Written by Tina Cisneros

Ever since quarantine, I noticed that many people have ventured into online businesses. How did I know, you ask? Simple. Most of my Facebook friends send invites to like and follow their pages, some even personally message and offer me their products. It was crazy, knowing that one moment you talk about life, the next, how much a pack of shark’s fins cost. I, however, noticed too that they are not all thriving. It made me wonder why and now, I know you do too.

The answer is very easy, digital marketing. But is utilizing a social media platform such as Facebook already a marketing strategy? Yes, you are right, but marketing is more than just that. Today, I am going to talk about three interrelated facets of these simple-looking-but-not-really ropes. So, you sit right there and hold tight!

Imagine that your business is the ship, the storm is the one that hinders you from succeeding and each sail represents a different strategy you could adopt to outdo them.

You were sailing one night and just when you least expect it, huge waves and strong winds came crashing and it endangered your ship and the passengers who were with you in the quest to reach “success”. You, as the captain of the ship, must take a brave move to save yourself and your crew. You saw the sails and an idea came into mind; you will trim the sails by controlling the sheets (ropes) so that it can withstand the waves and salvage yourselves.

The first rope is intended for crafting effective digital marketing strategies. To be able to do such, you should understand the digital landscapes in the country.

Filipinos have now become tech-and-internet-savvies. Studies show that a large percentage of consumers own more than one social media account. Now more than ever, you take advantage of those platforms to promote to a wider audience. Maximize available means there are. Is it not the more, the merrier? However, you also need to identify your target audience, their behavior and which channels they would most likely spend their time on. You would not want to turn to Instagram and expect the older audiences be able to see it, would you?

The next rope is meant for content creation. It has been a common misconception that only influencers can do content creation. It is not true at all. We are all content creators ourselves. I doubt that no one has ever created content before.

Content is extremely relevant in marketing. When you formulate and create content, you

provide your audience information that is free and useful about your business, catch potential customers’ attention, and keep existing customers engaged. Create content that you want to consume. Curate a content that identifies with you; remember that authenticity is the key. Utilize various channels that amplify your content to a larger scope of market.

The last rope is designed for visual marketing. The impact your visuals could offer are powerful. It serves as a reflection of your organization as well as a tool to acquire people to buy from you which is what marketing is after all. Consumers lovenovelties. They already have expectations when it comes to marketing; they have seen and known it all but something different that you could do is to upend those expectations. Use it to your advantage. You could also provide them that by tapping to all the five senses; sight which is usually used, is just one of those.

Another possible path you could consider taking is to look at the problem your company wishes to address in a newer perspective. Others may not have looked into that angle before and you could attack that unsought aspect, giving you more edge than them.

Lastly,generate something that resonates with people. Stories, specifically, stay with people. Highlight in your story the truth about people, your product and what it stands for. Now that you have learned the ropes, you can be able to trim the sail in an optimum angle to be filled with wind. You can maneuver and navigate in a different path that will nevertheless direct you to your desired destination.

Just like the ship, you could improve the status of your business and tread a different track by implementing a digital marketing strategy that will work best for you and your company. There is no harm in trying, believe me. But a disclaimer, do not be so complacent that the success you will be experiencing is permanent. Expect that storms will come without any warning; waves will try to wreck what you built, and winds will shake your morale and principles.