Creating A Solid Digital Footprint with Sarah Steinbrenner

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.0″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https://michelledenioconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Blog-Header-Images-50.png” alt=”business coach, business growth, results, business strategy” title_text=”Blog Header Images (50)” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center”][/et_pb_code][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_text_align=”center” link_text_color=”#695071″ hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]

When it comes to doing business in the online space, you MUST have a solid digital footprint.  Your digital footprint should include your social media as well as a solid website and strategy behind it.  So when you look at your current digital footprint, is it a cohesive, solid digital footprint? Today we talk with Sarah Steinbrenner of Vervology on creating a solid digital footprint.

 

Meet Sarah Steinbrenner. 

I met Sarah Steinbrenner from Vervology on LinkedIn. The power of social media, right?  Networking is definitely the way you grow your business, and build new connections.  I will always continue to tell you that no matter what. 

Sarah works with a fully-integrated and experienced team. Her role is to build relationships,  to help business owners understand how Vervology can address their pain points in the digital realm, and provide them with a solution, a strategy, and maximize their digital presence.

 

What is Vervology?

At Vervology, they help with marketing consulting, but specialize in the digital realm and content communication. They specialize in helping business owners figure out how to connect with their online audience visually, emotionally and technologically. They guide people through every step of the way. 

Sarah’s role in Vervology is to build connections with small business owners.  She figures out what they are succeeding in, what they are struggling with, and what the pain points are that they are trying to address. Then she helps them figure out the strategies they need to put in place to address those needs.

 

What is the one thing that you think people struggle with when it comes to their digital footprint, and what tips do you have to help them get through that?

Sarah said the number one thing that people struggle with is that they don’t have a strategy. It’s not that people don’t know they need something or that they don’t know the steps.  It’s just that they don’t have a strategy! 

A lot of people know that they need to post. So they’re posting things on social media.   They know they need to have a website. So they’re trying to DIY something and make it work. But…they don’t know the strategy of how to scale and get the engagement they need. 

 

You have to have a content and digital strategy. 

Otherwise you’re throwing things into the air and hoping something sticks or that something goes viral.  Your brand is a living breathing part of your business. It’s the thing that’s going to need some time and attention, and you want to nurture it. If you don’t always have the necessary knowledge to do that, people are there to help. 

You need to realize that it’s fine to not be an expert in everything. With business owners, there’s such a mindset that you have to do it all. The truth is that you really don’t! Stay in YOUR zone of genius and hire people for the thing you don’t understand.

 

What’s a simple strategy for a solid digital footprint?

You have to have a good foundation. That good foundation typically starts with your website. Your Google Business Listing, social media, and all of these other external tools are amazing. But they are tools that you want to eventually use to drive that traffic to your website. So being able to have a well designed, functional website that’s optimized with the keywords is crucial.  

A good website is the basis, and then let’s say you want to have you want to grow your audience on social media.  So having your content strategy is huge.  You can do different forms of it in terms of blog posts, social media posts, or a mix of the two.  But you want to figure out what you’re trying to achieve. That’s the biggest thing! It’s not enough to just post your dog photo or your family vacation photo. You want to be very particular about the keywords that you use in your posts and also the content that you’re putting out.

 

Always bring value.

That’s what people want to read.  They’re not going to want to read something random that’s not going to give them something to take away. You need to give value on topics that your ideal client is going to want to actively read. Then you always want to invite people into the conversation. 

Always putting out posts that are extremely salesy really closes the door for conversation.  Because if someone isn’t interested, they just won’t interact. You want to invite someone to engage and be part of that conversation. That’s how you organically grow your audience. It’s not demanding anything of them. You’re actually giving in that situation.

 

We tend to forget about our own buying habits.

How many times have you responded to “DM me for more information”? Think about your own personal buying habits. I’ve done it a couple times. But there’s a lot of people out there that will never enter into those DMs. How can you change that call to action to something that encourages someone to take action, but still allows you to open up a conversation?

You need to strategically figure out the content that’s going to lead up to launches, etc. For example, if you know that you’re going to do summertime, maybe in spring you start hinting at things. You start to plant that seed in someone’s mind. Then when you’ve launched it, people have been seeing it and hearing about it for months at that point. They might have been lurking on it, and you catch them at that moment when they’re ready to jump.

 

A number one tip that you could take action on immediately is to really look at your strategy behind your content. 

You also need to look at how long your strategy is. It’s so common for people to put that type of strategy in place like a week before their launch. And then they expect people to turn over and buy. In the digital world, that just doesn’t happen. You don’t have the opportunity to talk face to face with somebody for them to hear your voice and understand. So the digital world is all about how they interpret it and how they engage with it. That’s not something that happens that fast in the digital world.

 

What would be the length of a good content strategy?

Sarah says it depends on if you’re doing paid or organic. Organic is usually best because it gives that foundation of the content before you start paying people to do certain tasks. In terms of organic, you always want to think a minimum of three months out. 

