3 Rules for Marketing Your Own Business Online

When it comes to social media and blogging, I found myself saying lately what I hear a lot from clients…I don’t have the time!

I decided to sit down and reevaluate the time I spend marketing time. Attempting to no longer be a hypocrite, I decided to take my own advice. I’m making the time to make a bigger commitment to social media and blogging for myself.

Web marketers are in a unique position: we spend so much of our time marketing for clients, that we often put our own businesses second (which is how it should be).

You’ll find the same in any business: a web developer without a website, a professional organizer who lives in a house of chaos, a landscaper with a mud hole for a backyard. Ideally, we’d all wish for more hours in the day, but when you’re busy providing services for clients, it’s hard to do it for yourself.

So I’m committed making the change.

I’ve written about committing the time and energy to your blog and social presence, but this one is going to be a little different. We’re going to talk specifics. We’re going to talk about setting goals and being accountable for them.

1. Set goals that make sense

If you say to yourself: I’m going to commit to 2 blogposts per week, then do it. Set aside the time and make it happen. Even if you hit a bad writing day, push through it.

Plan out your days to incorporate your content accordingly, keeping your target audience in mind.

Your schedule for content creation might look like this:

2. Make the investment in your business’s future

Clocking non-billable hours can be frustrating and unfortunately, you won’t see the fruits of your labor right away. Marketing for your business – including blogging, social media, email newsletters, etc. – can all be time consuming; but they are also incredibly worthwhile.

Creating content online through your blog or an email newsletter are free and simple ways to bring in new customers, use Search Engine Optimization, and connect with existing customers. 

Social media is also a great way to connect with existing customers as well as show a little of your personality. 

Videos are another great way to create content, and they are that much more visually stimulating than words on a page or even images!

Regardless of the medium, marketing your business is an investment in its lasting future.

Depending on the audience you’re trying to reach, this content creation calendar might be perfect for you. (This one is great for B2B companies.)

3. Keep doing what works, and stop doing what doesn’t

Even if blogging or social media is what everyone is doing…it doesn’t mean that it’s going to work for you!

So, track everything. Figure out what’s working and what’s not. Experiment and try something new if you can, because you never know what could be the golden ticket for your business’s success.

Perhaps it is your blog or maybe it’s a more niche like Pinterest. It could be Instagram where you get a lot of new business, or perhaps even LinkedIn.

The point is: figure out what is working for you and keep doing it. But also figure out what doesn’t work and stop wasting your time there!

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What are your favorite tips and tricks for marketing your business online?