If your company is still standing on the precipice undecided if you want to take the plunge into the online world there are some thinks you should know to help with the jump. No, it’s not closing your eyes. It’s what I call the 3 P’s of digital marketing.
Presence – Have one. So you can’t see yourself tweeting and the Facebook privacy thing scares your socks off. At least have a website. Please, please, please don’t rely on the phone book to be the reference of choice for your potential clients. Unless you like your $1500 ad serving a dual purpose as hamster bedding. Do you have hours of operation? A phone number? A physical store address? Put it online. It doesn’t have to be the biggest, fanciest thing. Just something neat and professional that does the job. There are plenty of sites that thrive with very simple-looking sites. Craigslist comes to mind.
Permission – Get it. If you’re the adventurous type (or an old-school marketer) and want to jump right in with all your 
clever jingles and catchy slogans, stop and step away from the email list. One of the hallmarks of digital marketing is getting permission to present your marketing to consumers. That means no more email blasts, scraping websites or buying cell numbers for your textpalooza. Ask! In direct mail, on your website, at the cash register, over the phone.
Patience – Stick to it. Don’t give up. I’ve read that one should expect to plug away at their Facebook page for up to a year before getting user engagement on their page. Gold bars won’t rain from heaven the day after you send your first tweet. Relationships take time. Give your new digital relationship time to progress from know to like to trust.
We can go on and on about research and strategy when it comes to making that transition, but they don’t start with P and you got enough to work on with just these three. If you have any other P’s you think should be on the list, share them with us in the comments section below.