Authentic marketing is
Done For You marketing services aren’t anything new. What I don’t see a lot of is DFY services that are designed to help businesses grow using “Authentic” marketing methods.
What is authentic marketing anyway?
It’s the notion of creating a dialogue between your brand and your audience that’s natural and genuine. It’s not necessarily about being honest or being ethical, though, as lots of people believe – instead, it’s a kind of strategy you can employ to create deeper communities based on trust and like-mindedness.
I love this way of approaching marketing. Some entrepreneurs and experts don’t feel comfortable with marketing because they don’t want to come off as pushy. However, authentic marketing can be more appealing to both consumers and businesses owners.
The face of marketing is changing and if you’re using only traditional marketing efforts, you’re going to get left behind… by your customers.
SAY GOODBYE TO EXCUSES
Here are some of the things I hear most often from my clients about their reluctance to implement marketing: ‘marketing feels icky’, ‘I don’t have time for big marketing plans’, ‘I don’t have the budget right now’,’ my market doesn’t want to be sold to’, ‘I have a steady pipeline of referrals so I don’t need to market’ (in fact, this one used to be my excuse), and on and on.
And you know what? Those are all valid excuses. Yes, they are excuses but valid all the same. However, we know all too well what making excuses can do to our well laid out intentions. Someday, later, next time, when I have a good cash flow, etc. Next week becomes next month, next month becomes next quarter, and… you get the idea.
You can overcome every one of those excuses whether you use Done for You services or you do it yourself. But here’s the thing… it’s going to be easier and faster if you opt for getting help!
Small business owners and solo-entrepreneurs are overwhelmed by the multitude of marketing advice available today that they don’t know what to do first or next. It’s easier to make excuses than to make a plan of action.
If this is you, start by checking in with why you’re in business and how you can be true to your customers in your messaging and content. Then you can start exploring options that fit your company’s values and reach like-minded people.
If you see yourself go back to making excuses about not having time, get some help. You’re not a super hero and there is no shame in it. There is growth on the other side.
LET SOMEONE ELSE DO IT FOR YOU
Even with a small budget you might be surprised with what you can get done with mini projects. If you do have a marketing budget you can sign up for ongoing services to keep projecting your authentic business goals and values on a consistent basis.
After all, what could be a better investment than meaningful engagement with your like-minded audience?
When you hand off tasks to a specialist they get done faster and possibly even better than if you did it yourself. Just think of the time you’ll save and the headaches of learning curves you won’t have to endure!
Let’s look at some of done for you services for authentic marketers.
CONTENT CREATION MADE EASY & REWARDING
Content should create meaningful engagement with a like-minded audience if it’s to be effective.
What you create, how you make it where you publish it can make all the difference.
So how do you know what, how and where?
Survey your market with an ask campaign!
Running a survey to your customers is a great way to find out what your customers are looking for in the way of content, how they talk about what they need and how they like to consume it.
This is such a great way to learn more about your tribe and how you can better serve them.
Develop Case Studies
Customer stories and case studies qualify as engaging content, believe it or not. How long has it been since you added one to your website? Reviews, customer stories, and case studies allow you to be transparent and reveal information from the viewpoint of customers.
User Generated Content
Here at Provirtua, we help our clients initiate and track User Generated Content that builds community around their brands AND gets the word out about their products or services.
People showing themselves using your products or talking about them is an endorsement that lends you credibility and incredible value.
What could be better? This is content that you don’t have to create AND lets your customers share support for your products or services. Double Whammy!!
Content Updates & Distribution
Of course, you can get help with the standard things like updates to your blog, branded blog visuals, or content distribution. These things will help you clear your desk for other, more urgent matters and let’s face it, these are the things that are often procrastinated when left to entrepreneurs.
NURTURE CAMPAIGNS
Nurture customer relationships by offering solutions, not promotions.
Don’t just get leads, nurture them with regular, relevant, and educational content.
Know why they came to you and provide more information along those lines, paying attention to what stage they are in to knowing, liking and trusting you all along the way.
Encourage community participation and make sure they know what your company’s values are so they can decide if you’re a good fit for them.
Segment contacts by sub categories and share relevant content and offers rather than just blasting out to a broad audience.
According to DemandGenReport, lead nurturing emails get 4-10x the response rate than standalone email blasts.
BUILD A TRAFFIC MACHINE
Website traffic or lack of it has to be one of the most common answers I get when I ask the question “what do you need help with the most in relation to your website”.
Not surprising I guess. I can see how it might seem like all your problems would be solved if your website just had loads of traffic. From my perspective though, I can usually see a half a dozen more important (on a priority scale) things that need to be done on a website.
This used to really perplex me and I felt tasked to finding a way to show people that yes, you need traffic but if you’re sending traffic to a website that doesn’t perform well or if the traffic isn’t the right traffic, what’s the point?
Traffic as a Byproduct of Other Marketing Activities
Traffic can be a byproduct of other activities and I feel like you should have several pipelines working to bring the traffic into one tap that flows like a well-oiled machine.
These activities could include content creation and distribution, influencer outreach, email nurturing, social sharing, incoming links, etc.
Sounds like a lot of work, right? You bet it is and getting help implementing them is a great way to step up the pace and make it happen faster. Let’s face it, try to do these things alone and very few of them will ever get done. Not if you want to busy yourself with what you went into business to do in the first place!
Get it done in bite sized chunks, create systems along the way and before you know it you’ll have that coveted traffic machine.
QUICK START WEBSITES
Whether you use a platform like WordPress or a service like LeadPages, you can get your website up and running quickly with the use of professional themes and templates.
If your company has been around a while and your brand has grown to the point of needing a custom design and a multitude of features for website users then you should hire an agency or custom designer.
But if you are just starting out or on a very tight budget but need a more modern look, a website ‘done for you’ might be the best solution. The turnaround time is usually a matter of a few weeks (or less) as opposed to months and when using premium professional grade themes the design phase can be minimal. Apply your branding elements to make it unique and you’re off to the races!
There are a lot of ‘drag and drop’ type of website offers out there that allow you to log in and make content updates yourself and even create your site yourself. However, it’s been my experience that this can be disastrous for the visual result and the platforms often limit your ability to add certain features to your website as your business grows.
Both WordPress and LeadPages have a huge support community so you will always be able to find someone to assist you if need be and both are fairly easy to learn.
GETTING STARTED WITH DONE FOR YOU SERVICES
Here’s a tip for you if you don’t know where to start with ‘done for you’ services. Pull out your marketing plan and have a look at the places where you could apply authentic marketing methods to project your brand in a way that allows your tribe to better relate to you.
Don’t have a plan? In that case, reach out to an expert to help you evaluate where you are in your business and what the next best steps are. If this sounds like where you are, just give me a shout! I’d be happy to help.
Do you know an authentic marketer who could use a helping hand? I’d be grateful if you email it to them or share it on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you!
Website Planning: 9 Things to Consider
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