How to Market Your Business: A Quick Start Guide

For some entrepreneurs, the idea of marketing their business may seem daunting and time-consuming. Still others may find the idea of self-promotion uncomfortable or even a sign of arrogance. However, as Debby Stone, author of The Art of Self-Promotion: Tell Your Story, Transform Your Career, explains, “At the core, self-promotion is simply being able to tell your story in your own voice. It’s using your passions, your interests, your personality, and your humor to communicate your value to those who need to know who you are, what you do, and how well you do it. Self-promotion is about being authentic, confident and proud.” As she explains, no matter how competent you are as a business owner, you must be able to explain why you are different. 

As an entrepreneur, every interaction, whether online or in-person, is an opportunity to self-promote. Business owners may not be aware of what online resources they should be using or even the best ways to get started. For those trying to tackle their marketing, there are a few simple steps you can take to increase your online presence and boost your SEO.

Update Your Website for Your Potential Customers 

One of the first and most important steps to take is to make sure the information you are putting out there is correct and up-to-date. Take a look at your website. Is all of your contact information correct? Are all of your services listed appropriately? Have you had any changes in staffing that should be added to or removed from your website? Once you have verified that all the basic information is correct, the next task is tailoring the content for your customers. Many business owners make the mistake of writing their website content with other business owners in mind when they should be writing with their potential customers in mind. To do this, start by using local terms whenever possible and stay away from any confusing, business-specific jargon. Make sure you explain what the issue is and how you help customers or clients solve that problem.

Build Your Reputation by Blogging 

The authors of The Zen of Social Media Marketing hit the nail on the head when they wrote, “You don’t need a blog, but you do need fresh content on an on-going basis… and the best place to put this content is in a blog.” Creating a blog is an effective way of generating content and momentum for your business. With a blog, you can regularly share information related to your company and services, and with every new blog you publish, you are increasing your chances of ranking higher in search engine results. Blogging also provides an important opportunity to build your online reputation and stand out as an authority within your particular field. 

Set Up Your Social Media Accounts and Start Sharing 

There are so many social media platforms available right now (ex: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, Skype, Reddit, YouTube, Flickr, etc.), but it is important to focus on the platforms your potential clients are already using. You might have the most vibrant and creative Pinterest page, but that does not matter if your potential customers are not using Pinterest. When you are setting up your social media accounts, be sure to use the same (or very similar) handle for each account. Also, create social media accounts on all the platforms you plan on using, even if you will not be posting soon – better to claim those accounts now than have a competitor snag your preferred name.  

When it comes to posting on social media, business owners may be under the impression that they need to generate original content for every single post. But this is not the case. In addition to the original content, attorneys can also share material from other quality resources – while adding their “two cents” on the topic. This not only allows you to join the conversation on a specific issue but sharing another person’s material and tagging them in the post is also a great way to grow your online network of business resources and potential referral sources.

Be Consistent

Once you have updated your website, started drafting blogs, and set up your social media accounts, it is essential to be consistent with your content. Consistency is one of the key components of content marketing. Create professional brand recognition by using the same colors, logos, fonts – even the same style of writing or presentation. Also, make sure you are cross-posting to all of your communication platforms. When you publish a new blog, for example, make sure a link is visible on your website homepage and that you are promoting it on all of your social media channels. Boost your brand awareness, develop your authority and trustworthiness, and catch the attention of all those potential customers!