You don’t have to harness a mysterious force of creative genius to connect with new prospects! Lucrative results come from a down-to-earth approach that includes variety, consistency and experimentation. Need help? You can hire folks to do as little or as much as needed to hit your mix.  So think big (even if you’re a small business).

Variety

Show up where prospects are most likely looking for your product or service and direct them to what you want them to see (website, Facebook business page or other online display). The more places your business is visible, the more experiences prospects will have with you. Marketing is about building relationships, so the number of encounters is important for establishing awareness and credibility.

An ideal marketing mix includes the following.

• Fresh, relevant content wherever your business is represented, starting with your website. Write a blog, host a podcast, create a video, send a newsletter, share your unique perspective on social media.
• Social media posts created to share quick insights, visuals and information your audience cares about.
• Reviews of your business, products and service(s) by recent customers. Facebook, Yelp, search engines and many professional associations offer review opportunities.
• Search engine optimization (SEO) that puts your business at the top of people’s search results (because you have relevant content and frequent reviews). This is about synching up your website’s content with text, links and terminology that’s useful to potential customers.
• Online advertising via search engines, social media sites and/or web page placements, targeting ideal prospects. We typically recommend pay-per-click (PPC) ads for small businesses.

Consistency

Predictability facilitates trust-building. Establish a routine for all of your outreach. Blog once a month or once a quarter. Post on Facebook three times a week or every Wednesday. Publish your podcast on the same day of the week on regular intervals.

We recommend creating a Content Calendar so you can plan topics and give yourself plenty of time to deliver content that’s worthy of your audience.

Experiment

Always measure results so you know where there’s magic—and where there isn’t. Experiment with different types of social media content to see what earns engagement. Try different venues. Is your ideal customer on YouTube or Pinterest? Jump on and see if you can connect!

Track ad response rates (provided by the platform) and check stats on responder page visits. Run a couple of ads for the same thing. Use different text for each ad or the same text with a different image. See which version drives traffic (and sales) better.

Get Help

It takes time and brain space to earn great results. Do what you’re most comfortable with and have time to do consistently. Get help for things that are effective but outside your bandwidth. Here are two combinations of do-it-yourself and professional support.

1. Write your own blog. Post 3 times/week on social media (all your selected venues). Ask every customer for a review.
   1. Hire out: Advertising. SEO management.
2. Ask for reviews. Manage your ads using Google or Facebook’s ad-building tools.
   1. Hire out: Blog and other content Social media posts. SEO management.

Your Magic Mix

Consistency over time gives you insight into what’s most effective for your business—and where your prospects are most likely to respond. Hone your mix so it includes all relevant venues. Get help where you need it to maintain a consistent, relevant presence. Marketing magic is about the results: engagement, visits to promotional pages and ultimately new business.