Marketing is Not a Mystery
Marketing. The spectre of promoting your business, gaining traction, how to find a new audience, and expanding your reach, can make the hard effort of getting your business off the ground seem easy. For the record, that effort was not easy. Still, when it comes to promoting ourselves, a white veil often descends, obscuring the passage.
Have faith. Marketing is not unlike the cool kid in the room. It surrounds itself in jargon and creates an illusion of being elusive, expensive and impenetrable. If you’re like me, you find it confusing. The reason is not that it’s difficult, it is because it’s the thing you least want to do.
Here’s the deal. Making a marketing plan is relatively simple. You need a story to tell and the assets to tell it. Copy, images and a platform to deliver them. The tricky part is being able to distinguish what makes a good story. Our advice is to lead from the heart. People recognize honesty. They respond to it. Positively, with intrigue, curiosity or negatively - however it goes, indifference is unlikely, which is your goal. You want people to engage.
The Plan
Begin small. Use free platforms. Most likely you have a website and a social media account. Just one of those things is fine, too. All you need is a digital space – printed materials, radio, and hosted events, these are options that depend on your budget and your personality. Beginning with digital economizes your effort and maximizes the dollars you have already spent.
Website: About You
This page is an opportunity to write out the reasons why you are in business. Describe what matters to you, champion your values, and add the details that fill out how you learned, what you know, where you started and when it became clear that this journey was the one you wanted to pursue.
Answer the questions that you think people will type into Google when they are searching for what you have to offer.
IG
Take snippets of your About Me page and turn them into posts. Find the cadence that works for you. Once a week, every second day or once a month, what matters is that you try. Ignore popular thinking and don’t put additional pressure on yourself; over time, the process becomes easier.
SEO
As a small business owner, you cannot afford to chase big-ticket buzzwords. By telling a natural story about yourself, your company, your product or your people, the language you choose will include keywords that match your business values. Don’t sweat it.
Content Plan
Start with your subject matter. You have a wealth of knowledge. Share that with people. For example, if your business includes plants, make a list of topics. Indoor plants that can be ignored; Outdoor plants that can be ignored; Plants that cats will not eat; Food for birds etc. Easy peasy.
Add seasons into your thinking. Vacation ideas. Obscure facts. Reference books. Films that might be relevant. You are not obligated to stay exactly in your business lane, you are an interesting human being.
mic & mac
We believe in giving people the tools they need. A website can be owner-friendly, given a few pointers. Paying an agency for maintenance is rarely necessary.
That being said, an initial marketing plan with written content, images and a publishing schedule provides you with a template to follow. Discovering those stories and bringing them to life is what we love most.
We are happy to get you started, and then hand over the reins. No one leaves the room naked. You've got this.