can be transformed and used across various marketing mediums. It may not be beneficial for all small businesses but content marketing is an important part of building awareness and authority within your industry and community.
I’ve seen this done well by repurposing content such as starting with long-form video and audio content and then transforming from there. It could look something like; a podcast being recorded between a subject matter expert and a business owner becomes a blog becomes an FAQ, becomes an infographic becomes an email becomes 3-4 social posts.
This can be a lot of fun and is something that can challenge you as a business owner to meet new people and learn new things (even if you think you already know it all).
Paid Advertising:
Paid advertising is the quickest way to generate leads/sales because of how the interest is constructed (people get free content in exchange for snippets of their information being shared and ads being served that may be relevant to them). This is also a tactic that may be best done by a freelancer or marketing agency since data-powered digital advertising is much stronger and can make your dollar go much further online when done correctly.
From search engine advertising to paid social ads and videos, there are a lot of ways to start down this rabbit hole. Reaching out to other owners or communities to see how they have run it is a good way to confidently take a step forward in starting your paid digital advertising journey and promoting your business better online.
Local SEO:
Similar to general SEO, local SEO is specifically leveraging your website for local-based searches across search engines in and around your geographic area. Getting your Google Business Profile claimed and verified is the first but not the last step to doing local SEO well. Other listings and partnerships can also help with local SEO. A service such as Yext or Semrush (Yext reseller but comes with extra goodies) can be helpful software for getting your local business listed everywhere.
Analytics and Data Analysis:
One of the most popular analytics tools is Google Analytics which can help track website performance and user engagement information. Other free tools such as Microsoft Clarity can give additional insight on how users are engaging with your site and what pain points need to be corrected. All this data can be overwhelming so try to focus on what is most important to your small business and improve your site to make that experience seamless for your users.
Online Reviews and Reputation Management:
As mentioned above in local SEO, managing your reviews online is an important part of your business’s presence online. Tools such as Birdeye, Reputation.com, or Semrush can be fairly affordable for most small businesses though you can always manage your own reviews on platforms such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, Yelp, or Nextdoor just to name a few.
The important part of online reviews and reputation management is to take negative conversations offline and encourage your customers to provide honest feedback so you can identify the trends and attempt to fix them while mitigating emotionally heated conversations online. The internet can sometimes be treated as a safety net so getting people on the phone I’ve found to be most helpful so tone of voice and care can be conveyed. However, not everyone will be satisfied and a perfect 5/5 review score has actually been found to be considered less trustworthy than a rating of 4.3-4.7 out of 5.
Encouraging new reviews is also important to continue building trustworthiness and managing your business’s online reputation.
Mobile Marketing:
Depending on who you ask, you can get numbers as high as 60% of online traffic being done on mobile devices. Regardless of the exact percentage, I can confidently say that a majority of your users are most likely on a mobile device. Be sure to double-check your analytics to see the breakdown but it is a good idea to optimize your customers’ experiences for mobile-first in all their digital interactions with your small business.
There are also mobile-only marketing tactics that overlap with paid advertising that can be done to target mobile users online through display and video ads.
Community Engagement:
Whether it is networking in person or joining and contributing to groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, there are amazing communities centered around supporting and promoting small businesses. Be sure as an owner or manager to participate in online forums, groups, and communities related to your industry on a semi-regular basis to stay plugged in and connected. And who knows, you may just get some new customers from this endeavor especially if you’re in the B2B space.
There is also a component of responding to comments on social media from customers. A brand voice guide is very helpful if you’re having someone else do this on your business’s behalf. This ensures your customers online are getting the same or similar experience when they interact with your business in person.
Conclusion
Remember that the digital marketing landscape is dynamic, and it’s essential to stay updated on industry trends and adjust your strategies accordingly. Experimentation and continuous improvement are key to finding what works best for your specific small business.