As small business owners, operators or managers, our lives involve non-stop, on-the-job training. Sometimes it seems we’re running fast just to stand still and sadly lose sight of the amazing learning opportunities granted to us each day (You may be thinking there aren’t enough hours in the day; I don’t have time to think about the lesson learned; this pile of work isn’t going to do itself, so please don’t give me one more thing to do.)

Calm down. Breathe deep. This will only take a few moments and will be well worth the time.

We are going to take a look at three really important marketing lessons that are pretty simple but far too often lost in our day-to-day fracas and, most importantly, you already know the answers. You’re probably just too busy to remember. We will focus primarily on digital/social marketing because it often feels overwhelming but is the simplest place to start, gives the most bang for your buck and therefore will cause you far less agita.

1. People already care about your business. Your product or service actually does address specific needs or wants (it’s why you started the business in the first place). And, through social media, it’s easier than ever to stay in front of customers so they are more likely to think of your business when they need it.

Facebook is the big player in the social world (yes, even still) and they make it very easy to target customers who have already shown an interest in what you are selling. When advertising in social media, make sure to dig into the targeting to find people who have already liked “massage”, “yoga” or “essential oils”. There are literally thousands of ways to hone in on your customers and advertise specifically to them.

Also, for many of us, our customers are physically close by—within a 10-mile radius of our business. Make sure to set your advertising to run within that area; this way you aren’t wasting money advertising for people who are not in your range. There is no need to advertise in St. Cloud when your customers are in Edina.

2. You are already endlessly fascinating. The only reason people find marketing  to be intimidating is because everyone thinks they have to have the “perfect” ad or the most compelling post in the history of Facebook to get attention. Truth is... just tell your story. Be you. You are a business owner, for crying out loud. Your day is filled with stories. Put one of them up on Facebook.

The simplest Facebook posts often draw great attention. Post about something happening in your store, or how you make stuff, or what a customer just bought. Your post won’t interest every single person—it doesn’t have to—but it will interest some. Then your next post might interest a few more and a few more and a few more.

Think of it this way: If you post nothing, how much information will people see about you? Yep... nothing. But if you flip the notion and begin to make posts of even the simplest things, people will start to see you and will likely be more inclined to do business with you.

3. You are already a good marketer. Probably the most important thing small businesses should know about marketing, particularly those early in their journey, is to not overthink it. Too often, small biz people go to an advanced marketing workshop, get overwhelmed, then don’t know where to start. Deep-in-the-weeds marketing should be left to the marketing pros. You don’t need to go into the weeds. Learn a few tools, be yourself and talk to your customers.

People check Facebook a lot (like several times a day). By being in their social feeds, people are much more likely to spot you right about the time they need you. It’s almost freaky. Hunched over their phone, they see a simple post from a nearby chiropractor and they connect—“my neck hurts.” While it’s not always that simple, being present in customers’ lives matters.

Social media offers astonishing power to get your message in front of the right people at the right time. Never before have we been able to be our own ad agency, creating content on the fly, shooting a quick video or writing a witty Facebook post.

Understanding customers, getting in front of them and giving them reason to pause to see what you have to offer may seem really difficult. Facebook has functionality that makes it practically seamless to craft content and serve it up on a platter to the right people.

Running a business is complicated enough. Marketing shouldn’t be. The beautiful thing about social media is that it is all about you being you. You already do that; it is what your customers expect. So give them what they want: You!

Dan Stocke is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Buzz Frenzy, a web-based software that automates Facebook advertising. For more information, call 218-461-9454, email [email protected] or visit BuzzFrenzy.com.