When marketing feels like too much. Part one: Do I really need to be active online?

Everyone who works for a living is busy. Actually, even if you don't 'work' for a living (ie. paid employment), life is busy - I've been a stay at home mom; trust me, I know. Life seems to have gotten more complicated, with more to do and higher expectations. So I get it, for small business owners and nonprofit leaders, being active on social media feels like just another job that you don't have time to do.

Being active online will help your business grow and your nonprofit improve their reach. There's no doubt about that. And it's especially important if you're not visible anywhere else.

But I understand how, especially when teams are small or resources are tight, marketing efforts can fall to the bottom of the list, each and every day, for months on end. The problem is, one day you will wake up and realize you haven't done any of the marketing you said you would do - and your pipeline is dry.

Then you'll be in an even more challenging position where money and time are tight, and usually - I've seen this in organizations of all kinds, and of every size, all over the world - marketing is the first thing to go in these situations. Your organization will find itself in the Marketing Catch 22: you need marketing to get clients/customers/donors, but you don't have the client/customer/donor income to pay for marketing.

That makes being active online important, especially when things are going well, but also when times are tough - because in reality, when done right, it's a low cost, low effort way to reach a lot of people. In most cases, social media marketing can be done for free (with the exception of time and salary costs). Although paid advertising is available - and useful in some cases - there's still a lot of opportunity within the free social space.

I know that even though digital marketing effort is worth it, it can be a source of stress. But, there's a way to do it without the overwhelm. The key is having a strategy that makes it easier, and preferably, enjoyable.

Start with your why (and a couple of whats)

I think an important first step is to define your 'why'. Why do you think you should be more active on social media? Why do you think your organization needs a newsletter? Why do you want your company to introduce a blog? Or why not?

These whys are quickly followed by a couple of whats: What do you think this will help you achieve? What do you hope will happen?

For most people, their why is something like: I want to grow my network so I can increase my business opportunities, I want to get more clients/customers/donors, etc., I am looking for new recruits or for a new job myself. Or they may say: I want to increase website traffic and drive sales/donations, or I want an easy way to reach and build a closer relationship with potential stakeholders. Your why might be totally different.

Having a better understanding of what you'd like to happen, and why, can help you decide a few things, like:

• Do I/we really need to be active online?

• If yes, where should I/we show up?

• What should I/we actually be posting about?

• How much do I/we need to post to reach my/our goals?

Knowing your why doesn't magically reduce the workload associated with publishing content online, but it does help you better understand your motivations - and that can help you better create a digital marketing system that truly works for you.

Remember:

• Visibility ≠ being everywhere

• Consistency ≠ constant output

• Marketing ≠ forcing yourself online when you’re empty

I'm not saying you have to be active online, but being active online can be an important and effective way to market - for both businesses and nonprofits. And if you're not visible anywhere else, it can be one of the easiest ways to reach your people and your goals.