Today we’ll hear from Belief Agency, a Seattle-based creative agency that specializes in full-stack marketing. They do everything, from core messaging to strategy, and content creation to SEO. In this podcast, digital marketing experts Joel Cummings and Rachelle Cummings, along with Belief Agency digital director Dave Powell, are sharing some best practices for various components of your online presence.

Marketing can feel overwhelming. It can feel like there are so many things to do, that it’s difficult to keep up with the pace of change. But if you stick with these tips, you can be effective in marketing your business—even with a small team.

Clarity Over Creativity

It’s easy to think, “I need this really cool website,” or “This new video is going to solve all my problems,” but that type of thinking can make you miss what’s most important: to have a website that tells someone (1) who you are, (2) what services you provide, and (3) how they can contact you. 

Know Your Customer

Think about your best clients. Who are they, and why are they your best clients? Your business is suited to serve specific people—people who share your worldview. For example, there’s a reason you shop at Dunn Lumber. You know Dunn Lumber cares about quality products. There's a good chance that when you’re spending your money at Dunn Lumber, it’s because you also value quality. 

Another way to describe worldview is "belief." When you know what you believe, that gives you clarity about how to communicate, and it gives you consistency in what to communicate. When you know what you believe, it will help you know who you share worldview with—and who you should serve.

Consistency

Once you’re clear about who you are and who your customers are, it’s important to be consistent. You might think you need to be on every social media platform, but rather than trying to be on everything, first choose one platform and use it consistently. Think of who your customers are, where they spend time online, and then meet them on that platform. 

As you post content on social media, ask yourself: 

  • Does my Facebook/Instagram/Twitter profile align with my website? 
  • Do I sound like the same person or brand? 
  • Are people getting the same information? 

What you don’t want to do is reinvent yourself on every platform. You can and should contextualize your message for those platforms, but you don’t have to change who you are for each one. 

Final Thoughts

Invest the time to figure out how to tell people what you do, and figure out how to find the people who want the services you offer. If you’re interested in learning more, listen to the full podcast for the extended Q&A session; Joel, Rachelle, and Dave addressed lots of great questions. 

You can also click the download button below to find a worksheet that's been put together to help develop your company's marketing plan.

For more information on attending future educational events, feel free to email me at jimc@dunnlumber.com. If you have questions for the Belief Agency team, email hello@beliefagency.com. If you’d like to contact Joel, via email or via his website Work Society a Seattle business consultant.