Constantly Building and Growing Your Marketing
All of us understand the importance of continual education and constantly improving your skills as related to the technical performance of your business. Most of us understand the need to maintain and upgrade the physical equipment and tools of the trade that are used in your day-to-day operations. And again, a good number of us understand the importance of fostering and maintaining past customer relationships for the sake of positive top-of-mind awareness amongst other things.
So why would your growing your marketing be any different?
Let's talk about a few reasons why you must be constantly building and growing your marketing and online presence.
Content Freshness is Important for Users (and Search Engines)
There is a lot to be said for an online marketing presence that is well maintained. Content freshness is incredibly important; but, especially for many small businesses where one owner or partner must wear many hats to get all of the company's many tasks completed – saying that you've got to continually produce content is a hard pill to swallow.
We've talked before about finding your balance of investing time versus money into your business, and how you can delegate to lessen your individual marketing load. No matter how you get it done, content freshness is a must for looking good to your prospective clients and search engines alike.
Say you are a remodeling contractor. My assumption, and the assumption of your prospective clients, is that you are always busy. So what work do you have to show for it? You may build the best kitchens in Kansas, but without updated pictures – only the few homeowners who were lucky enough to find you will ever know.
If you are a remodeling contractor, and your "Latest Projects" or gallery images are from the 90's – you are losing a huge number of client opportunities.
Depending on your industry, web site visitors have a usual path they follow before the ultimately get to your contact page or before they call. If you are on the visual side of the home services industry (painting, flooring, remodeling, home building, and the like) people will land on your home page and then almost immediately go to view your portfolio of work. If you have old pictures (or the dreaded "Coming Soon" text that's been there since your site went live) you can rest assured that prospective customers and leaving you to admire your competitor's gallery and follow up with them instead.
Not only do people enjoy pictures and updated, seasonally appropriate content – Google and search engines like it as well.
Keeping Up With the Joneses (and Keeping Up With Your Competition's Marketing!)
"But I already have my website live – I thought I finished my online marketing?"
Your online marketing is never done. Aside from the constantly changing online marketing landscape and what is becoming included in the definition of your business and its digital presence – your competition doesn't think that their online marketing is done.
Think of online marketing as a race. It's important that you keep moving, but you've also got to be able to keep up the pace. Even if you pull ahead with an amazing lead, if you come to a dead stop those competitors in your rear view mirror will eventually pass you and pull ahead. Then, you've got to start from a cold engine while trying to catch up to their new lead.
If your competitors have any business or marketing sense, they understand that they too must continually grow and develop their marketing presence – so keep up or get left behind!
Practice, Practice, Practice Your Marketing Skills to Constantly Grow
Just like riding a bike, the more you practice your marketing skills, the better you get and the easier it becomes. Flexing those marketing muscles helps you to grow stronger, which means you'll become more effective and more efficient. This effect snowballs, allowing you to do a better job and get more done in the same time it took before or even less.
Growing Your Business and Online Marketing is a Skill
Reading this blog post likely isn't enough to whip you into a frenzy and change your way-of-life when it comes to marketing. Just like any specialized skill, it takes time to find what works for you personally, what works for your prospective clients, and what works for your business.
If you can't find the time to develop yet another expertise as is required for running a business, then consider getting some help from an individual or organization who has already put in the 10,000 hours of practice and developed the skills you need for your industry.
About Chris Lonergan
Chris Lonergan has over 12 years of contractor marketing experience with Footbridge Media. With a background in web design, print design, content creation, and online marketing, Chris is focused on providing quality marketing and business solutions in the construction and service industries - helping small business owners to more efficiently manage their companies and grow their operations.
Chris Lonergan has previously contributed to and/or been featured in PM Magazine (Plumbing & Mechanical | Contractors x Engineers), theNEWS (ACHR - Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration), Service Roundtable's blog, inPAINT Magazine, the SMB Marketing Agency Show, and the Green Industry Podcast. Chris is also a past SGI/CertainPath breakout session presenter.
