Big Picture - January/February 2018 - 17

on a very complicated project that spanned several months.
During the project, we invited the key personnel to our office
for a catered lunch. This provided the opportunity to discuss
the progress and details of the project, and ended up being
extremely useful as the project progressed. This type of
update can happen in person, via video conference, or on
the phone. The point is, every personal interaction counts.
WORLD WIDE WEB

 Don't panic and suddenly decide that you
must spend significant amounts of time,
money, and manpower on every social media
outlet possible within the next few months. 
Your social media approach can also include an active
Twitter account, Instagram page, Pinterest board, or weekly
blog. Studies indicate that more than two-thirds of consumers
now rely upon social media for customer service - and they
expect 24/7 support. Even as an "old dude," as my kids would
describe me, I always search out alternatives to customer
service interactions, such as chat links. It's much better than
waiting 20 minutes for someone to finally answer a phone call.
FORCES OF CHANGE
Don't let yourself get overwhelmed by this ever-changing
world in which we live. Every business in every industry is
affected by the changes we have experienced in the past
years. And it will continue to change. Don't panic and
suddenly decide that you must spend significant amounts of
time, money, and manpower on every social media outlet
possible within the next few months. If you take the shotgun
approach to digital marketing, chances are high that you'll be
mediocre across the board. Instead, identify one area that you
wish to try out. Develop an excellent plan that will stay true to
your company brand and deliver great content to your
customers. As you succeed in one area, move to another and
experiment with different approaches to your digital marketing
plans. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
The reality is we operate in a very different world than
we did 10 years ago. People sell differently and people buy
differently. I never would've imagined I would buy a car on
the internet. But the last vehicle I purchased was done
completely online - custom ordered exactly the way I
wanted it, manufactured to those specs, and delivered to my
local dealer. The first time I drove it was when I signed the
paperwork and was handed the keys. If you believe your
business to be resilient to the changes in consumer habits, I
can assure you with a high level of confidence, that you are
wrong. By properly balancing your important face-to-face
client interactions with new digital marketing outlets at your
disposal, you'll be able to build a successful approach to
promoting your business to your current customers, as well
as to those future customers that are so important to
maintaining success in the coming years.

BIGPICTURE.NET

As mentioned previously, the digital world in which we all
operate offers a number of different ways to promote our
businesses. A great place to start is your company website.
Too often, a company will pay a significant sum of money to
develop a robust website, then ignore it for the next two or three
years, if not longer. Your website must contain relevant and
up-to-date content. Statista reports that 3.17 billion people are
now using the internet, and 2.3 billion are active social media
users. We will get to social media momentarily, but ponder the
fact that more than 3 billion people are using the internet! If you
don't think any of them are interested in your website, consider
the following statistic: Search Engine Land reports that 85
percent of consumers have used the internet to find local
businesses. You must realize that in our digital world, many
existing and potential customers are looking at your website
for vital information - long before they'll bother to pick up the
phone. If your content is dated or irrelevant, then you're doing
a poor job of promoting your business and, ultimately, your
company is losing sales.
Under the direction of our former marketing director, our
website was a fairly low priority and carried very little relevant
content. As a result, we rarely received business references
from our website. A few years ago, we hired a new marketing
director whose focus immediately went to our website and
social media outlets. We now update our website regularly
with fresh and pertinent content. As a result, we receive
business references on our website links on a regular basis.
The change has been remarkable.
Another way to keep your customers up to date on your
shop is to send regular email blasts. The same principles
identified with your website apply here. Your content needs
relevant information your clients are interested in. But be
wary of the pitfall of sending too much too frequently.
Saturating your customers' inboxes with emails will risk
making your content feel like spam. Also, avoid the tendency
to use your email blasts to boast. It's nice to share some
occasional success stories with your client base, but it's much
more effective if your direction is focused on the product and
potential applications for your customers. Relevant content
means information that expands your customer's knowledge
base and will help them understand better options for their
own projects. Successful email marketing campaigns will
undoubtedly tie your customers closer to your business.
Social media outlets may be the most challenging way to
promote your business. However, in today's world, it can be an
extremely useful and effective way to provide positive
exposure. Consider this: Feedback Systems, in collaboration
with Sales for Life, PeopleLinx, Sales Readiness Group,
VorsightBP, and Sandler Training, completed a survey two

years ago and found that nearly 75 percent of companies that
engaged in selling on social media reported an increase in sales
within 12 months. For example, Facebook used to be a site to
find old friends and keep in touch with your extended family.
Now, it boasts more than 2 billion monthly active users and is
used daily as a center for e-commerce. Your company should
have an active Facebook page with great content and multiple
links to your own website, as well as to other relevant sites.

17
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - January/February 2018