The reason for that is Google is reading your content all the time, but it really won’t start to make a difference until about 3-4 months. But let’s say you have a huge brand relaunch, with organic content you want to start thinking maybe a year in advance. You can always supplement that with paid. But the organic content has to be there. They can work harmoniously.

 

You really need to have at least three months or more of foundational content before you pay for ads.

Because if someone clicks it, they’re going to go read a few articles and browse.  They are going to want to check out your stuff and see if they are interested. Now they’ve seen your content and they’re interested. So the next thing they are going to want to do is go to your website and learn more. They’re on the website…they’re browsing.  It’s at this point you’re going to want to get them to book a call or buy something.  So most of your sales process is really over because at that point they’ve been through your customer journey and it’s time to close the sale. 

 

Putting a stop in the sales process.

So on the flipside, if you don’t have a website, then that kind of stops the sales process there. Where can they go to learn more after they have read some of your content? There’s nothing more they can look at. An outdated website can also put a stop in your sales process. It really depends on what you have for them to find, and what you want them to achieve. 

It’s the same on social media or on a website.  So it’s all about what you’re trying to have them achieve. What is the end task that you want the user to do? Is it to book a meeting with you, or is it to buy a product?

 

You need to think about what the goal of your content is. 

How many times do you just do these things in this step by step linear process without a whole lot of thought behind it? Then you end up wondering why it’s not converting. So go look at your website. Is it very clear what the end goal is for your customer? 

Not every social post has to have some massive goal.  Sometimes we just want to share fun things.  That’s part of branding, too. Especially if you’re a personal brand. People want to get to know you. But that still is a goal. The goal of that post is to let them get to know you and to let them understand who you are as a brand. It’s so important to know WHY you are doing/posting what you are. 

 

Two clicks or less.

You also need to make it easy! You can have that goal in mind, but don’t make it take 10-12 clicks to reach that goal. We’re used to getting things fast and easy online. So if you want me to buy a product/book a meeting/learn more, you have to get me there in 2 clicks or less, or I’m going somewhere else. 

I actually was working with a client about a month or so ago. She sent me a link to her checkout page to take a glance at. I was going through the process, and I was like six clicks in and it was just too much. Time is of the essence!  You have to make your sales process EASY! You need to make your process 2 clicks or less. The easier you can make it the better. 

 

You also need to optimize for mobile. 

If you haven’t taken a look at your website on your phone in a long time, I really urge you to do that. Have you actually been on your website on your phone in a long time?  You need to make sure that it’s easy to read. If it’s not, you probably need to get in touch with Sarah. 

 

Vervology has an amazing free offer. 

If you’re trying to figure out what your pain points are, or what your next steps are, Vervology does offer an SEO audit. So it’s going to address a pain point you might figure out in your Google Business Listing. It might be your on site SEO, or it might be your social media. But it’s there to address the pain points for you and give you the details on what things might be helpful for you. 

You do have to have a Google Business Listing. It does not have to be verified. You can go through it, and it’ll give you all that information.  If you have those pain points and you really want them addressed, Sarah’s consultations are always free as well. So, if you have that SEO audit and she’s always free to talk about those as well and see if there’s any way that Vervology can help.

If you don’t have a Google listing, and you need one, you can probably also reach out to Sarah and have her help you out with that. I think many of you in the online space probably feel like the Google Business Listing is not necessary, but it is even if you don’t have a local brick and mortar. Don’t discredit that as part of your social and digital strategy. 

 

Sarah also shares a lot of helpful information on LinkedIn. 

So if you’re not connected with her on LinkedIn, go check her out. She’s got some great helpful posts, too, that might just inspire you. If nothing else, use them as an example to see what type of content they’re putting out, and the strategy behind it. You’ll start to see a theme there if you look at her content. Sometimes looking at other people’s content for inspiration is super helpful.

 

Apple |  Spotify | Google | Stitcher | Youtube| 

 

Connect with Michelle-

Connect with Sarah

 

 

 

 

Have Questions? Let’s have a Cup of Virtual Coffee!

 

 

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#37123c” border_radii=”on|20px|20px|20px|20px”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#f9eae1″ text_font_size=”24px” header_text_color=”#f9eae1″ header_2_text_color=”#f9eae1″ header_3_text_color=”#f9eae1″ header_3_font_size=”38px”]

Want in on the Secret?

Secret Small Doses is an EXCLUSIVE email (you can only access them by being on the list -that’s why it’s a secret!) that goes out every other week with “secret” mini-trainings to help you grow your business, create long-term sustainable success, and grow your business in unique and genuine ways.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”http://www.secretsmalldoses.com” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”I ABSOLUTELY DO! ” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.9.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”23px” button_text_color=”#f9eae1″ button_bg_color=”#64d3cc”][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *