A long time ago, I had an idea for a small-business website. It would be oriented to the backbone of the business, the inside. Much like a blog’s backend, a business has one, too. It’s the toughest thing about being an entrepreneur; yet, it’s the most important.
By now, I’ve been out of the actual formal workforce longer than I’ve been employed inside a company. That trend is happening more and more with the onset of more small businesses vying for self-employment and successful companies. How you ensure that success depends greatly on the resources you tap for the how-to knowledge you need.
I’m going to share a few of those resources in this sponsored post for Cox Blue. It has published a bevy of small-business essentials to keep your SMB growing. I hadn’t known how in-depth Cox Media Group was with its helpfulness for SMBs until I started perusing its site and blog. Its website functions much like a walking encyclopedia of business resources. You can access any of those right here at Cox Blue.
Free Business Tech Tips E-Book
What I really liked, though, is its ebook on the backend of a small business. This ebook, 5 Technologies Every Business Owner Needs, you can get it free right here, is actually resourceful for anyone wanting to launch a new business, elevate an existing business to new levels, or learn about some of the new technologies that may help a business.
Marketing Automation
The chapter that appealed to me in particular was the one on marketing automation. I recently made a good and bad business decision to invest in highly expensive marketing automation software to take my business to a new level. I had heard of this brand for a long time and was impressed with what that software could do for my digital marketing.
I took the plunge, and lo, I began coursework and training to use the software with excellent trainers and a help desk and templates, and so much more to get me on the path to success.
Do you know what I hadn’t done well?
I truly didn’t know how to do digital marketing itself. I was never trained in that field of expertise. I didn’t know the first thing about:
- Writing copy for a landing page
- The artful blend of selling vs. non-selling to attract customers
- Why I needed to build a list
- How to do A-B split testing
- What an auto-responder was
- The topic for a weekly email
- How to write free content to capture people into a funnel (what was a funnel, anyway)
No amount of expensive marketing automation software was going to make me an expert if I didn’t have the existing expertise to use the software correctly. It was a hard lesson, and it caused me to travel on a lengthy journey of discovery to better understand myself and how I wanted to grow my business.
In the Cox Blue ebook, it addresses a variety of other topics for small businesses, too. You’ll get insight into cloud services, whether you need a technology plan, as well as info about accounting software, too. I think you’ll find it of value, just as I did. I do encourage a business owner fresh off a business plan to tap into as many resources as possible to minimize mistakes.
Talk to business owners who can guide you, and if you don’t know anyone to make that connection?
Here’s my hat, it’s in the ring.
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Automating is huge Jayme if done intelligently, along with strong engagement. Thanks for sharing!