Have a Happier Tuesday with Internet Marketing Tips
It’s Tuesday, but do you have a case of the Mondays? It’s a widely held belief that everyone dreads Mondays and their moods make Oscar the Grouch seem happy, but I recently heard about a study that said people are unhappiest on Tuesdays. The study concluded that by Tuesday the positive effects of the weekend have worn off, the work week is in full swing, and the looming weekend ahead is still too far away to get excited about. Well, your Tuesdays are about to change because we are beginning our Internet Marketing Tips Tuesday which will provide you with a valuable tip about internet marketing each week.
Today’s Internet Marketing Tip: Know Who You Are and Know Who You Aren't
This phrase comes from an incredibly insightful and endearing man name Terry Walling, Founder & President at Leader Breakthru. It also changed my life and it can change the life of your business. If you’re thinking of implementing an internet marketing strategy, or already have one in place, knowing who you are as a business and who you aren’t is crucial, and will change the way you market to your customers.
It’s easy to get stuck in the day-to-day grind of business and lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing. So, it’s important for any small business, no matter what stage it’s in, to just stop and take a breath and answer some basic questions to gain perspective again.
Who are you as a business?
You could start by taking a look at your mission statement, or writing down what you value about your business or how you want to be perceived by your customers, potential customers and competitors. Think about the parts of your business that are most important to you. It could be constantly teaching your employees, so they in turn use their knowledge at the company. It could just be the bottom line – to make more money. Defining who you are as a business will help decide the internet marketing channels to use.
What does your business offer?
Sometimes this question is obvious. You’re either offering a product, a service, or sometimes both.If you sell running shoes, then that’s your product. If you’re a landscaper, that’s your service. If you’re a caterer who also has a storefront with your one-of-a-kind cupcakes, that’s your product (cupcakes) and your service (catering). The second part of this question is, why? Do you believe in the product or service you’re offering? It’s hard to get behind something that you aren’t even convinced has value. In internet marketing – and all marketing really – you have to know what you’re about so you know who to target.
What are your business goals?
It’s hard to arrive somewhere when you don’t know where you’re going. Setting achievable goals and planning out the stepping stones to get there helps put things in focus. It’s also important to have a way to measure your progess. You might want to also revisit your business plan to see if it needs any tweaking. Think about dreams you have for your business and what it might take to get there.
How will internet marketing help you get to where you want to be?
This will all come into play in your internet marketing strategy because it will help you decide where to focus your energy. Odds are you aren’t a gazillionaire, so you will have to decide where to invest your marketing dollars. Maybe it’s hiring writers to get your blog going because you just don’t have the time. Or it could be in a redesign of your website to help with lead generation. Once you decide where to start it’s time to get started! You probably don’t want to do it all by yourself either, because that’s no fun! So here’s a guide that will help you in selecting an internet marketing consultant to help you out.
Now that you have a better of idea of who you are, don’t forget to acknowledge who you aren’t. If you’re a small business tech company that creates some cools apps with only 10 employees, know that you probably won’t become Apple someday. And that’s okay. Because that’s not YOU. I didn’t actually give you the entire part of today’s internet marketing tip. The entire tip goes like this:
Know who are. Know who you aren’t. And BE OKAY WITH IT!
The internet marketing world has a special place just for you and your business. That’s a happy thought, no matter what day of the week it is!
Beat your Tuesday blues and subscribe to our blog to receive our weekly internet marketing tips. Next week, we’ll take a look at what could possibly be the most important part of your internet marketing strategy.
