With my experience working with over 25 businesses across the UK and Europe, there is one overriding key to success. Be EARLY.

I have provided digital marketing services to clients across a range of sectors from luxury tourism to domestic construction. All using websites and digital marketing as their primary method of generating sales/bookings.

Some have been successful, some have not.

Those businesses with an original idea, who entered the market EARLY, with little competition (or in some cases none at all) were all successful.

Businesses who took an existing idea and copied it, trying to carve out their own market share, all struggled to different extents aligned with the level of competition.

Why this is unarguably true

There is a very clear example of why being early is the determining factor. Let’s look at Google. What a behemoth of a company, practically unlimited resources, attracting the best global marketing talent and yet do you even remember their social network Google+ ? Well, it failed miserably. Why? Because they were LATE.

Google+ was launched in 2011.

Facebook was launched in 2004.

By the time Google realised how big social media was going to become, everyone was already using Facebook. Facebook not only cornered the “friends & family” market but also became the go-to for businesses as their features expanded.

If Google+ had offered something new, something different, a reason to invest time in moving across, then maybe it could have been successful. But it didn’t. You posted a status, shared photos and connected with people and businesses. Just like you could already do on Facebook.

Practical marketing benefits of being early

On a small/medium-sized business scale, when you’re using the internet to generate your sales or bookings, there is one main reason being early is crucial.

Google search rankings.

There are 10 slots available on the first page. Everyone is trying to reach the promised land. If there are 100 companies ahead of you, already with fully optimised websites, you have practically zero chance of overtaking them. Why would Google show your website over those with a proven track record?

Google incorporates reputation into its algorithm which means the fact a website has been live for longer than you, has more visitors than you, all goes in their favour when deciding search positions. This is a significant headwind no amount of cost-effective-marketing will be able to overcome.

On the flip side. Now imagine you are EARLY. Maybe there is one other business doing what you are doing. That makes two companies competing for the top 10 slots. Even if the Google search algorithm ranks you last out of all businesses in this market, you will still be #2!

This gives you a platform to build from. You’ll get some traffic organically, for free, just because there isn’t anyone else. This gives you time to build your reputation with Google, optimise your website and build your business.

I have been able to get some business straight onto the first page of Google in under a week. With other businesses, it has taken a year of consistent digital marketing to reach the first page. For others, no amount of marketing will get them near the Google promised land.

The same applies to advertising costs

Digital advertising is mainly a “pay-per-click” format. Whether this is on Google on social media, the amount you will pay each time your ad is clicked depends on how competitive it is.

Some of my clients have been as high as £/€5.00 per click, some as little as £/€0.10. That means a business can get 50 clicks for the same price that others can get 1 click.

Pivot!

One of the most effective ways to be early is to pivot from your industry into a related one. I have personally done this several times and worked with clients repeating the same success.

As you gain detailed knowledge of the specific business area you work in, you may spot an opportunity someone new to the market would otherwise miss. Here you can pivot from your old role into the new area without too much upheaval and you are now EARLY!

You could pivot from renting a product to selling it, from providing a service to teaching it, from making a product to designing it.

Be EARLY and you will be successful

A lot goes into a starting and running a business. Then there’s all the digital marketing to think about.

If you are LATE, every one of these different factors will be an uphill struggle. Ranking on google will be harder, advertising will be more expensive, you’ll spend effort trying to push out existing competitors.

On the other hand, if you are EARLY. The world is your oyster. You’ll slip right on the first page of Google. You’ll have a platform to build on and provided you work hard, you will be successful.

Once on top, stay on top

So you’re EARLY, you’ve setup your business, you’re turning a nice profit, sit back and relax right?! Wrong. Now the pack is coming for you. They’ve seen your brilliant EARLY business idea and want a piece of it.

Once you make it to the top, stay on top. You achieve this in a marketing sense by keeping a keen focus on all the key aspects, keep in good kind with Google and keep hold of that shiny top 10 spot.