Harnessing The Power Of Digital Marketing
The power of digital marketing struck me again yesterday as it often does. My partner who runs a driving instruction business was getting a little low on pupils and therefore income. Ironically this happens in her game by dint of her being good at it: Pupils pass tests and therefore need replacing. Usually she manages to replace them via referrals’ or organically via the Facebook page I built for her. Occasionally though the process needs a little boost.
We do that by posting on her Facebook page and on a local buy/sell Facebook group. The post simply says that she will have a few spaces available in her diary soon. So far over the last 3 years that has always resulted in a flurry of texts, messages and phone calls. Yesterday was no different with the first call coming in literally seconds after I had posted the ad. A couple of hours later my partner had 5 new pupils and several more on her waiting list.
This is a great example of the power of digital marketing at work for a traditional business. In fact when I see how effective it is in this scenario I’m envious. I’m an online marketer myself and do the small amount of marketing necessary (as you’ve seen) for my partner’s business. The services and products I market for own my own business take a lot more work but there a few factors to consider.
Maximising The Power Of Digital Marketing
In a driving instruction business – especially in the rural area where we live – competition is low. On the other hand it’s a very hands on business. 5 new pupils = 5 more hours of intense work + travel to and from each. It also incurs additional expenses: Petrol, car maintenance and accounting. You can really only grow that business as much as you are physically able and willing to do. It’s labour intensive.
My business on the other hand doesn’t have any limits. I sell digital education products online. That means that I can do the work needed from anywhere I can connect my Macbook to the internet. So I’m sitting at home while she is out there in all weathers – no wonder she is considering joining my business! My potential market is global and the sales are largely automated. This really shows the power of digital marketing at it’s fullest. I need to put my products in front of a lot more people and I need to target them far more specifically. The internet though makes both of those factors possible – in spades.
An Essential Skill For The Modern World
“The times they are a changing”. Whilst you could argue that learning to drive is for most people an essential skill – again particularly in a rural area like ours – Digital marketing skills are increasingly as essential, or soon will be. Yesterday I had a long telephone conversation with some of my new customers – a husband and wife who by coincidence are both driving instructors. I mentioned our Facebook ad experience to demonstrate the power of digital marketing for a traditional business and they were knocked out by it.
They are both tired of teaching people to drive and are looking for something else. Both see the power of digital marketing in this context but also the kind of lifestyle it can provide when you look beyond just using it to market traditional goods and services. Like a lot of people who are now starting to see the possibilities of the digital economy, these are people who feel a little stuck. They used to travel extensively and would like to do more of that but their location specific business won’t allow that. The wife is American and would like to be able to spend more time with family across the pond. Again, their business places massive restrictions on that goal. An Internet based business on the other hand lends itself beautifully to as nomadic a lifestyle as you want.
The Power Of Digital Marketing – Working Less, Earning More
Obviously the question of income came up in our conversation. When I told them that I sometimes make more in a day than their combined (and relatively high) monthly income they were shocked. The truth is that those kind of figures are commonplace and in fact quite modest in a digital business – I’m quite lazy! Personally I’m more impressed by the fact that it can be done with just a couple of hours of work a day. These customers for example came to me via a video on my Youtube channel I recorded some time ago.
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