As an entrepreneur, the tactical and technical skills can sometimes be the most difficult tasks when starting down the path of creating your next big idea.
Technical skills that are needed in online marketing, branding, development and idea creation are often the one element that causes many people to turn and run away. It feels overwhelming and insurmountable. But you shouldn’t feel like you have to be able to operate everything all at once — don’t make this harder than it has to be.
Even if as a green entrepreneur, you have the money to outsource most of your marketing needs (congratulations, you’re one of the few), it’s imperative that you know a bit about what’s happening when you outsource so that you’ll know if you’re getting your money’s worth and if what you requested is actually what you’re getting.
Other things you might think you need to outsource are really very simple and only need a few minutes to learn how. There are so many ways to get the help you need to perform some of the technical skills that will make you successful.
The learning process is never over if you’re an entrepreneur. There are some basics you need to know so you’ll understand how to perform some of the online marketing techniques that are vital to your success.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t difficult, but if you’re new to the fray you may be intimidated by some of the key digital marketeing terms, such as this. Much has been written (and videos produced) about this subject. Just do a bit of research to learn everything you need to know about SEO — and stay on top of it, because it’s always changing. Coles notes — you’ll want to make the internet care you exist and that your website constantly speaks about the target audience you’re trying to tap into. What this looks like in practicality is writing content on your website that captures keywords which are specific to your target industry as well as trying to get other websites to link back to your website (giving you some e-credibility).
Paid advertising is a technique that’s important for one to know about because it actually involves your money driving results to convert into sales. As with SEO, much is out there, both on the Internet and beyond which can help you learn this important facet of your business. Paid advertisements are usually facilitated through existing platforms (Facebook, Google, Bing, LinkedIn) showing your content to their vast user base, beyond the scope of what you could achieve organically.
Organization of your data is crucial. There are many programs and apps available (some free) that can help you organize and retrieve information in a click or two. There are also ways to retrieve old data that may be in archives. Learn all you can about this important skill.
Website and page design can be outsourced. In the beginning, you don’t have to spend lots of money on a professional web site designer. There’s a plethora of templates and basic help that will help you design a pretty good-looking site. You simply need to understand a few basics such as brand creation, logo design and how to design a layout using a grid template. But once you have money, make sure you hire someone to do a much more thorough job for you. The primary goal of creating a website is to get your first sale or procure some investment money. I can guarantee with enough patience and research — you can get your website to the point where you can do both of these things… with very little technical know how.
Social media ins and outs are something you need to master. Believe it or not, social media sites have technical aspects you need to understand if you’re to make a success of your online business. These technical aspects can definitely fall outside the scope of “I grew up using Facebook, so I know it well”.
Most are little nuances that simply add to the social media experience. Lots of videos and tutorials exist about how to take the most advantage of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Reddit.
You don’t have to be a technical wizard to understand and use the of the Internet, but you do need to know how to setup a basic website, manage your social media as well as your community and write copy that enables people to understand your product and your vision the way you see it. Take time, start reading and applying what you’ve learned. The journey of becoming an entrepreneur is one of constant learning and growth. Understand this fact before you start and set appropriate expectations so you’re aligning your mindset with the work required to truly succeed.