It’s amazing how many marketing teams don’t have an actual digital marketing strategy. Planning your digital marketing strategy is something very common that many organizations lack. All-to-often we get requests for SEO or PPC or even a fully-baked website redesign, with little to no thought about the overall strategy. Now sometimes these tactics are the right answer, but many times people are looking for the shiny fix
Digital Marketing Strategy is really a marketing channel strategy that guides decisions which are informed by insights on customer channel behavior and marketplace activity. Marketplace activities include media channels, competitor actions, and intermediaries. To determine major objectives for future online and offline, contribution percentages should be the major driving force of your digital marketing strategy. Digital marketing strategy defines how we hit our channel leads and sales targets. Your digital marketing strategy needs clearly defined KPI’s to improve the efficiency of customer acquisition and retention. To define your KPI’s you really need to know who you are talking to. The best practice is to prioritize your target audiences by channel. A strategy also communicates the benefits of using those digital channels and delivers relevant experiences through a content or engagement strategy.
Benefits of Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy:
- Specific Goals are Defined for your Business
How does your business make money? What are its core values? Where will you be in 5 years? Defining goals clearly communicates your wants and desires to your team, both internal and externally. - Good Understanding of Your Customers Needs
What are your customers looking for on your website? How about off of your website and on your competitor’s website? - Specifics pertaining to digital marketing are defined
Digital marketing has its own needs, and while it is integrated with your overall marketing and business objectives, it requires specific details around what is needed. - Quality Brand Value Proposition
What makes your company unique, and how can you differentiate yourself from the others out there. - Great Channel Integration
Discovering what channels your customers are using and which ones you can reach them, when is key to your digital marketing success. - Marketing Automation
Are you using marketing automation? Where? Are there opportunities to send out a drip campaign via your email platform. Probably. - Less Duplication of Efforts
Clearly defining your strategy saves everyone time as it clearly defines where you are and what you are trying to achieve. - Directed Efforts
You can focus on your goals with clear and precise execution rather than guesses and tiring effort. - Efficient Resources
What we said prior but saving time and effort is good for the bottom line. - Spotting Opportunities as they arise
Get ahead of it all instead of playing catch up or keeping up with the Jones’
How To Start Your Digital Marketing Strategy
- Start With Structured Planning
- Review your business’s current situation
- Set SMART Objectives
- Define a Digital Marketing Strategy that works for your business
- Contact Big Storm today for help with planning your digital marketing strategy
Sources:
PR Smith SOSTAC® Framework
David Chaffey, Smart Insights