No Clue What I Am Doing!

Do you feel like you have no clue what you are doing when it comes to Digital Marketing? You are not alone! Most small business owners and/or entrepreneurs do not. It always starts with an idea that sparks

the growth. The problem is trying to figure out where to start and what foundation blocks to lay down first! First and foremost, would be getting all your legal ducks in a row, file your business name with the state and IRS, then get your checking account rolling to be ready to accept payments. After that foundation is established, it is time to put together the Digital Marketing pieces.

Build your website or have a web designer build you a website. Most people underestimate the power of a good website. It is so very important for a growing from the ground up business. Next would be adding in your social media accounts. Utilize Facebook Business Suite to its fullest by being able to post on both Facebook & Instagram. Build a personal and business LinkedIn account. Never ever forget to get your business established on Google My Business! I have talked about this before it is so important for SEO to have A GMB! Consider Twitter if you are more of a service type business and Pinterest if you are a product-based business. Although it can be time consuming trying to manage a website and multiple social media accounts it is what is going to help you grow and become a known business!

Never be afraid to not know which direction to go in first just pick one, master that path and continue to learn and grow from there. Trial and error are how most business owners learn! There cannot be success without some failure first. The experience I have so far as a small business owner is that having patience is the hardest and time management is not too far behind that. I often get so caught up in helping my clients get their feet on the ground/ off and running that I forget that I still need to keep marketing myself so I can keep growing! I am so proud when I complete a website re-design and get feedback from my clients that their sales and traffic are increasing. However, it is just important to remember that I need to stay out in front of new prospects too as much as they are! It's okay to feel lost at times but don't stay lost, get growing!

Who Needs Experience?

Unfortunately, everyone. Everyone needs experience but not everyone has to be older to have it. Does that make sense?

Experience comes from the willingness to step out of the comfort zone and try new things! It also come from failures, however, more times than not your failures are not really failures at all! Failing is another way of learning, and the most successful people in life have failed multiple times but never gave up! You know what happened during those failing times? Experience. I remember a time when I was in my mid-twenties and starting out as a bank teller that I would within a year 1 would be able to jump right into a management position. I had the confidence within myself to know that I could do it and learn to be good at it but trying to prove that to upper management was where the struggle came into play. The only way your going to prove yourself and climb the ladder within any career is to continue to welcome experiences!

I always knew that I just wanted to keep growing, there was not a specific industry that I wanted to work for growing up. I wanted to understand and learn them all! Which is why I have landed were I am in my marketing career, building websites, managing social media, and helping businesses of all types grow!! This is also how I will continue to gain experience! It is that experience that gains knowledge and acts as a guide throughout life. It is that experience that helps when telling your story or branding yourself. Never be afraid of experience, allow it to help you grow!

What's Your Story?

It does not matter how old you are, I am certain you have story to tell, and most likely it comes from an experience. A few weeks ago, I did a less than 2-minute video of my why, why I started S² Branding & Marketing, Inc. In that video I told a small portion of my story. I talked about my experience in different industries over the course of my career building and how each one of those different industries gained me knowledge and experience that will last me a lifetime.

The past is only a steppingstone towards the future. Looking back, I was always asked "where do you see yourself in X-number of years?" Now that I think about it, what a terrible question to be asked! Sometimes I do not even know where I will be the next day, let alone in a certain number of years. However, my answer has always been the same, to keep growing! Sure, it is great to have long term goals (which is what I think they meant by asking that question) but it's even more important to have short term goals! Ones that are easier to achieve quicker, in hopes, it gets you to that ultimate long-term goal.

However, sometimes life has a way at throwing a curveball, and suddenly what you thought your goals were or where you thought you would be in X-number of years, changes. Let me be the first to tell you... THIS IS COMPLETELY FINE! Change can be hard, but it can also be for the best. What you thought you wanted when you were 18 years old and graduating High School suddenly does not matter anymore in your 20's and beyond. The only thing that will remain the same is your willingness to keep moving forward, despite the change, and no matter what life throws at you. If you get stuck on the hamster wheel and find yourself unhappy going round and round, then GET OFF THE WHEEL! Change direction, take a risk, do something that scares you, because in the end it is going to be worth it. Most people do not think they have the courage within themselves, but they do! They just must dig deep, find it, and use it to achieve different or maybe even better goals!

I have always had a passion for learning how different businesses operate, that is why I took a risk to go work for a non-profit organization as the Assistant Director of my county's economic development years ago. That career move opened so many doors of possibility through networking that I never knew existed! Whatever you do, do not hold yourself back from moving forward, do not hold yourself back from telling your story, you will never grow if you stay where you are planted! Learn something new, take a risk and do not be afraid to change your goals as you grow! Tell your story, build your brand.