Your unglamorous business isn’t going to go viral by having your staff do the latest TikTok dance. And that’s okay. If you’re a boring service, making it big on social media probably isn’t going to translate those views into additional sales. Instead, when it comes to marketing for boring industries, you need to focus on the places you’ll see the most returns, not what might make you go viral. And don’t worry: social media can still have a place in your plan.
Learn and Use SEO & GEO
Boring products and services don’t mean useless products and services. People are still searching for your products, but they are doing so through search engines and AI assistants, so you need to do the work to help them find you. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) are your friends. Focus on:
- Keywords: The search phrases people use to look for your products and services—make sure you’re using the right terminology online so search engines can find your business.
- Metadata: Use these keywords and other important information (such as your location and name) in your metadata—key information that search engines use when crawling your website.
- Content for AI: Providing content for AI to review that includes not only keywords but also questions and answers is a great way to get AI agents interested in your website when answering their clients’ questions. Learn more below on what to write.
Use Content to Show Expertise, Not for Views
For many boring businesses, especially in the service-based industries, showing expertise is key. You need to be able to answer questions about your products and, more importantly, address problems with solutions on your website. Not only does this make great content for search engines and AI, but by writing useful content on your website in FAQs and especially blogs, you’ve also got great content to share—great resources for email marketing and social media marketing.
Learn more in our blog, Showing Expertise with Marketing for Service-Based Businesses.
Use Social Media for SEO, Community & Communication
Now, social media can still have several uses in marketing for boring businesses. First, it’s important to look at social media as SEO. Backlinks (links from third-party websites to yours) are part of SEO, and social media counts too. Posting your content (especially blogs) helps not only people find you organically, but also improves your search engine ranking.
Second, you can use social media as a platform for announcements and another way for users to contact you. It can be part of your community and a way for users who don’t like picking up the phone or emailing to contact you. It’s important to practice social media management with this setup and check the business page regularly, both for this and as part of active reputation management.
Here at Vision, we work with many businesses considered boring, from landscaping and garbage haulers to manufacturers and insurance companies. We know the tools they need to have better marketing without trying to turn them into something they are not. Contact us today to get started with marketing consultation, website development, and marketing services. Want to learn more? Check out the rest of our Vision blogs, our enVisioning Success podcast, and our downloadable Marketing Strategies Playbook.
