Digital marketing is like a puzzle: You select the pieces that fit with your business goals and bring them together to create a cohesive image.
Marketing your business without a digital marketing strategy is like trying to put a puzzle together without having the picture on the box to guide you. Developing a digital marketing strategy ensures that you’re always focusing your resources (time and money) on working towards your business goals.
We’re all busy and there are so many places where you can advertise online. If you don’t have all the time and/or money to do it all, by creating a strategy, you’ll learn which digital marketing channels to focus on, and you’ll know what to say to attract your target audience and the stage of consideration that they are at.
What’s the first step in creating a digital marketing strategy?
When putting your puzzle together, nearly everyone starts with the edge pieces to build the framework. When planning a marketing strategy, the frame is created by defining your SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals.
An example of a SMART goal would be:
Increase organic website traffic by 30% within 12 months by posting SEO optimised blog content twice a month.
Or:
Increase e-commerce sales revenue by 20% within the next 4 months by using google ads to target high intent keywords.
How do I define my target market?
Your target market is another key outer piece of your puzzle. Ask yourself who are your current customers and, where possible, answer the questions with data such as: How old are they? Where do they live? What’s important to them? What do they want to hear? Is there another demographic who could also use your product but that you aren’t currently targeting?
Determine what resources you have available
What is your marketing budget and how much of that can be directed to your digital marketing efforts? How much time does your marketing team (or person) have to work towards your goals? What digital assets do you already have? For example, you may already have an SEO-optimised website (or maybe you need to update your site), but your social media audience is low and needs a boost.
Research the current landscape
Look into what is working well and what needs improving in your current marketing and your competitors’ marketing. Is there something that none of your competitors are doing that you can do well?
Fill in the inner pieces of the puzzle
Ultimately, you can’t finish the puzzle without having every piece in the right place, so now it’s time to consider the marketing tactics that you’ll use to get to where you want to be.
With the myriad digital marketing channels out there, how can you use each one to bring your potential customers through a journey from discovering your product to becoming staunch brand ambassadors?
In marketing we talk about bringing people through a funnel, attracting a large group of prospective customers which are then narrowed down to those who will complete a transaction. Throughout the funnel, the language, imagery and tactics will change.
At the top of the funnel is awareness. Prospective customers stumble across your product or service on social media because an influencer has promoted it.
The next stage is interest. After seeing your product on social media, the customers might visit your website to learn more.
After this, desire. Using re-targeting ads, you can show the customer more info, such as through video testimonials, to build their desire towards purchasing.
Then action. A limited-time offer can increase urgency and clinch the purchase.
Finally, it’s time to work on turning a one-time purchaser into a life-long purchaser and brand ambassador. Loyalty programmes can encourage repeat purchases and referrals.
Every single puzzle piece is important. A customer needs multiple touchpoints with your brand before they will purchase so it’s important to make sure you’re connecting with your target market in the ways they can be readily reached.
But we aren’t done yet! Now it’s time to test and measure
Each piece doesn’t always fit in the puzzle how you think it will first time you place it on the table. You might need to move it around a little before you get it right.
In digital marketing, we test and measure. Advertising platforms like Google Ads and Meta Ads give us the ability to load multiple potential headlines, messaging and imagery to create variations of your ad. Once the ad has been running for a little while, we can dive into the analytics and see which creative is working best and then optimise the ads by using the best content.
Our top tip when setting a digital marketing strategy: review, review, review.
It’s important to use a digital marketing strategy as a working document. As you gain more data from your marketing efforts, review and change course if necessary. Unfortunately, this isn’t a puzzle that’s going to stay put together forever! The marketing landscape is ever-changing so it’s important to keep an eye out for new opportunities. A prime example of this is the fast rise of AI which is completely changing the way people search for content.
We can help.
When you are in the middle of a puzzle, with pieces scattered everywhere, sometimes you need someone to come in with a fresh perspective. Get in touch with us to work with you on a digital marketing strategy that will help you reach the right people at the right time and the right place.
