The last time Paul Kortman came onto the Magnificent Marketing podcast, he had so much valuable information that we ran out of time. And yet, there was so much more that he had to offer.
Thankfully, he agreed to come back and offer some digital marketing strategies for small business owners.
If you’re not familiar with Paul’s work, he’s the owner of Connex Social. This is a digital marketing agency that specializes in increasing conversions and quality traffic. He is committed to achieving his client’s business goals through solid strategy and on-time tactics every single time.
And I have to say – the guy knows what he is talking about. The strategies he recommends are pure gold. Start implementing them and you’ll notice a change in your digital marketing results.
Paul Kortman Shares Five Strategies That Are Essential in Our Digital Space
In Part II of our conversation, Paul offers these five digital marketing strategies that small business owners will find are essential to their company’s growth and success.
1. Start Producing Videos Regularly
Video is becoming increasingly important in our digital age. More companies are utilizing this medium to get in front of potential customers and to establish themselves as experts in their field.
Something that I thought was especially interesting in our conversation was this: Paul doesn’t recommend switching over solely to video.
Some people have been doing this, thinking that it’s the wave of the future.
Well, they’re half right. Video marketing is one of the best ways to market your business. However, it’s important to remember that not everyone is a visual learner. Some people process information better by reading it, while others prefer audio content to visual.
It’s important to remember, too, that people can’t watch videos whenever they want to. If they’re at work or in a public place and don’t have ear buds/earphones, their best option is to read content.
So, the goal here is to offer a nice mix of digital content: Audio, video, and written content. Doing so allows you to appeal to a wider audience.
2. Make Introductory, Testimonial, and How To Videos
When you do make videos, though, what type should you make?
Paul pointed to some of the mistakes people make with video, like talking only about what the business does. Not only can this be an incredibly boring way to make a video, it doesn’t speak to what matters most to the customer: What’s in it for them.
Another mistake is making super long videos. In the world of digital marketing, a five minute video can seem like an eternity. People just don’t have the patience for that, especially when they’re just learning about a new company.
Paul offered the following tips.
· Make an introductory video describing what your company can do for customers.
· Keep your videos short. Introductory videos should be 30-60 seconds.
· Create How To videos. For instance, a shoe repair shop could make a video about how to repair shoes. You may wonder, though – won’t this take business away from them? Actually, it’s the opposite. People may try their hand at the info in your video but realize they just aren’t good at it or don’t have the time for it. In other words, they learn that they’d rather pay someone (you!) to do the work for them.
3. LinkedIn Is a Golden Marketing Opportunity
The most interesting tip about LinkedIn that Paul shared with me was this: View your LinkedIn profile as a mini sales page as opposed to a resume. If you’re a coach, people who are looking for your type of services won’t care that you worked at McDonald’s when you were a teenager.
Make sure your profile shows potential customers what you can do for them, what value you can provide for them.
4. Collaborate with Other Business Owners
This doesn’t necessarily mean collaborate with your competition. Instead, collaborate with business owners who are in the same sphere, or similar network, as you. These are the folks who provide a product or service that your target audience would be interested in.
Collaboration is all about sharing. You do something for them, they do something for you.
You can collaborate by working on a webinar or podcast together, or writing guest blog posts. You will promote their content on your site, and they’ll promote yours on their site.
5. Encourage Your Clients to Write Online Reviews
Is your client happy with the work you did? Great – go outside of your comfort zone and ask for a review on Yelp.com or LinkedIn.
It can be intimidating to ask for a review, but think of it this way – they’re happy and most likely happy to tell others about you. And if they say no – fine. But the more you try, the more people will end up saying yes.
Keep Learning, Keep Growing As the Digital Market Evolves
Digital marketing is constantly evolving. It seems like only yesterday written content was the best way to reach potential clients. These days, it’s a mix of video, audio, and the written word.
In closing our conversation, I asked Paul about his predictions for the future of digital marketing. He told me that voice search is and will continue to be an important part of marketing.
With Siri and now Alexa, more people are searching for online information by speaking instead of typing. The technology isn’t perfect yet and can, at times, be somewhat frustrating. But technology is always changing and improving. At some point, the majority of online searches may be through one of these devices.
And that will change how we create digital content. Why? It’s simple – people tend to speak differently than they type. This will change how we utilize keywords and put information in front of people.
This is why it’s so important to keep educating yourself. We all need to do this. Learn what the trends are, and then find out how to utilize them in your business. Doing so will ensure that you always stay in front of your target market.
Do you want to get helpful tips about online marketing on a regular basis? Paul can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter. His posts will keep you up to date with the latest digital marketing trends
ABOUT PAUL KORTMAN
I’m just a regular guy. A follower of Jesus from Michigan in the US. My story is unique just like yours. This blog varies from stories about my family and struggles with raising our kids to helpful technical articles. This is just me in zeros and ones.
