Why You Need a Game Plan for Your Online Marketing
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7 min read
It’s a fact, you need a game plan for your online marketing!
Too many businesses are operating “silos” on the web without any real cohesive connection. ย Your website is run by the web developer or the IT team. ย Your social media by a social media specialist, and your email marketing (if you are doing it), by yet another marketing person.
With each doing their own thing gaps exist. ย The only way to real results online is to have a cohesiveย Game Plan.ย
That’s what today’s podcast is all about…. The need for an a introduction to the Game Plan for your Online Marketing and lead generation.
It’s about your website, social media, blog, and email all working together in a unified way. ย
Ready to dive into the plan?
Listen Now:
Subscribe:ย ย Halftime Mike on iTunesย | Android users viaย RSSย |ย Listen onย Stitcher.
Video Podcast: Why You Need a Game Plan for Your Online Marketing
Why You Need a Game Plan for Your Online Marketing
When you see youth dribbling a basketball down the court in a youth game, you know they aren’t thinking about a team strategy. They mostly dribble around, some are prone to throw up shots from anywhere at any time, and only pass when the coach says โpass.โ They run when their parents yell, โkeep on moving,โ and they keep moving until somebody blows a whistle. Then they stop.
Kids donโt have a strategy.
Youth basketball players are not thinking about a play or how to setup a teammate in a good position to score. They join a team just because it looks like fun. Or theyโre tall. Or their parents tell them to.
Their basketball is mostly organized chaos on the court, little bodies moving this way and that, running circles, taking shots. It’s haphazard and random. But theyโre kids. Nobody expects much more than haphazard and random.ย
Some businesses don’t have an online strategy. ย
Some business owners approach marketing online in much the same way kids play basketball. They hear social media sites are a trendy way to grow a business online, so they set up a account and wait for something big to happen.
Businesses sometimes jump into social media because someone tells them too or they see potential. But, without a social media marketing strategy in place that is cohesive and includes their overall online marketing plan, your social media success will be haphazard and random at best….just like those kids on the basketball court.
You Need a Game Plan
Social Media has moved from being a trendy way to share your business, to being a business essential. Smart businesses know how to maximize their social media return on investment (ROI). When they invest the time and effort, social media helps build their brands, build trust, and bring in leads that can convert to new business.
Itโs important to see social media as a powerful tool but a tool that must be connected. It can help you reach your business goals now and in the future. If youโre not a believer, perhaps this can sway your thinking just a little.
#1: The Numbers on Social Media
Your customers are on social media!
Traditional target marketing tells you to go where your customers are. Well, they’re on social media, and thatโs where you should be. Pew Research Center developed these interesting stats on who uses social media:
- 75% of USA adult internet users
- 90% of Millennials and Gen Xers
- 77% of adults ages 30-49
- Seniors 65 and older user numbers have tripled since 2010
#2: Time Spent on Social Media
Facebook gives you plenty of opportunities to market your business. Users spend an average of 40 minutes per day on the site. Social media users check their social media timelines an average 17 times a day in the US and 40 times a day in Mexico, Argentina, and Thailand.
#3: Cost-Effective & Targeted
Social media platforms, like Facebook, allow you to establish a free presence. All you need is a person to market your company. Social media is a viable tool because it brings so many fans, friends, and followers together in one space. When you use advertising tools, the possibilities are endless!
I am bullish on Facebook Ads. They work because Facebook keeps track of our friends, interests, pages liked, comments, places we’ve been to, and other demographic data. They use this incredible cache of information to target ad delivery. Itโs a powerful, cost-effective tool that can deliver results.
Mikeโs Game Plan Differentiator
I donโt just push Facebook or a social media plan; you need a comprehensive digital marketing plan! Your website should actively interact with social media and email marketing, so it all works together.
The difference is critical! ย
A Facebook or social media strategy works just for that silo. True online success requires thinking in a comprehensive, strategic way!
Why?
- Consumers arenโt instant buyers, either on or offline
- Social media users are often just being social or conducting research, not shopping.
- You must gradually introduce users to the idea of buying with integrated digital marketing
Cohesive interaction
A basketball team succeeds when the players work together as a team implementing a offensive strategy. Your online marketing strategy works pretty much the same way. For your social media marketing to succeed, your team โplayersโ must work together.
Your โPlayersโ?
- Your website
- Content (blog or news resource center on your site)
- Social media accounts
- Lead capture tools
- Email marketing campaigns
- Tools to measure your results. ย
If your business has only one or a few of these items, you need to fill in the gaps and connect the dots. You need a package that works together with a unified strategy. Thatโs what we dive into in the podcasts ahead…a complete plan with specific steps.
Here’s the overview we cover and will drill into in more detail:
ACTION ITEMS:
- LISTEN TO THE PODCAST! ย This is just a sample of the goods I deliver to help you get on track, thinkย through your key online changes and what you need to do this year to succeed.
- Identify your “one thing.” ย What’s the next single thing you need to take action on that you learned today? ย ย Share below!
Other Resources:
- My complete guide to Facebook and social media lead generation ย online! ย Game Plan Bookย >>
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If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast, please โgo over to iTunes, ย leave a rating, write a review and subscribe!
Thank you so much for your support!
Why the Halftime theme Mike?ย
Iโm an Indiana Hoosier native where basketball is the top sport. Every team heads to the locker room at halftime to evaluate the first half and create an updated plan for the second half. That plan includes adjustments based on reviewing what worked and what didn’t. The โhalftimeโ is a key review point where the game stops, the team pulls away to huddle in the locker room away from the fans, and they come out prepared and ready to succeed in the second half.
Thatโs what this podcast is all about, taking the time to pull away for a bit to evaluate, learn, and set some strategies for your business to succeed in the second half. Join me by subscribing and let me be your โbusiness halftimeโ to help you find great success going forward!
Subscribe: Halftime Mike on iTunes | Android users via RSS | Listen on Stitcher.
Need help planning your Social Media and Online Marketing?
Grab my helpful checklist that includes strategy for social media lead generation. Click image!
