Risk & Business Magazine CMW Spring 2016 | Page 20

3 Digital Marketing Tricks Be Successful in 2016 BY: DAVE KERPEN, FOUNDER AND CEO, LIKEABLE LOCAL W hen I applied for my first job out of college, the internet was still in its infancy. The way to get a new customer was to hit the phones. Prospects found out about products through TV commercials, print ads, and billboards. Thanks to the internet and other social networks, finding customers or finding out about a product or service takes on a whole new meaning. Sometimes I take for granted how much access the digital and social age has given us. If I want to know about a product or service, I simply Google it. If I want to circulate a piece of content, it can be in the hands of a huge group of people in seconds. The internet has completely revolutionized business’ marketing tactics. However, accessing your success with digital marketing can be tricky. Here are 3 rules of thumb to remember to help you take your digital marketing skills to the next level. 1. Add Value (for Free) Although this may seem counterintuitive, it works! The more valuable content you 20 SPRING 2016 can share with prospects, the greater the trust and reputation you’ll build with them. Share your expertise without expectation, and you’ll create an even better name for yourself. You’ll become a thought leader to your customers, fans, and prospects. You can use digital marketing channels like social media, email, and your website to add value! Giving away free information may seem scary...Fear not. No matter how valuable people might find your research, tips, and articles, they are not experts. They will never know your content areas as well as you do. As the expert, you will still be the person they come to when they need help. This is when you profit from the free value you’ve provided. 2. Repurpose Content What do you do if you don’t have the time or resources to create great content on a regular basis? Or what if you are at a loss when it comes to what topics to generate content about. I have a solution for you: repurpose great content. Here’s how repurposing content can help you with 3 key aspects of content creation and how they can help you too. Time Remember: Time=Money. As a professional, you are busy running your businesses and building your online reputation, so likely, you rarely have time to come up with completely fresh new ideas. By reusing the content that works you can skip the vital inspiration step and go right to the creation & sharing step! Quality Finding what your audience wants can be both tricky and time-consuming. Then, once you find content that hits home, continuing to produce enough to supply your audience’s demand can cause quality to slip. That’s when you think about recycling and repurposing what’s already working in new ways. Learn from what you’ve already created and think about how you can adapt it for a new channel or social network. Splice up a larger piece of content into smaller ones. Audience Have you ever been on the search for some inspirational, educational material but not quite in the mood for a lengthy webinar? Sometimes your prospects and fans won’t