These days, many people start a small business venture, create an online site, and then wait for ALL the people to swarm to their site and start buying what they are offering. It’s the “New World” way of thinking.
Starting an online biz and expecting immediate success, however, is a bit like thinking of a business idea, plopping yourself in the middle of NYC, and expecting everyone in the city (from Tribeca to Harlem) to start buying from you, right there on the spot.
It would be great, don’t get me wrong, but the real world isn’t like that.
The old world way of marketing and the new world, digital, way are really not that different. “Back in the day” we did things the old fashion way, we talked. We got out on the street and talked.
We were face-to-face and one-on-one. We got to know our local customers and the people that lived in the neighborhood. If they liked what we had, they told their neighbor, their friends that lived near by, and then they told their family that lived uptown.
Would you expect to land in the middle of NYC and become and instant success?
I hope not.
It’s not the way things work.
Today’s noisy and crowded internet is a lot like NYC. Instead of 6 million people in one city there are billions of people in the online world, and all are jockeying for position, tussling for our time, and competing for our cash.
You can’t expect to gain raving fans and loving customers if you don’t focus. Focus on what your people want, and then help them get it.
Building a local community is the way we grew a business before the digital age. Today, it’s the same…but different. You need to focus. That focus needs to be about connecting with your ideal people, no matter where they are. You need to get out on the street and talk to your people. You need to engage, find out what they like (and don’t like) and have meaning full conversations. The advantage with the new world (digital online marketing) is the you can focus and create a tight-knit community using social media and email marketing. They may not be neighbors down the street, but they will be global neighbors.
No matter where our community lives, we still want the same things. It’s basically the same things people have wanted throughout time. We want a way to thrive and to be happy.
So, how are you going to go back-to-basics to serve your ideal prospects and invite them to be part of your community?
A little marketing food-for-thought!
If you feel like you’ve just plopped your business in the middle of NYC and want some help getting your message out to the right audience, you can get started HERE.
Christine