OK, let’s start with a marketing basic: engaging your customers with your brand is a good thing! Whether it was a guy walking around town wearing a sandwich board, a radio or TV ad, the Goodyear blimp or now, through Facebook and Twitter, getting your brand in front of your customers has always been a staple for an effective business growth plan. No matter how good your product or service is, if nobody knows about it, you’re not going to stay in business.
Now let’s recognize another fact: it's never been easier or required less investment to engage your customers than right now. You don’t need to pay to build a blimp or even a sandwich board. You don’t need to buy time on a local radio or TV station. Everything a small business owner needs to get their brand in front of their customers is right at their fingertips (literally!)…and most of it doesn’t cost a dime.
So why are so few small business owners engaging customers online? A recent survey from Research Now shows that less than half of all small business owners have a Facebook page dedicated to showcasing their business. And less than a third of SBOs consider social media important for promoting customer interaction and new products.
But here are two truths for small business owners:
1. Just because you’re not online doesn’t mean your customers aren’t. Goodyear sends the blimp to major sporting events because that’s where, whether on site or through TV, they can put their brand in front of the customer’s eyes. Your customers’ eyes are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and surfing the web.
2. Just because you don’t engage your customers online doesn’t mean your competitors aren’t. If you’re not online interacting with your customers, you’re ceding valuable market real estate to your competition.
So, if it’s really that important and that simple, then why aren’t more SBOs utilizing the digital space to promote their products and services?
1. They don't understand the capabilities of the media. Most small business owners just simply don’t realize the immense power available to them online. Oh, sure, they’ll build a basic website using some free template and leave it alone. Or they’ll establish a Facebook page and never visit it. In these cases, all they’ve done is create a digital brochure. Technically, they can say they have an “online presence” but really all they’ve accomplished is the equivalent of pinning a business card on a bulletin board at the local grocery store. The digital brochure approach isn’t going to engage customers and drive them to your business.
2. They don't have time. This is perfectly understandable. Most SBOs are too busy actually serving customers to engage them online with the regular frequency it takes to build a brand. SBOs don’t enter the marketplace dreaming of the time they’ll get to spend scheduling social media posts or auditing the SEO on their website so Google will move them up the page on searches. No, SBOs are passionate about their products and services. That’s what makes them so appealing!
3. They’re intimidated by technology. The majority of SBOs are old enough to not be considered “digital natives.” That means they didn’t grow up with keyboards and smart phones as appendages. Now they’ve certainly adapted to the extent that running the business has required, but getting into the weeds of the digital world (SEO, website building and maintenance, paid social media campaigns, etc.) is a little daunting. In the Research Now survey, only 30% of SBOs said they feel proficient at maintaining their website. We all know that we rarely venture out into territory where we don’t feel competent. For the small business owner, this can mean avoiding the valuable spaces online where their customers live.
4. They don't have the resources to invest in doing it effectively. Still other SBOs recognize the value of engaging customers online but don’t have the staffing or the financial means to do it well. Most small businesses operate with very little overhead. They’re not going to be employing a full time marketing team to manage all the technical and creative needs that go into building an online brand. And unfortunately, many of the boutique agencies they could hire to perform these services don’t share that small business model. For them, overhead is a built-in cost, from equipping their staff with the latest model i-Phone to making sure their corporate clients can conference with them in a hip downtown office with free drinks and refreshments. All this gets passed on to the customer. Most of those boutique customers aren’t SBOs, so they don’t even blink at the extra cost, but for the guy trying to build his own woodworking business out of his home shop he’s built in his garage, this can be the end of line.
Small business marketing for small businesses
That’s why Knuckleball Digital exists. We’re a small business dedicated to helping other small businesses maximize their online presence. We understand the needs of the SBO.
At Knuckleball Digital, you’ll get the personal touch you won’t find at a large, boutique agency. For us, there are no small customers. You also won’t pay for our overhead. That’s because we don’t have any. Yes, you’ll get top-quality service that performs, establishing your business at the “go-to” expert in your market. We’re sorry to tell you, however, that you won’t be visiting our posh downtown office and getting any free drinks. We will be glad to buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks though if you want though.
What you will get is decades of experience working with small businesses and non-profits. You’ll get tailored service that matches exactly what you need, from content creation, social media, and website development to comprehensive digital marketing management.
Contact Knuckleball Digital today and ask for a free appraisal of your current online presence. We’ll let you know how you’re doing today in engaging your customers and what we can do to help you to do even more tomorrow and down the road.
For SBOs, engaging customers online isn’t an option. It’s as necessary as the product or service itself. Let Knuckleball Digital help you increase your digital footprint.