Risk & Business Magazine McFarlan Rowlands 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

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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