Is the thought of online marketing making you want to pull your hair out?
It can be overwhelming to figure out how to get a digital marketing strategy up and running. You know it is essential, but you don't know where to start or the process to implement.
You've probably asked yourself, 'can my business benefit from digital marketing?' If so, how? How can I drive traffic to my site? Do I need a blog? How and what should I post on social media? How do I convert audience members to customers, and how should I develop a digital strategy?
Businesses all across the globe struggle with digital marketing and find it hard to get their strategy off the ground.
Many start but then give up as the landscape can be confusing, and they seek help from an agency, training courses, or a specialist.
We've put together our top 5 things to consider for your business.
1 Knowing where to start
If your business requires you to reach and find customers to sell your products or services online- you need a digital marketing plan; start by evaluating your starting point.
There are many things to consider when deciding whether or not to pursue digital marketing. If you're starting from scratch, consider these questions:
Do I have a plan? Do I know how to reach customers and what I want to say? Start by conducting your internal SWOT and then brainstorm what messages you want to get across to your consumers.
Do I have a content calendar?
Who is my target audience? Break this down by conducting a buyer and customer persona profile. Understand who you are targeting to support your messaging and channel strategy.
What are my goals for this campaign? Develop your marketing goals and KPI. Your marketing goals must align with your business objectives.
Use organic marketing tactics such as SEO and Search Engine Marketing.
How much money are you willing to spend on brand campaigns?
How can I measure the success or failure of this campaign? You can look at the conversion goal.
2 Do you have an existing digital strategy?
It is vital to remember that building a good strategy is a pillar for everything you do, and it will act as your guide to support you in achieving your business goals.
A digital strategy should contain:
Clearly defined digital marketing goals (ex: increase brand awareness, increase sales conversion).
An evaluation of the current landscape internally and externally e,g, what can you do differently and change that provides better results, and what can you plan for the future? Are any economic factors on the horizon that you can avoid or take advantage of?
Set KPIs. You should also include the channels you'll use to achieve these goals, e.g., email, social media, PR, and advertising.
3 How much time do you have to dedicate to your digital marketing strategy?
Take into account the day-to-day running of your business and map out a suitable time to allocate to your marketing objectives. Seek support if needed.
Do not get lost and end up going down the rabbit holes of SEO, SEM, and Content Marketing and lose sight of your tactical approach.
Plan your time wisely; there are three questions you should ask yourself before implementing a digital marketing strategy.
How much time do YOU have available?
Team availability?
How well will your current employees/partners/suppliers be able to support the overall goals of your business in terms of their skillset and experience levels within their respective fields (e.g., web design vs. content creation)?
4 What is your budget?
The one question everyone tries to avoid but is crucial when considering digital marketing is: "What is my budget?"
Setting this out from the offset is crucial as it will determine how you allocate your resources. If your budget is tight, be more tactful with your efforts to get the desired results.
You may choose to ensure creative designs are done in-house instead of outsourcing, focusing on SEO and not SEM, and working with brand advocates to support the amplification of your content.
However, if you are willing to invest, this increases your chances of connecting with potential customers, generating leads quicker, and converting.
When determining your budget, say for a campaign launch, you must consider all the areas that may require spending for your marketing strategy to produce positive results.
Things to consider for a marketing budget campaign:
Copywriter
Creative design and development
Google paid advertising
Social media Ad spend
Marketing specialist
5 Get expert help with your digital marketing.
If you're new to digital marketing and aren't sure whether or not it is what you need. Consider hiring a digital agency, work with a consultant who can guide you and provide strategic offsite, or complete a short course masterclass equipping yourself with the fundamentals needed to kick start your digital marketing efforts.