Transform Challenges into Growth: How to Elevate Your Brand in a Competitive Digital Landscape

Ever feel like you are running in a hamster wheel and hustling, yet feel like you are never going to get ahead?

You are not the only one.

The need for digital marketing seems more like a mountain that you just do not have time to climb.

You have heard all of the fantastical marketing jargon: engagement, growth, transformation, landing pages or marketing funnel, customer avatar and many more.

But who has time to decode it when you are trying to keep your business ALIVE???

But really, you’re busy.

You work with your team, serve your customers, and somehow try to come out with your sanity intact at the end of the day.

And then there’s digital marketing.

You kind of get the idea, but you keep hearing that you should be doing more of it if you want to get ahead.

And this nagging feeling? It’s real as hell, and it says you should be doing more.

But what if I told you digital marketing isn’t a battle uphill or adding more to your plate?

What if I told you that obstacles were opportunities and you could navigate the maze of 0s and 1s, and how micro-moves might lead to macro-growth?

Bear with me and I’ll show you how milestones can be made from obstacles.

Ready? Let’s dive in.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

Let us pretend navigating the road less travelled in the arena of customer acquisition in the digital marketing domain: you are at your desk and another report tells you that traffic to your site is flat.

Sound frustrating?

Good.

That’s your secret weapon.

Problems are just opportunities in disguise.

Recall how I introduced the story of Resee, the café-owner: she had been a prisoner of that existential beyond the screen. But she also had the most loyal customers, most of whom never ventured online. One day she stopped whining and decided to seize the opportunity presented by her very lack of digital skills.

Resee went about it gradually.

First, she asked who her customers were, why they came to the cafe, what they loved about it.

She realised that they appreciated the warm atmosphere, the sense of community.

So she brought that feeling online, too.

With homespun updates about her menu of the day, quirky tales about regulars, she began to humanise her presence. It wasn’t about an expensive digital strategy, though – or anything digital at all.

It was about being authentic.

Her story is a great example of how reframing a struggle as an opportunity can lead to growth. And you can do it, too.

Developing Mechanisms for Engagement

Succeeding at engaging your audience doesn’t need a doctorate in digital communications – it’s just about knowing what makes your customer tick and speaking to them in terms they’ll understand.

Think of the experience of digital marketing as if you were having a conversation. You wouldn’t arrive in a room and start yelling about your stuff.

You’d say ‘Hi, my name is [insert name], and this is what I do. Oh, and this is what I’ve been up to. Have you heard about this? What about that?’ Your online reputation is the same.

First, take it in small, doable chunks.

Create content that your audience finds relevant – a blog post, an update on social media, an email newsletter.

Be consistent.

Distil down the essence of what you want to share, the story you want to tell, your values and vision – then share it.

Remember Pete d Makeer, who owned that small electronics shop?

The one who was tossing and turning in his bed, worrying that his sales weren’t what they once were?

He decided that, instead of giving in to failure, he’d start a weekly tech tips newsletter, offering short and easy-to-follow advice on everything from how to set up a new TV to how to fix common gadget problems.

His customers loved it.

They let him know how grateful they were and started to engage with him more than ever. Pete d’ Makeer’s raw and honest answer to the question ‘Why should I buy from you?’ tapped into the hearts of those casual visitors and transformed them into loyal customers.

Cultivating Relationships to Drive Growth

Relationships are really important in the digital world.

It’s not just about getting lots of clicks.

What really matters is getting your friends and others to trust you and feel connected to you.

Think of your favourite brand.
Why do you buy from the same place again and again?

Because they often make you feel like individuals, valued and understood. You trust them.

Brands that are customer-centric are the kind of brands that create that same feeling for your customers too.

Consider the example of Emma, who runs a fine clothing boutique that sells fashion labels to make money. She was struggling to differentiate herself from other independent shops vying for the same customers, until an expert marketer advised her to invest in her network over her net worth.

So Emma started staging live Q and As on her social networks where she gave fashion tips and answered customer questions, live and in real time.

Soon, her followers were expanding at warp speed, and customers began turning to her for style clues (rather than the other way round).

They started looking at her as a trusted fashionist rather than just another shopkeeper.

But it was the way in which Emma got to know her audience – forging genuine relationships – that meant it really worked as digital marketing.

That personal touch turned browsers into customers, and encouraged engagement and conversion in ways that simply bombarding your customer-base with ads and lookalike audiences never will.

First of all, find your goals. What do you want to achieve? A higher amount of traffic for your website? More likes and shares on social media? More sales?

Time-saving tools and platforms: Use tools and platforms that can uncomplicate your efforts.

For example, scheduling your social media via Buffer, email marketing with Mailerlite, or tracking with Google Analytics. These get the grunt work out of the way so you can focus on connecting with people.

As Your Guide…

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I want to invite those of you who are ready to let go of their challenges, embrace new ways of engaging, making friends and growing their business with the digital era.

To join with DigiPreneurHub, where we will reframe your challenges, develop new strategies in engaging with your content online to attract traffic, and create healthy and successful relationships.

So, are you ready?

Ready to push the boundaries and take your business to the next level?

Do you have what it takes to unlock your potential?

We specialise in working with ambitious business owners just like you, so book a call with us, because it’s time to make it happen.