As a whole, digital marketing is still very young and under-utilized in Finnish businesses. Chances are that if you are one of the people that is working in this field, then you’ve likely had co-workers and family members ask you,”what exactly is it that you do?”

Don’t take it personally – I was that ‘social media guy’ at the place I worked before I started Nutmegger PR in August 2014, and I’m pretty sure that most of my friends and family think that all I do is play around on Facebook all day. Suffice it to say, and believe me when I say, “I hear you and I feel your pain.”

Misconceptions and misunderstandings aside, business is changing and with that change comes the need for professionals that know how to adapt and grow in an ever-evolving business landscape. Change can yield both positive and negative results, but in most cases it comes down to the strategy and how that plan is implemented as to whether or not your efforts will succeed or fail.

Here’s the good news.

Something great is happening in Finland right now. Businesses that have been around for years – many of them even several decades – are starting to invest resources and educate themselves in digital marketing in an effort to reach new generations of consumers; primarily millennials and teens. Making the changes and taking the steps to do so is great, but the old adage of, “a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow”, doesn’t always apply- especially in this instance. Just wanting to change and hiring a bunch of hot-shot, hipster-esqe  recent-grads isn’t going to do it, and just because your new-hires have 500+ followers on Instagram doesn’t mean they know how to professionally manage your business’ corporate social media presences. In fact, if you want to really use any saying to characterize the direction of digital marketing and business operations, “it takes a village,” would probably be the most accurate.

“It takes a village?” Yes, and it’s really easy to understand why when you think about it. Although usually attributed to the raising of children by a community, “it takes a village” can also be used to illustrate that true success in a digital marketing is dependent upon many factors and parts within a business working in unison to best achieve the goals and expectations that are being laid down as you enter this brave new endeavor that is digital marketing. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and successful digital teams and plans weren’t put together overnight.

Educating your staff, bringing in consultants, and working with freelancers can be a great way to introduce yourselves to this new sphere of operations. Luckily, there were some early-adopters -yours truly, included- that are determined to help businesses of all shapes, sizes, and industries succeed in the evolving, Finnish economy.

Bottom line – if you’re going to wade into the digital marketing waters, make sure that you have a lifeguard there to teach you how to swim. A lifeguard like Nutmegger PR!