Unpopular truth about digital marketing: It’s not just about flashy campaigns. It’s more about: - Knowing your audience - Building relationships - Delivering value consistently I’ve seen businesses grow without a huge budget. They don’t always have the latest trends. (but who cares about trends when you can create loyalty!?) Look deeper, and you’ll discover the real power: They connect authentically with their customers. If you want to boost sales for your small business? Focus on digital engagement.

Slow sales are just a signal to adapt. What worked for me: Sharpen Your Targeting: Revisiting our audience profiles, I created ads to reach the right people with clear and compelling messages. It surfaced the engagement and reduced waste. Leverage Email Marketing: I sent personalized offers and updates using segmented email lists to re-engage old customers and build repeat purchases. Value-Driven Content Creation: We shared valuable tips and solutions relevant to our products, thus gaining confidence and organic traffic. Digital marketing is not promotion; it's about connecting with the right people at the right time.

Start by assess what's working/what's not. Check traffic, email performance, social engagement. Traffic but no conversion? Consider targeted, highly personalized campaigns. For instance, a commercial real estate investor with vacancies may consider a “Year-End Lease Special”—offering two months rent-free for leases signed before December 31. They could promote this through targeted LinkedIn and Facebook ads to local entrepreneurs, emphasizing urgency. When someone engages but doesn't convert, automate a series of follow-up emails: virtual tours, testimonials from happy tentants, a countdown reminders to create urgency. Additionally, offer current tenants a referral bonus to create word-of-mouth buzz.

Slow sales using digital marketing, you can: Improve SEO: Optimize your website and content to attract organic traffic from search engines Leverage Social Media: Run targeted ads and engage with your audience through relevant, value-driven content Use Email Marketing: Re-engage past customers with promotions, new product updates, or personalized offers Offer Discounts: Run time-sensitive offers or flash sales to incentivize quick purchases. Invest in PPC: Launch paid search campaigns to drive targeted traffic to your products Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influencers or local businesses to expand your reach and credibility Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your site and campaigns are mobile-friendly for easy access and transactions

Make every employee an active advocate of your small business online. Small businesses usually don't have deep pockets for marketing & advertising like giant MNCs do. With limited resources, you have to get creative. I've noticed a growing trend on social media where employees appear to be sharing lots of content about their company's offerings. This is an interesting strategy because you're creating buzz around your company at scale at almost no extra cost. If executed well, the employees also get to become more familiar about their offerings, processes, & customer feedback firsthand (through engagements on their posts). It's an unorthodox strategy, but very creative & effective especially if you're still bootstrapping your business.