The latest survey into the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses showed that one of the top two areas of support required is marketing with many not having social media or Google My Business listings. Knowing where to start can often be an overwhelming space for business owners – where do you even start?

We invited Rachael Hedges from The Marketing Emporium to talk to us about effective marketing and busting some social media myths. Hear from Rachael below.

Successful and effective marketing is challenging work. Especially when it’s not your core focus, or what you are trained in, and especially when you have so many other things that you need to attend to in your business!

When it comes to social media, Rachael says there are three common social media marketing myths to be aware of:

• Myth one: “I have to post everyday”. Three posts a week is a sustainable number to gain good engagement with your audience. Plus, they won’t feel spammed.
• Myth two: “I need to have every social media channel.” You only need social media channels for where your clients are. A hairdressing business won’t need LinkedIn for example.
• Myth three: “Creating social media posts is hard work.” There’s lots of ways to make running your own social media more manageable. From planning your posts in advance, to scheduling a month ahead and creating a calendar of ideas, you can cut hard work down to smart work.

At the end of the day, you have to do what is right for your business, to market to your target clientele. Time is precious and you don’t want to use it in the wrong places, where you could be more efficient and effective.

Rachael sees many business owners and managers with information overwhelm when it comes to social media and marketing.

“Working with businesses across New Zealand and Australia, it became obvious that so many wanted to run their own marketing and social media but, didn’t know where to start, or where to find the right info, or how to build on the skills they had. Having someone manage their marketing was often out of the budget. I created The Marketing Emporium to help SME’s run their own marketing affordably, in a simple format, with actions, checklists, and information that is made available each month to avoid overwhelm. I love seeing businesses grow and succeed through simple changes in their marketing,” said Hedges.

The Marketing Emporium is a passionate marketing membership business with a members-only portal to equip business owners with the knowledge, inspiration, accountability, tools, and guidance (from experienced industry professionals) so businesses can run their own social media marketing, easily and effectively.

Inside the membership portal the team at The Marketing Emporium share done-for-you posts each month that you can copy and paste, plus training videos (like how to schedule posts and use Google My Business), tools, and tips (where to find free images) to make marketing SO MUCH EASIER.