I’m all about DIY Marketing – especially internet marketing. I love it when clients want to take the initiative and manage their own social profiles and websites. Content generated by clients has the potential to be the most honest, insightful, and transparent marketing content you can get. If its done right.
Remember the customer
Remember the customerFor the most part I see that clients know their products and services better than anyone else ever can. Sometimes thats fantastic, but sometimes it ruins their content.
When you understand something in and out and have done it for years, its easy to forget that your customers don’t have the same level of experience or knowledge you do – that’s why they’re coming to you after all – so keep your content on their level. One advantage of using an outside marketing or writing service is the outsider perspective. A consultant is likely to ask the questions and have the same concerns that your clients will. Don’t forget that you’re writing for your customer and you need to answer their questions and meet their needs.
Keep it fresh
So often I hand the reigns of a website, Facebook page, or twitter account over to my client – a gleam in their eye, visions of earth shattering blog posts & regular website updates dancing in their heads – and when I check in a few months later I’m not all that surprised to find that their sites look exactly the same as they did the day I handed it over. Even my clients who don’t purchase a support plan get periodic visits and reminders that fresh content is imperative to their internet marketing success.
When you decide to run your own marketing it is essential to keep putting out new content. Update your blog. Interact with your customers through social media. Add new content to your website. Customers won’t come back if there’s nothing new to draw them in and search engines love eat that new content up like candy – so keep it coming.
Use an editor
Something has happened to us a society – and my husband complains about it on a daily basis. No one can spell anymore. No one uses proper grammar. But if everyone’s forgotten everything they learned in 7th grade English class then its ok to have typos and bad punctuation, fractured sentences and zero formatting, right? WRONG!
Your customers may be among the masses who’ve left behind the rules and regulations of the English language – but that doesn’t mean they’ll forgive you for it. Have someone, rather many people, review everything you write for your blog and website. Do your work to make sure you’re putting out readable content. At the very least, use your browser’s built-in spell check (that’s what those little red squiggly lines all over the page mean).
Leave the hard stuff to the pros
When it comes down to it there are some things you just shouldn’t DIY. Don’t use a free website building platform, don’t deal code unless you understand what you’re doing, and don’t make your own graphics and videos unless at least 5 people who really don’t like you all that much tell you they look great. People who do like you will lie to spare your feelings and then send your sad creation to everyone else you both know.
If you think a website, a custom Facebook or twitter page, or any number of other internet marketing initiatives are just out your budget be sure to do your research before you decide to do it all yourself. There are agencies and consultants out there who will over charge and take advantage of you – but for everyone one of those there are 10 honest, ethical, and fair small-business marketing agencies ready to take great care of their customers and clients. Just like you
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