Starting is the key to everything. Starting can take the form of an idea, a journal, a purchase, showing up to an invite, or simply getting out of the house, or even the bed for those who’re seriously lacking drive. Regardless of the form the start takes, the start generates the needed initial momentum, and continual action keeps it moving. At first, the direction and focus doesn’t matter as much as just doing something to create the inertia that one day may become a household name/brand, or solve a need, or service a missing link to others’ businesses, or simply facilitate others’ lives.
It’s easy to think in modern terms when capturing the essence of small business, which almost subconsciously alludes to the digital/technical era we’ve become. Or, it’s easy to start in the realm of small business and immediately leap into the “sexier” imagery inspired by companies like Google and Apple. However, the true magic and spirit of it all boils down to two friends/partners talking excitedly on the telephone about what is to come, or the soon-to-be partners jotting down notes on anything they can find – a napkin, the back of their diner receipt, or anything able to be written on to capture those crucial beginning ideas, the seeds of a business – aka: the only reason there is a Google or Apple.
The Start.
In a day where everything is interconnected via the web, and – therefore – only keystrokes away, it’s easy to take for granted where we’re at. There are two ways to take the previous sentence: 1) No longer do we need to take a road trip via horseback for weeks or months, covering hundreds or thousands of miles, to get that exact size, color, and designed vanity for our newly remodeled bathroom, which has toilets that actually flush, or 2) We have at our disposal the most powerful entrepreneurial, marketing, information-gathering, and creative tool in the history of the human race.
The Internet.
Speaking of the Internet, the below chart from StatisticBrain.com illustrates the extent to which our economy is predicated on the involvement of small business – assuming we call a small business a business with fewer than 500 employees. According to these U.S. Business Statistics, 99.7% of businesses fall within this category, which doesn’t account for the fact that many or most of these businesses are much smaller than that when reading between the lines as far as the other data in the below chart – ie) 21,100,000 firms out of the total 26,500,000 firms without employees (80%).
Why is this important?
Sure, most of us aren’t going to be doing our personal business with the vast majority of these small businesses, but we could be! Also, these small businesses are doing business with each other, and these small businesses are the clients of major businesses like Google and Apple. So, everything – at the end of the day – depends on small business to either provide a need, service, or simply be among the marketplace of clients – whom are also businesses – that keep our mega-stores like Home Depot alive so we can get our vanity online with its precise dimensions, color, and design even though it’s in California instead of Colorado.
Transitioning from the above paragraph, let’s focus on the two words that should stick out, which are “could be!” There’s no reason in today’s day-and-age why someone can’t hypothetically be doing business with an establishment if that business satisfies a need. The reason it’s not happening isn’t because there isn’t a possible need or interest; it’s because it’s out-of-state (whether figuratively or literally), therefore out-of-mind. In other words, if someone doesn’t know something exists, they’re probably/definitely not going to do business with it. It’s not the job of the consumer to find who’ll satisfy their need; it’s the job of the business owner to go after the consumer. Then, it’s up to the business owner to deliver results – hopefully with enthusiasm and quality – and make it a comfortable experience.
It’s our experience at GoEdison that most people don’t know what they don’t know. So, the aforementioned words are by no means a condemnation of the small businesses whom are falling short of their true potential as a result of missing the potential target audience they “could be” reaching. However, there is no reason why these businesses can’t start to reach these clients. The ability to reach people is literally keystrokes away, yet the tendency is to view the Internet as a means of consumption rather than a tool of production.
It’s because of the need of small businesses to reach their community that GoEdison has launched its digital doors in April of 2016. To be sure, the limit to what’s possible shouldn’t be constricted by the word “community” because the sky is the limit. The growth that’s out there is nearly limitless. Assuming a business has set itself up to provide their relative services, products, and/or expertise to the marketplace, the only thing that can stop success is failing to get out in-front of the people who’ll become clients, customers, and/or subscribers.
Through proven and cutting-edge growth strategies pertaining to social media and/or website traffic, content marketing, leadership, and broader operations – whatever combination is desired – GoEdison delivers, has delivered, and will continue to deliver results tailored to respective businesses. No longer do small businesses need to be intimidated with running their business and staying on top of the lightning fast evolvement and changing landscape of our digital reality; GoEdison will handle all that – making it more cost-effective, thus attaining better return-on-investment for the business.
There’s no denying the need for digital marketing. The below image illustrates how social media and the mobile nature of society is here to stay. More than one out of every two people has a smart phone (57%). Among those aged 18 to 34, over 1,000 minutes a month on-average is spent on Facebook alone. The ability to tap into a captive audience of that capacity is invaluable, and with an ongoing digital marketing campaign the results are not only immediate, but they’re measurable. No more throwing away hundreds and likely thousands to direct mailers that go into an abyss with no metrics, no contacts, and very little conversion. No more sign-flippers doing cartwheels on the sidewalk in front of traffic who can’t be tied to the sales they’re meant to attract, or may be driving away – no pun intended. Tap into the audience that wants to be reached, and is giving the attention no one at a stoplight or mailbox has the patience, time, or ability to give.
Perhaps the most striking data from the above image is how identical the time spent on social media is between ages 18-to-34 and those 35 and older – not only in the actual time spent, but also in nearly the exact same order of application ranking. The nearly identical data suggests our behavior on a general level is becoming more and more standardized, regardless of age, as far as people’s engagement in social media, which alludes to the value of social media’s audience. Further, the chart demonstrates the inherent opportunity cost of not responding to and tapping-in to an audience of this magnitude. There is no reason in today’s day-and-age to not spend on an at least dollar-for-dollar basis what one would consider spending for direct mail advertisements, newspaper/magazine advertisements, radio spots, or sign-flippers – no matter how good the sign-flipper’s gymnastics abilities are. The audience engagement in social media is a crucial component of any marketing campaign.
It’s our hope at GoEdison we can begin demonstrating what’s
possible in our new landscape of vast digital opportunity. At GoEdison, we’re not just providing a needed service for the sake of feeling good about being plugged-in; we’re providing results – albeit measurable results – not to mention a comfortable experience. The agency experience is not what GoEdison is all about; it’s about building a working relationship that’s tailored to the business and its people, hence the importance of community. We believe in letting the business do what they do, so we can do what we do to get the business in front of those who’ll benefit from their work. Success is a byproduct of focused passion. The more focus is directed in its primary direction, the more achievable results will be.
In honor of the official launch of GoEdison, we’ve made the below video to show our dedication to small business – because we are one. To all small businesses, and those who’ve received a tailored shipment via our launch, we humbly thank you. Here’s to your growth!