Use Your Online Presence to Educate Your Audience

​“Make the prospect a more informed buyer with content.” - Robert Simon

Often times I hear small business owners say that they need to educate their clients and perspective clients about their products and services. This usually takes place over the phone or an in-office visit. Occasionally they may have some of this information on their website. 

Using your online presence to educate clients is an excellent way to answer some of their questions up front. Your content, and the methods you use to deliver your content, will help education your audience and help them in their decision making process. 

Social Media

Social media platforms are a great place to share valuable information with your audience. They are already on social media, so you are meeting them where they are.

The information must provide value to them. Share a 25 page industry report will not provide the value that they are looking for on social media, but an infographic outlining important points from that article would catch their attention. 

Video

I'm sure you know that video is one of the best ways to grab someones attention online. People will scroll past text on social media, but video may pique their interest and pull them in. 

Video content does not have to be complicated. It doesn't even have to be produced professionally. In fact, some studies show that people prefer "raw" video shot from a cell phone camera. 

If you have valuable tips or tricks that would benefit your audience, a quick 30 second video could be the way to reach them.

Blog

Much like video, people can be intimidated by the idea of blogging. Having a regular blog on your website can help educate your audience and help you stand out as an industry leader. 

Blogs don't have to be long. In fact, Seth Godin is famous for blogging short posts every day. 

Email Marketing

Email marketing is different from your regular email. Email is sending timely messages to clients, customers, vendors, etc. Email marketing is sending our carefully created and curated content to your audience on a regular basis to help add value and to help promote your business. 

Email is your Gmail or Outlook account. Email marketing is Constant Contact or MailChimp.

There was a time when people thought that email marketing was "dead," but there has been a resurgence of email marketing in recent years. 

Email marketing is a way to educate your audience by adding value to their inbox. If someone has signed up for your email list, they WANT to hear from you. They want valuable content. 

Wrap Up

These are just a few examples of how to educate your audience online. If you develop a plan, you can easily implement these suggestions and many more. 

Know what you want to communicate to your audience, then craft a plan on how you want to reach them.

As always, McArdle Media is here to help. We can devise a plan to reach your target audience, with the correct message, using the best platforms. The education you provide to your audience will be useful for them and set you up for success.

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