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As it is mainly known as a website domain provider, GoDaddy has evolved into a software company that helps entrepreneurs improve every aspect of their business, from branding and marketing to e-commerce. The company's mission to build small businesses includes helping entrepreneurs improve digital marketing effort so they can focus on their passions.
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According to Amy Jennette, head of integrated marketing and product marketing at GoDaddy, digital marketing is one of the top challenges facing business owners. That's why GoDaddy covers search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing and creating content on it digital marketing guide.
“Marketing is something (entrepreneurs) know they have to do, but it's very foreign to their craft,” Jennette says. “Not only do we provide the tools that help them build their brand, market their brand and drive customer conversion, but we also want to make sure we're helping to educate small businesses on the steps they need to take to to be successful.”
Although business branding plays a large role in a successful marketing strategy, Jennette found that many business owners fall into the trap of thinking about logos and brand colors when they should be starting with elements closer to their company's identity.
“What is their voice? What is their style? What is their purpose for going into business? What values do they want to communicate?” she says. “It's about: What is the promise they're making as a small business to the customers they're serving?”
Jennette also emphasized the importance of authenticity. “If it's not authentic to you, it's going to be hard to manage because you're constantly going to have to get (into) that space to get that voice,” she says. “But it can also come across as disingenuous to your audience if you're not consistently communicating with the same kind of tone, the same kind of look, the same feel. You want to make sure you're consistent so that you can ultimately ultimately build that brand recognition over time.”
Once you've established your brand voice, it's time to think about visuals, which GoDaddy also makes easier and more cost-effective than ever.
“We have a (logo creation) tool. Type in some requirements about your business and who you want to be, and we'll create a beautiful, multi-colored, multi-dimensional logo for you to use,” says Jennette.
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GoDaddy's tools result directly from research into business owner challenges, budget concerns and educational needs. It has also developed a free Rapid artificial intelligence (AI) library. to help with content creation, review response and more to improve results on AI generating platforms like ChatGPT.
Using AI to help review the response strategy it can save time and effort, help guide the conversation, and generate responses that align with your brand voice and customer service standards.
“You can use customer feedback and reviews to do a lot of the heavy lifting for you,” says Jennette. “And most importantly, you want to be consistent with how you're doing it.”
GoDaddy's advice for small business marketing success includes:
- Clearly define your brand. Before diving into marketing strategies, define your brand's voice, style and values. This foundation will guide all your marketing efforts and help maintain consistency across different channels.
- Know your audience. Identify and understand yours target audience. This knowledge will dictate where to focus your marketing efforts and which platforms will yield the best engagement. As Jennette advises, “Go and be active where your audience is.”
- Use the tools available. Use tools to enhance and improve your marketing efforts. From SEO to social media management, using the right technology can help you maintain an impactful online presence without breaking the budget or overwhelming your team.
Listen to the episode below to hear live from Amy Jennette and Emily Washcovick, and subscribe to After the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday. Available at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora AND Soundcloud.
Editorial contributions by Kristi Lindahl.
GoDaddy is a Yelp partner that offers small businesses the ability to claim their Yelp Business Pages and manage Yelp ads directly through the GoDaddy platform. Neither company received compensation for their appearance on Behind the Review.