20 APRIL 2018 • FOGHORN M arketing your business should be one of your pri- orities for 2018 and there are a number of tools and resources that can help. Realistically, small businesses might not have the budget to implement all of these marketing tasks, so it is best to pri- oritize which ones will work the best for you, giving you the best balance for return on investment. Yes, it may take a little trial and error to find this equilibrium, but with a little luck, a bit of patience, and a lot of hard work, you’ll get there. 1. Blogging and Automated Blog Newsletters Content marketing is important - having a blog and updating it often is a great way not only to engage your existing customers but acquire new ones as well. Keep your customers thinking about your business by sending out oc- casional newsletters to keep them up to date with your news, offers and discounts, new things you’re doing as well as in- teresting articles relating to your business (“10 Reasons to Take a Ferry to Work;” “Best Season to go Whale Watching;” “Why Explore X City by Boat” etc.). However, putting together both a regular blog with content, photos, links and descriptions as well as creating a newsletter with roughly the same information sent out to your database is time consuming. You’re essentially doubling your workload when you don’t have to. Instead, put the work for your blog in first and let the world of automation do the rest. Using a mass communi- cation platform such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, or SharpSpring, configure it so that it automatically pulls infor- mation from your blog posts. (You may have to outsource this task to a web developer, but once it’s done, it’s done for each newsletter you send). You can choose the way to set up your newsletter that works best for you. Essentially, the newsletter platform will pull images, titles, captions and Six Digital Marketing Initiatives You Should Be Doing in 2018 By Dawn Rainbolt Fast Page Loads Streamlined Checkout Multiple Account Sign-Ons Improved Search Quick Order Easy Invoice Look-up Requisition Lists • Over 135,000 products for your business • 28 regional distribution centers • Same-day van delivery • 250+ stores • The most-knowledgeable and seasoned sales representatives in the industry Your 24/7 destination that’s packed with the features you need to get the most out of your time and money. westmarinepro.com All backed by the power of West Marine Pro. 1-800-621-6885 or visit westmarinepro.com. Increased Inventory Availability MARKETING