3 things you should know about promoting your I.T business.
It's overwhelming - promoting your I.T business.
You know what you want; new clients.
But, figuring out what actually works? That's the hard part.
It seems like there are endless "tactics" available, from ads to SEO. But, it's understanding what's the best strategy to use, that's unclear.
And, the next question is; who's going to do it all?
Should you learn it all yourself through trial-and-error? Or, do you outsource it to an agency? Are they going to represent your brand well or, not?
It can get overwhelming FAST!
Where Most I.T Business Owners Go Wrong When It Comes To Promoting Their Businesses
Most people get stuck, due to this uncertainty.
They've no clear path forward and they end up doing nothing, as a result.
Marketing and business promotions gets put on the long finger.
They don't reap the benefits they could have seen if they had an approach that actually worked, which is a lot.
The Startling Cost Of Not Promoting Your I.T Business Online
One promotional activity, can account for a lot, if done over time.
For example, if you post on social media each day for the entire year. And, each posts gets 300 views. That's 109,500 views yearly.
That's a stadium full of people...
Imagine the impact getting your business in front of 100,000s of people would have on you? Imagine the contacts you'd make, the opportunities you'd get and new business you'd land, as a result?
I hope that you can see what you are missing out on by not being consistent on social media every day.
Why Do So Few I.T Businesses Fail To Dominate On Social Media
So, why do so few I.T business owners fail to dominate on social media, knowing the opportunity?
From my observations, I put it down to these three things:
Time - services businesses are demanding. They take up a lot of time, between serving clients and day-to-day admin.
This is especially true in the early days when operations are not mature. Any marketing or promotional activities are way down the list of priorities, as a result.
Proven Approach - most people running I.T businesses are former engineers or software specialists. Marketing and small business promotions are not in their wheelhouse.
So, most don't have a proven approach to deliver results. They don't know what works and don't want to spent time figuring it all out on their own. So, no action it taken.
3 Things To Know About Promoting Your I.T Business
1. Learn A Proven Approach For Your Industry
Marketing is not one size fits all.
A sound marketing strategy is dependent on several aspects:
Your customer profile.
The products/services you provide.
Regions your are targeting.
Etc.,
Selling technology services is no different. There are certain channels and campaigns that deliver better results than others.
For example, take an MSP selling to local businesses.
They are certain marketing activities that will yield outsized results.
You're not going to run a cold traffic ad campaign on Facebook like an eCommerce business. It's the understanding of this asymmetry will ensure that you get the greatest return from your time, energy and capital invested.
2. Build A Conducive Routine
Routine is everything.
One action, done one time, doesn't amount to much.
But, an activity, done every single day for years can have an un-imaginable impact on your life. So, it's your prerogative, if you want to get waves of new business opportunities, to ingrain marketing activities into your daily routine.
To stay consistent with a routine, keep it simple to start.
Spend 15 mins creating a social media post (video/textual) each day.
Not sure what to write about?
Here are a few ideas:
Beliefs About What I Teach/Do
Common Myths in your industry
Feature of Product/Service
Personal stories
Vulnerability Stories
Personal or Client "Wins"
Feature of your product or services
Add a little call-to-action at the end of every other post.
Iterate based on what's working versus what's not working.
Don't overcomplicate it!
3. Master One Algorithm
Focus on one channel until you have mastered it's algorithm.
I've made close to 100 videos on YouTube to-date.
I am not a master at YouTube by any stretch of the imagination.
But, I have started to master YouTube's algorithm.
I've learned that CTR and average view duration are the most important metrics for video success. Now, with each new video I created, I get better and better at these two metrics. My reach and impact (and inbound lead flow) gets better every time.
The reason for that is because I made a commitment to master one channel - YouTube in this instance. And, learn everything I possible could about the algorithm and how to use it in my favor.
So, don't get lured into trying to master several different social media channels all at once. Or, trying to achieve "omnipresence" as some social media gurus would refer to it as.
Instead, select a few proven channels to work in your industry.
Focus on them until they are yielding results for you.
Thank you for reading — I hope you got some value from this.
- Kieran Moloney
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