So you want to know what digital marketing looks like in 2023? Well, look no further than a current digital marketing pro’s own digital marketing business plan.
How do I achieve my small business’s digital presence? By offering exactly what I offer every client: Highly specialized, flexible, consistent service, maintenance and content generation.
My Own Digital Marketing Business’s Digital Marketing Needs
When formatting a digital marketing plan, you first have to look at the business you’re marketing for. The size and location of the company, the types of services offered, and other variables will guide your marketing efforts from there.
What we are: So here are some things you need to know about Deckard & Company. We’re a small business (fewer than 10 full-time employees). We’re locally owned and operated in Bradenton, Florida and Elk Park, North Carolina. (Of course, digital marketing has a global reach, so we can take clients based anywhere in the world. That being said, even in today’s digital landscape, we’ll be the first to tell you that marketing is still local.)
How we operate: We also don’t farm out any of our services: I create our websites; our social media team creates our social media posts; our copywriter creates our blogs and website copy.
And while we are specialized in some ways, our tight-knit, professional team means that we’re also very flexible. We want to give every client exactly what they need—not the same thing we’ve already created 100 times over.
Who we serve: So as a small business that specializes in boutique services—ie person-to-person communications and services catering to each individual client—we have a cap on our client load.
And because our business plan is sound and our business is well established, we’re very comfortable operating within our client load. We occupy a niche segment of our market, and we’re able to produce our best-possible work for each and every client. We can afford to target a very specific pool or prospective clients in our marketing audience.
Who Am I Marketing To?
I’m looking for small businesses in southwest Florida or western North Carolina.
I could further specify that our prospective clients are in need of a digital marketing presence, but this is 2023: Every business needs a digital marketing presence!
Now, because we’re flexible, these might be clients who need me to design, build, host and manage a brand-new website. But they might also be small businesses with an existing website that simply needs new management, or ones with an old website that needs upgrading and renovation. They might need to establish themselves in the social media realm, or to create regular new copy for their site.
Because we do all of these things, we need a digital marketing plan that represents all of these things.
What is My Small Business’s Digital Marketing Plan?
Websites: I have a primary website for my Deckard & Company business in Florida, as well as a primary website for my High Country Digital Marketing location in western North Carolina. I also have this personal website. Why three sites? Because not only does each site generate its own audience, but we’re able to cross-pollinate our content and services in order to show our visitors—and those all-important search engines!—the many things we’re up to.
Updated website content: Of course, I’m always tinkering with my own sites. It’s how I get my creative juices flowing, and how I test out ideas and new technology before offering it to my clients. Fresh content is great for your visitors. You want to keep people coming back. And as we noted above, updating a website is one of the most important ways you can show search engines that this site remains active and valid. It also helps for keeping your keywords fresh.
Likewise, we post monthly (at the very least) new blogs on all of my sites. Written copy may not have the engagement of other bells and whistles, but it is vital for communication as well as SEO. In fact, new Google standards this year are emphasizing original copy written by real people. It’s so easy, low-tech and effective, we urge everyone to do it!
Social Media: My company’s social media targets everyday people and small business owners via Facebook and Instagram accounts. These accounts post business news, tips, industry information as well as fun stuff! (Because we love to have fun!)
We also maintain accounts on B2B and other business-focused social media sites like LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, etc. These sites let us connect with other small businesses in our area, in our industry, and everywhere else! Even online, networking remains a vital part of running a small business.
And no matter what site you’re using, fresh, public social media posts, like fresh website content, tell new visitors (and search engines) that your company is still alive and operating a full steam ahead.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course. But it shows you the nuts and bolts of a good small business digital marketing approach. The style and voice we use for each company’s marketing, the information we put out there, and all sorts of other things really depend on each individual company and its industry. But that’s why we’re a boutique operation. We do what works for you.
