“I know I need to market my business online but I just HATE all the tech stuff. Maybe I should just hire a 25 year old to do it all for me.”
I saw this little vent in a facebook group. The geek in me screamed, “Wait BUT ..” on so many levels that it inspired a Daily Spark https://www.ankeherrmann.com/daily-spark-036-tech-stuff-hate/ and this post ..
I understand the frustration. We all have things we love doing and others we'd rather avoid. Still, let me ask you a few questions ..
What makes you HATE the tech stuff?
What IS the “tech stuff”? A piece of equipment, an app that helps you do stuff. Yes, there are plenty of different types of equipment and apps but they are nothing more and nothing less than tools. Why would you hate a tool?
Or do you hate the feeling of overwhelm that comes from feeling lost in a jungle of options?
Do you hate the feeling of incompetence when you try to learn about the tools but don't seem to “get it”?
Do you hate the feeling of having opened a can of worms – every time you think you kind of get the hang of one thing three others pop up and you're back to square one?
Do you hate the doubts – whether you're good enough, whether you'll ever be able to pull this business thing off, whether you're heading in the right direction – that come up when you feel you're sinking in quicksand?
Where does the overwhelm and frustration come from?
If it came from the tech stuff everyone would hate technology. I don't. Lots of people love it.
What if it came from you thinking that you
- should really know more
- should learn it easier
- should learn it faster
- should be further along the path to a successful business by now
- .. (insert anything else floating around your head)?
What if none of the “shoulds” were true?
No matter how you feel, at some point you'll want some tools. How do you pick the right ones?
Imagine you walk into a hardware store.
Some people love hardware stores. They spend their weekends browsing the aisles, fascinated and inspired by all the different tools and materials. Others don't. They walk in, get what they need and get out.
It doesn't matter whether or not you love hardware stores. Before buying a tool you'll want to think about what you're trying to do with it.
Let's say you want to make a shelf.
Metal, wood, plastic? Which option is the right one? Without knowing that you can't choose the right tools.
But you can't make that decision until you ask yourself what you want to put in the shelf – something heavy, lots of small pieces, books, fabrics (couldn't help myself, I'm a dressmaker :-)?
Ok, let's say you want to store your fabrics.
How much fabric do you have? How much space do you have? Will you have more fabric in the future? (just getting started ..)
Is a shelf even the best way to store fabric?
Actually, if you have the fabric on rolls fixed to a wall it's easier to see what you've got and access it when you need it.
People often get frustrated trying to choose the right kind of wood screws for their shelf when a few metal hinges to fix the fabric rolls to the wall would have been the simpler, much better solution.
So what tools do you need for marketing your business online?
You knew I was going to ask .. What do you want to achieve with your website, facebook group, LinkedIn profile etc.?
Let's look at an example. I've helped a number of dancers with their online presence. Some want to get booked for dance performances, others want students to sign up for their classes.
If, say, you want people to sign up for your classes you'll need a way for them to easily find out
- what classes are available
- when and where they take place
- whether they are one-off workshops or ongoing courses
- how much they cost
and you want to give people an easy way to sign up for the classes.
Now you no longer have to browse through the entire “hardware store” of tech tools, you can go straight to the “aisle” that offers the tools you need (and staff can actually give you helpful advice).
You're looking for a way to display classes and a way for people to register. Simple.
Talking about simple .. You want the simplest way to get the job done quickly. Then go and do it.
At some point it might make sense to add your students to a mailing list so you can let them know about upcoming classes.
Your online presence evolves as your business evolves.
Wait, before you rush off let's take another step back ..
Do you really NEED to market your business online?
What if you didn't? Or perhaps not now? I know plenty of business owners who don't have a website at all or a very simple one, kind of like an online business card. In fact, my own sewing business has been working without a decent website for years. I haven't touched it in all that time because there is always plenty of sewing work coming in and the task has been dropping to the bottom of the to-do list.
As an ex-software developer I'm a geek – of course I'm not saying you shouldn't have a website/online presence. I'm asking whether it's the best way to sell your product/service at this time in your business.
What do you sell? Who do you sell it to? How can you let your clients know about what you have to offer in the easiest, most direct way?
The answer may be a website, or maybe not ..
Getting help – Is it an age thing?
It makes sense for you to focus on what you love doing and that may mean getting help setting up your online presence. But who's the best person for that?
Yes, someone who's grown up with computers, mobile devices and social media is less likely to hate all of that.
But ..
.. if you're not clear on what exactly you're trying to create choosing the right tools will be difficult, regardless of how old someone is or how familiar with technology. And you're the only person who can answer that question.
Once you're clear on what you're going to do and how you think you'll best get there (at least for now) you can decide whether you want to do it yourself or get someone else to do it for you.
“I want someone else to do it” isn't going to work if nobody knows what “it” is.
If you try one of two things will happen:
- the person you work with will go ahead and implement what THEY think you need and chances are you'll be one more business owner with a story about how you spent a lot of money on a website/online marketing and didn't get results
or
- the person you work with will ask YOU what you want to achieve and help you dive deep enough to figure out the real answers that make it easy to choose the right tools.
The person you work with will of course know their stuff when it comes to technology but whether you throw your money down the drain or make the best investment ever in your business depends on how well they understand what YOU REALLY NEED.
Is this a question of age?
I have my doubts. I know a lot of young people who use technology to post pictures on Instagram but have trouble finding an email. Just because they've grown up with it doesn't make them experts (just because you've grown up with cars doesn't mean you can repair one).
Of course some are. But will they be able to explain things in a way you understand? Some will.
Keep in mind, “naturals” are great at what they do but the ones who had to learn something are often the better teachers. Choose yours wisely.
To Sum Up
The easy path through the tech jungle is to get crystal clear on what you REALLY need – what you need now, what can wait, what is a waste of time – then START and take ONE STEP AT A TIME.
If you'd like my support with that get in touch to see whether a “Tech-Ability-Boost” could be the perfect next step for you to take full control of your online presence, without turning into a web designer 🙂
