Digital marketing strategy is an essential component of any modern business marketing strategy.
Due to advancements in online technologies both consumers and businesses, digital marketing campaigns have changed the current landscape.
The digital marketing strategies outlined below showcase the steps your business should take to increase its visibility and customer reach.
What is a Digital Marketing Strategy?
A digital marketing strategy is a series of actions that are designed to assist a business to accomplish its business goals using online marketing channels.
What the Numbers Say?
According to Ring lead, 85% of B2B marketers placed lead generation among their most important content marketing goal within their digital marketing strategy.
Strategic IC reports that companies that automate lead management post an increase of 10% or more in sales revenue within a 6-9 months period.
Benefits of a Digital Marketing Strategy
Having a digital marketing strategy accords a business with numerous benefits as outlined below.
• Branded Digital Content is Superior
72% of marketers believe that branded digital content is more effective than advertising in magazines while 69% say that it’s more superior to direct mail and public relations, this is according to research carried out by NewsCred.
• Marketing Analytics
A Digital marketing tool can provide your business with analytics showing your target customers preferences and actions.
This provides you with deeper insights into your customer’s journey, enabling you to optimize your marketing strategies effectively.
• Connect With Mobile Phone Users
82% of Google searches were done through mobile devices in 2018. Therefore the ability to connect with your target customer base through mobile is definitely a game changer.
Digital marketing strategies have got mobile components embedded within them to make this a reality.
• Business Competitiveness
Digital marketing is among the strongest component of any business marketing strategy and it represents the future of marketing strategies.
The Implementation of digital marketing strategies in your business will enable it to remain competitive.
Digital Marketing Strategies and Techniques
The digital landscape is competitive having many digital marketing techniques you can implement.
I have outlined a list of digital marketing techniques which your business can use to increase its digital footprint.
• SEO
SEO is among the most essential components for digital marketing techniques, therefore you should stay up-to-date with the latest SEO developments.
Google SERPs are now being determined by your HTTP status. Websites with secure URLs .i.e. HTTPS are being given more preference than web pages with HTTP which is considered as being less secure.
• Search Engine Marketing
Usually abbreviated as SEM, it is a form of internet marketing where you increase your SERPs ranking on search engines through the use of paid advertising.
Google Adwords provides a number of digital marketing options for businesses to advertise your products and content on users SERPs.
You can use the advertising options available on most social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter etc.
• Local Search Marketing
Google SERPs is giving preference to businesses that have optimized their contact information through the Google My Business feature.
This feature enables your business to appear on Google maps when a user’s queries a search term relevant to your focus keywords.
• Content Marketing
Content marketing involves keeping your content valuable, relevant and consistent with your brand.
It attracts new customers to your brand and retains your existing customers resulting in increased conversions and revenue earnings.
The current focus in content marketing is the development of content that is creating mobile-friendly that can be displayed effectively on a variety of mobile devices and operating system platforms.
• Remarketing
Remarketing is the targeting of customers through ads display on websites who had previously shown an interest in your product but weren’t able to purchase them at that time.
The targeting of these customers is done through the use of cookies and it’s an extremely effective method.
This is because those customers had previously interacted with your brand, making it much easier in converting them into buyers.
• Email Marketing
Email marketing is regarded as the most effective digital marketing tool for increasing your brand’s sales and conversion rates.
Email platforms are usually free unless you’re using a premium email platform which comes with additional features and tools.
• Marketing Automation
Technological advancement within the digital marketing space has enabled the automation of marketing processes resulting in less staff expenditure which contributes to an increase in revenue.
Many of the CRM platforms in the market today come with inbuilt marketing automation features making them extremely cost effective for most businesses.
• Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing involves the use of people with many followers.
These followers are known to follow what their follower who is usually celebrities recommend as their desired product and service.
Getting the appropriate influence to promote your brand is extremely important for achieving your business marketing objectives.
Check out the major social media channels and see which people have got sizeable followers and regularly post content that is relevant to your brand.
