It’s probably safe to assume that digital marketing is a substantial part of your overall marketing strategy. Indeed, today’s consumers and businesspeople are constantly connected and on the go, making it absolutely essential for marketers to place their content and analytics where it will reach them.
Any marketing strategy created by a business is designed to achieve a specific marketing-related goal (or multiple goals). The basis of a digital marketing strategy is the same, as it must take a targeted and actionable approach. Developing a digital marketing strategy can seem like a challenge if your business is new to this space. Here are the essentials for creating a foolproof digital marketing strategy.
#1 Analyze and assess the landscape
No strategy will go very far without thoroughly examining and analyzing the environment you are about to enter. After all, with this knowledge, you can begin to create a clear understanding of your customers and how well you stack up against your competition.
Start by analyzing your digital performance over previous years. You need to develop a deeper understanding of what worked and what didn’t. Moreover, it is essential to learn Why your previous strategy may or may not have succeeded.
Next, take a close look at your competitors. What does their digital presence look like? This is one of the many benefits of digital marketing – it’s easy to see what your competitors are doing. But, of course, you also need to know more about your customers. Both Facebook Insights and Google Trends are free tools that help uncover details about your audience.
#2 Make a strategy map
Determine what you want to achieve and how you plan to achieve it – this is the foundation of your strategy map. The GSOT framework is a great starting point! GSOT stands for Goals, Strategies, Objectives and Tactics that will help you align your marketing decisions with your plan.
- Goals are high-level goals you want to achieve. For example, it might be to increase sales by 7% or get 250 people to register for an event.
- The approach you take to achieve your goals is your strategy. Marketing funnel stages are commonly used to describe this – you can choose to target awareness, interest, desire, or action.
- Goals are numbers that can be measured and tied to a specific goal. For example, if I want to increase sales by 7% this year, I can set a goal of generating 250 leads or reaching 500 people.
- Your tactical must be well aligned with your goals. For example, if I need 250 leads, I can use a landing page combined with a webinar and social media to attract new leads.
Establishing a clear strategy will allow you to focus your efforts on the areas that will most likely lead to business success. There is no shortage of things you could do in digital marketing. the problem is figuring out what to do.
#3 Determine who you want to reach
Digital marketing offers the possibility of distributing campaigns with precise targeting. Be as detailed as possible, going beyond standard demographic targeting. Create buyer personas for your target customer to learn more about them. Building granular target audiences has never been more accessible.
#4 Develop your content strategy
Develop a content strategy based on your marketing goals and target audience. This should help you determine which main topics or content compartments to include in your run. Some businesses outsource their content strategy to a professional digital marketing firm like Just 99 Web Design, while others tackle this business on their own.
#5 Establish your tactics and channels
Choose the channels most likely to deliver the best results after identifying the material and content that resonates best with your audience. It is important to consider all the digital channels, tools and approaches available to you. Next, prioritize your options using the technique you designed in your strategy. Finally, think about how each channel helps you achieve your targets and goals.
#6 Establish performance benchmarks and key performance indicators
More often than not, businesses start executing but cannot determine whether their efforts are yielding results or not. Every activity you focus on should have a defined KPI, or key performance indicator, that you can use to gauge its success. Then set benchmarks. What you are aiming to achieve is your benchmark. In email marketing, for example, my KPI might be email open rate for a specific campaign, and the benchmark might be 25% or more.
#7 Use best practices in your execution
The devil is often in the details. If you skip the execution steps, you may not get the desired results. Spend time making sure you’re following best practices. Digital marketing is changing rapidly and what worked last year may need to be changed to work now. Remember that it is better to do a few things well than to do a lot of things badly.
#8 Analyze and make the necessary adjustments
The flexibility to pivot and adapt is one of the things that makes digital marketing so effective. You don’t have to set a rigid schedule and stick to it. For example, if an ad isn’t working, pause it and try a new creative.
Run an A/B comparison test with alternate calls to action if your website isn’t converting visitors. Staying flexible and versatile is essential when executing a successful digital marketing strategy.
Final Thoughts
With digital marketing, it’s easy to get caught up in the tactics because you’re probably being offered new ideas or tools every week. Instead, developing a clear plan and staying focused are the keys to improving your performance.
A laser-focused strategy means you understand precisely how each component of your strategy contributes to your goals and propels your business forward. Of course, always be open to new ideas, but remember that the most important thing to keep in mind is to ask yourself if they serve your overall strategy. If you need help with a digital marketing strategy, contact Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency help. Just 99 Web Design is a leading agency that provides exceptional services.