Lisa Sicard, Inspire To Thrive: “the biggest challenge in the digital marketing realm is staying on top of the rapid changes”

Digital content and marketing platforms today have slowly begun to integrate more convenient AI tools. Of course, keeping up with AI and the ever-changing web and social media sites means covering all your bases to protect yourself or your business.

Insufficient password security, for example, places risk on a business's online presence. Employing the best VPN and using the top antivirus software could mean the difference between thriving or falling victim to cyberattacks.

We had an informative conversation about this subject with Lisa Sicard, Content Marketing and Social Media Consultant at Inspire To Thrive – a popular blog providing clients and businesses with digital marketing services.

Let’s go back to the very beginning of Inspire To Thrive. What motivated you to create it and share your knowledge in the digital marketing space?

I was managing a retail website, a medical scrub site and made the biggest sale via a Tweet. So people started asking how I did it. That's when I started to blog at Inspire To Thrive. I wanted to inspire others to thrive online. Years later, I turned it into a business.

Tell us more about your work. What challenges do you assist in overcoming?

I use my years of experience in marketing and my knowledge of various social media platforms. I help clients save time, money, and stress by using tools and automation capabilities. This includes unique, creative content and easy-to-access analytics reports. Then, I ensure that posts are data-driven and highly relatable to followers.

The biggest challenge my clients face is finding the time to consistently post on their social media channels. It's also difficult for clients to keep up with changes on the networks. That's where I come in. To help save clients time and avoid the stress of making regular posts. That also includes responding to comments and messages.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges that individuals and businesses face in the digital marketing realm? How does Inspire address those challenges?

The biggest challenge individuals and businesses face in the digital marketing realm is staying on top of the rapid changes.

For example, Facebook changes its pages, feed, and other aspects of its network all the time. It becomes a barrier and difficult for many individuals and businesses to manage.

I help them navigate platforms like Facebook. I assist businesses and see to it that they can keep up with the changes Facebook rolls out as it's happening. Or, I can help them avoid any challenges by preparing for updates Facebook plans to do.

How did the recent global events affect your industry? Were there any new challenges you had to overcome?

I was fortunate that they did not affect me or my clients much. I was able to quickly turn to Zoom for client calls. I was even able to teach some clients how to use Zoom and other social sites to communicate with others.

My biggest challenge was forcing myself to take breaks. I ended up with sciatica issues, so it forced me to get up and walk around or go out for a walk during lunch hour.

What are some common misconceptions or myths in the digital marketing industry that you often come across? How do you address them?

The biggest misconception I see is that people think social media is FREE. It is not. If you don't do ads, you have to spend a lot of time developing your social media accounts, and time = money.

What advice would you give to individuals and businesses who are looking to enhance their digital presence and achieve success in today's competitive online landscape?

I advise them to focus more on their websites, SEO, and blogging. These things give them a home base. From there, they can use social media but no more than 3 networks as it will spread them too thin.

You have to focus on where your audience is.

In this age of ever-evolving technology, what do you think are the key security measures organizations should implement? How do you prioritize and address cybersecurity?

They should update passwords often and not use the same one for everything, as many still do. I would recommend a Last Pass to them.

How do you see the future of digital marketing shaping up? What role do you envision Inspire playing in that future?

I see AI playing a role in it. I use it as a tool but not as something that can do everything, as things can go wrong with AI as well. I think people should understand it and how to use it.

Would you like to share what’s next for Inspire To Thrive?

I'm working on doing more how-to videos.

I'd also love to help small businesses enhance their alternative social media presence.