Digital Marketing Strategy Guide
A digital marketing strategy guide consists of the necessary steps that a business should undertake to achieve its digital marketing campaign objectives.
Step 1: Identify Your Goals
Define your business mission and objectives at the onset as these determine which digital marketing strategies your business will implement.
Your business key performance (KPs) and analytical tools are identified and agreed upon at this stage.
Step 2: Analyse Past Strategies
Analyze your past digital marketing strategies if any.
Choose a time period similar in length to your proposed digital marketing strategy you wish to implement.
It is always a good idea to analyze your competitors’ marketing strategy.
Use SEMrush to identify the SEO strategies of your competitors and the search terms which they’re using to drive the largest volume of traffic to their website.
Step 3: Identify Your Target Audience
Having a good product isn’t enough for you still got to sell to the right customer.
Take your time in gathering data on your target audience is.
You will then use that data to build a buyer persona of them.
A buyer persona will assist you in developing an effective digital marketing strategy.
Step 4: Identify your Means
Your means consist of available budget, a team of people and the digital channels you propose to use.
You define your budget by analyzing your historical data to see what worked and which specific digital channels brought you the most conversions with the least amount of money.
Where you intend to place your ads .i.e. Facebook, Instagram, sponsored ads, banner ads also determines your budget allocation.
Assess your current team on skills and ability to deliver on the digital marketing campaign and make the necessary arrangements .i.e. hiring new people or even outsourcing the campaign to an outside company.
Review your current digital marketing channels and direct your resources to the ones that show the most promise in delivering to your expectations.
I would recommend that you have at least one KPI attached to each of your digital channels and periodically evaluate their progress so as make the necessary adjustments towards the digital marketing campaign.
Step 5: Create the Strategy Plan
Consolidate all your data and create a tentative digital marketing strategy.
Your digital marketing strategy is a living document which will constantly require tweaking and adjusting to suit the current circumstances.
You should create a digital marketing calendar that will consist of the critical campaigns spread out through the year.
Developing a timeframe for these activities will assist you to plan well ahead and increase the chances of a successful implementation of the strategy.
Step 6: Measure Your Results
It is said that whatever can’t get measured, doesn’t get done and that holds true with a digital marketing strategy.
You should constantly measure and monitor the performance of your digital marketing strategy and adjust the components accordingly.
Digital Marketing Campaign Case Studies
I have outlined a couple of digital marketing campaign case studies for well-known brands, highlighting the strategies they implemented.
GoPro | www.gopro.com
Digital Strategy: User-Generated Video Content
GoPro is famous for its ability to capture outstanding action footage through their patented fisheye lens.
GoPro encourages its users to upload and share videos of their adventures on their YouTube channel which users also credit to GoPro.
This marketing campaign has immensely attributed to the growth of the GoPro brand.
Wayfair | www.wayfair.com
Digital Strategy: Instagram Tags
Wayfair is a home furnishings and decor merchant.
It has implemented a digital marketing strategy using Instagram to showcase the intimate side of its brand.
The company uses Instagram’s product tags to showcase its amazing home decor products tagging them with price labels.
It shows people how exactly the products look within a home setting resulting in an increase in sale conversions.
Red Bull | www.redbull.com
Digital Strategy: Lifestyle News
Red Bull is better known for the sponsorship of extreme sports and the energy drink it sells.
The extreme sports niche resonates with the target audience of the energy drink, therefore, it’s a win-win solution for both parties.
Red Bull provides its target audience with numerous articles and videos of the extreme sports niche further cementing the brand into the minds and lifestyle of their target audience.
Conclusion
A digital marketing strategy guide is an extremely document essential in helping your brand achieve its greatest possible success in a digital marketing campaign.
If adhered to diligently, a digital marketing strategy guide mitigates your business from huge losses caused by lack of planning, wastage of resources and increases your chances of success in sales and revenue conversions.
Please tell me in comments’ section which digital marketing strategy is best for today’s businesses.
Which strategy you are currently using to promote your business?