Author: Dijana Samsa
In today’s digital age, with its emphasis on social media and online advertising, it’s easy to forget that not everyone is properly represented in the online space. Whether that is because the small business owner believes that digital presence isn’t something for them, or they are intimidated by the complexities of digital marketing. Most of the time, owners simply don’t have the time, yet they are made to believe they have to be SEO experts, PPC experts, brand experts, and so on.
How to introduce a small business to the idea of digital?
Many small businesses that don’t have a proper digital presence are discouraged by several factors:
- Virality vs reality
- Complex terms and full schedule
- No proper guidance
Virality vs reality
Virality in the digital space has taught us, whether consciously or subconsciously, that if we don’t have the same amount of likes, followers, and comments as ‘others’, we are unsuccessful and doomed to fail. However, those are the outliers. The harsh reality of building an engaged audience is that it takes time. A lot of time. And oftentimes, the posts are high quality, but the engagement is low.
No matter how discouraging that seems at first, looking at it from the bright side, it means there’s room to grow, time to give, and with patience and implementation of some industry standards, it is possible to grow engagement at a slow but steady pace. Not to mention, any post can ‘glitch out’ and turn viral, leading the audience to the backlog of other high-quality posts.
Complex terms and full schedule
SEO, PPC, media buy, automation – for many of us, these words are the standard part of our vocabulary. However, many people don’t understand (nor do they have to) these terms, especially explained in marketing jargon. All professions are culprits of this, speaking in a way that can alienate the very people they cater to. There are many small businesses in industries that are still not widely digitally visible, and their owners and employees might not be as tech-savvy. They still want to reach a wider audience and online is the way to go. That is why each small business (and its respective industry) should be catered to in a way that benefits them.
The other side of the coin is the harsh reality: small business owners must wear ALL the hats. And many do so successfully. However, that means that it’s impossible for them to perform all tasks ‘by the book’. Yes, it would be ‘ideal’ if they could post to all the social media X amount of times a week, keep their website updated, and optimize ongoing PPC campaigns regularly. But the fact of the matter is – people don’t have time. They might not even have the budget. So when consulting businesses that want to elevate their digital presence, it’s best to start them small. It’s not about what should ideally be done – it’s about what they can do in this moment.
No proper guidance
The best advice I would give to any small business owner, no matter how digitally present and how successful in it: seek the proper guidance you deserve. If you don’t have an in-house marketing team, look out for what the outside sources are offering to you. The unfortunate truth is that large advertising agencies must juggle a lot of clients and will naturally gravitate towards their biggest clients. With freelancers, it is more difficult to find more than 1-2 types of services offered.
Mostly, many will already expect a certain knowledge about the online space, which doesn’t necessarily have to be one of your strengths.
The main goal in creating SEOnder was aligning my brand to its name inspiration: sonder. The realization that every person (in this case, a small business) is as complex and vivid, and important as ourselves. Every small business deserves its stage and a fully tailored and catered service.
In conclusion, small businesses should be introduced to the idea and benefits of digital presence with tailored care and full focus on their exact needs and possibilities in the given moment. Though it sounds like an obvious solution, it’s easily forgotten.