Did you know it can take up to six months to see the first signs that your digital marketing efforts are working? And that’s when you’re doing things right!
Digital marketing is, in many cases, a long game; there’s research, implementation, and a whole lot of waiting. With a Utah marketing firm like Gravitate One on your side, you can learn the ins and outs of why it can take so much time to see results.
Patience, Grasshopper
As we’ve stated time and time again, digital marketing is a human industry. And if you’ve ever met a human, you know they don’t change overnight! So, even if you’ve made the right changes for your brand, it can take time for the humans to whom you’re marketing to get on board.
Consistency Is Key
Consistency is comforting for many, and it’s why it can take time for your target audience to respond to new marketing messages. But, if you can plan on six to twelve months of patience, you’ll start to see the results of your hard work.
Additionally, search engines such as Google like consistency, too. This doesn’t mean Google wants to see the same keywords on your website for the duration of its life; Google wants to see you consistently implementing strategies to prove you’re an authority on your product or service. Algorithms change, but a good digital marketing firm can work with those changes to ensure continued visibility for your brand.
Tips for Being Consistent
You don’t have to post daily to every social media platform that exists in order to be “consistent.”
Make a Schedule
Engaging with customers on social media and your blog is a great way to make your presence known. But it can be overwhelming to think about posting on your brand’s blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok every day. So in order to maintain consistency, set a schedule for yourself.
If you’re a one-person operation, you can use a scheduling tool to automatically post to your online channels regularly. Or, you may assign days to each of your platforms. With the help of a digital marketing firm, you could outsource not only the posting but the content creation as well. This can free you up to focus on other aspects of your business.
Be Consistently Reliable
No matter how often you’re interacting with customers, be reliable. Set a policy that customer inquiries will be addressed within “x” hours, and stick to it. When you do post something online, make sure you’re offering reliable information. Show your customers you’re an authority in your niche, and someone they can turn to for reliable products, services, and education related to your industry.
Publish Imperfections
The downfall of many online marketing campaigns is when there’s hesitation to post something if it’s not 100% perfect. Of course, you want your online presence to accurately reflect your brand, but it’s not always going to resonate with everyone. You can’t always produce content that doesn’t make waves, and that’s not always a bad thing. Whether it’s something minor like a typo or sharing a slightly controversial opinion, sometimes you’re going to get a negative response. You can use it as an opportunity to engage in thoughtful discussions with dissenting opinions, hopefully strengthening your connections with your audience as a result.
Not Everything Can Go Viral
If you’ve ever been on the Internet, you’ve been subjected to clickbait. It’s the practice of creating a salacious, unbelievable headline for the most boring, mundane article ever created. Or, maybe you’ve seen a video that is obviously trying too hard, and it’s turned you off from the creator of the content.
Be Authentic
In the age of digital connection, authenticity can be hard to find. So often content is created solely with the hope that it goes viral. That can be detrimental to the success of your digital marketing campaign because your brand’s identity can be lost as you attempt to keep up with the latest trends online. While it’s fine to participate in playful practices online, be sure the antics align with who and what your brand represents.
Buy Clients, Not Bots
It may be tempting to invest in robots (aka “bots) to artificially increase engagement in digital marketing efforts. Seeing all those bot likes and comments on posts can be gratifying, but if it doesn’t convert to actual sales, how is it money well-spent? When you invest money in tried and tested search engine optimization (SEO), there’s a better chance it will turn into real conversions. It’s better to have real people liking your posts rather than bots because, last time we checked, robots don’t have bank accounts and they don’t go shopping.
If you feel discouraged about how long it can take to see the results of your digital marketing efforts, just remember it could be worse. You could see quick results in the form of a huge digital marketing fail.
