You don’t need to be everywhere, but what customers find should be current, clear, and connected to where your business is going.
Since moving to the Greenville area, I’ve been doing a lot of searching. We’ve needed things for the house, I’ve looked for a gym, restaurants, local services and businesses, and I’m still exploring what’s around me. Being new to an area has made me pay a lot more attention to how I actually make those decisions as a customer.
Sometimes I start with Google. Sometimes someone recommends a business or I see something on social media. I may look at reviews, visit a website, check out their social profiles, or use AI to help me research or compare options. Usually it’s some combination of those things, especially if I’m going to spend a decent amount of money.
What I’ve really noticed is how quickly all of those pieces start to create an impression. I’ve found outdated websites, broken links, old information and social accounts that make me wonder whether a business is still active. I’ve also found businesses where everything feels connected. I can quickly understand what they do, the website feels current, their social content supports it, and I get a pretty good sense of who they are before I ever contact them.
Your customers are doing this too.
I hear from small business owners who are tired of trying to keep up with social media, algorithms, email, websites, video and now AI. There is always something else we’re being told we need to learn or another place we’re supposed to show up.
I don’t think the answer is trying to do all of it. What matters more is understanding where your customers are likely to encounter your business and making those places work together.
If someone discovers you on social media and then goes to your website, does it feel like the same business? Can they easily understand what you offer? Is the information current? If they hear your name from someone else and look you up six months from now, what are they going to find?
That last question has become especially interesting to me as search continues to change. Everything we put online contributes in some way to the digital history of a business. Your website, social content, articles, reviews, PR, directory listings and other mentions all help build a picture of who you are and what you do.
AI may be changing some of the ways people search, but it dosen’t make having a strong digital presence less important. If anything, I think it gives us another reason to pay attention to what we’re putting out there.
Let’s face it, AI is here to stay, and technically almost anyone can generate a caption, an email, a graphic or a page of website copy now. But creating the thing was never the whole job.
Is the messaging right? Does it sound like your business? If it’s a graphic, is it actually legible and well organized? Does the content feel natural and on brand? Does it connect with the people you’re trying to reach? Is it helping with your searchability and adding something meaningful to the history your business is building in this ever-growing digital wonderland?
More importantly, what are you trying to accomplish with it? Maybe you have an event coming up, you’re introducing a new service, trying to reach a different customer, preparing for a busy season, or your business has simply changed and your marketing hasn’t caught up yet. That’s where strategy needs to be part of the conversation before we start filling a content calendar.
This is also the part of my work I find especially fulfilling. I love creating websites, emails, social content and marketing materials, but I also love getting into the business with someone and understanding what they’re trying to accomplish, what needs attention first, and how all of those pieces can work together to support it.
Not every business needs someone to take over its marketing. Sometimes you have the ability to do the work yourself, but you’re so close to your business that it can be difficult to see what needs attention or decide where to begin.
That’s where consulting can be incredibly useful. A focused Business & Marketing Clarity Session can accomplish a lot. We can look at where you are now, talk through what you’re trying to accomplish, identify what’s working and what may need attention, and come up with actionable ideas you can begin putting into place.
For someone who wants more time to work through things, my Deeper Dive Package gives us three sessions together. We start by looking at the bigger picture and establishing priorities, then you have time to begin working on what we’ve discussed. When we regroup, we can look at what you’ve done, work through questions, make adjustments and keep moving. By the end, you’re not leaving with a plan that simply gets filed away somewhere. You’ve already started putting it into action and have a clearer direction for what comes next.
Learn more about both of these packages on my website. Contact me if you’d like to set up a time to work together!
And if what you really need is someone to help carry out the marketing, I offer ongoing marketing communications support too. Strategy and execution shouldn’t live in two completely different worlds. The best work happens when the website, emails, social content, messaging and other marketing pieces are connected to what’s actually happening in the business and where you want it to go.
You don’t have to be everywhere. But wherever your customers find you, give them something current, clear and genuinely representative of the business you’ve worked so hard to build.
If you could use another experienced set of eyes on your marketing, or you’re ready for help putting some of it into action, let’s talk.
From my desk to yours,
~Nanette : )
