The last few months have felt like a blur. Just when you thought the pandemic was over, it came back with a vengeance. Just when you thought life as you knew it was going to return to normal, the world changed again. Now it’s just you and your family wondering how you’re going to get through this time together.

To help you make the most of these last few months of 2020, we’ve gone back to the drawing board and come up with a plan to reboot your digital marketing strategy and equip you with the basics you need to succeed.

Here’s what we know:

• The economy is slowly but surely trying to recover.
• Millennials, Gen Z, and other digitally native generations have completely different expectations of products and services than previous generations.
• To keep your customers engaged, you must keep pumping out new content regularly.
• Traditional marketing tactics like TV advertising and magazine spreads are being disrupted by new platforms like social media and influencer marketing.

With those principals in mind, here’s what you need to know.

The Basics Of A Digital Marketing Campaign

If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the news in 2020, you’ll know that the field is far from settled when it comes to digital marketing. The very basics of what makes a marketing campaign “digital” changed with the times and now, more than ever, if you’re not evolving with the trends, you’ll fall behind.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of what you need to know, it’s important to set the stage. What does “digital marketing” mean to you?

When we say “digital marketing”, we’re essentially talking about advertising and marketing efforts via digital platforms, generally speaking. While the field is ever-changing, these are the pillars that have supported the industry for years:

Digital Advertising

The very first thing you need to know about a digital marketing campaign is that you must have an advertising budget. Even during a time when most companies are struggling to find budgets, advertisers are still shelling out huge dollars for digital ads. Why? Because people are beginning to realize the power of digital advertising. You can target the right audience, reach the right people, and measure the success of your campaign with precision.

The first step in formulating a plan to launch a digital marketing campaign is to set an ad budget. This is something that is very similar to setting a budget for traditional TV advertising, magazine spreads, and other marketing tactics. Once you have that, you can move on to the next step.

Inbound Marketing And Marketing Automation

Inbound marketing is a framework that focuses on educating and inspiring your audience rather than lecturing them like in a traditional marketing campaign. Inbound marketing is a mindset—a set of strategies and approaches—rather than a set of tactics. When executed effectively, inbound marketing can be just as effective as traditional marketing campaigns.

One of the hallmarks of a well-executed inbound marketing campaign is the automated, machine-based approach. Inbound marketing is a trend-setter in this regard and pioneers, like HubSpot, have made it their mission to eliminate as much hand-work as possible, freeing up marketers to focus on growing and managing their business rather than the minutiae of individual campaigns.

Personal Branding

The world is on the cusp of a major shift when it comes to marketing. Consumers want to work with brands they know, trust, and feel connected to. As a result, personal branding and marketing are emerging as the preferred marketing styles of the future. If you want to succeed as a marketer in this shifting world, you need to find your own identity and develop a personal brand that sets you apart from the rest.

To develop your personal brand, you need to become an expert in your field and know exactly what you’re talking about. You then need to build a portfolio that demonstrates your expertise and knowledge. When pitching to potential employers, demonstrate that you’ve done your research and you’re well-versed in the subjects you’re discussing. This will make you much more attractive to a potential employer.

Once you’ve built your identity and brand, you need to take a step back and ask yourself, “How can I build a presence online that will make people want to know more about me?” You need to develop an elevator pitch—a short, sweet description of your brand that you can use to pitch to an employer or potential partner.

Analytics And Tracking

To develop an effective digital marketing campaign, you must be able to measure its success. Without analytics, it’s difficult to determine which tactics worked and which ones didn’t. Without tracking pixels, it’s near-impossible to know which advertisements or social media posts were the most effective. Without good tracking and analytics, it’s impossible to determine what changes you should make to improve the performance of your campaign in the future.

Content

The content you put out there does not exist in a vacuum. You need to have content in place to promote your brand, products, and services. What’s more is, you need to keep the interest of your audience without irritating them.

The best content will be relevant to your target audience, engaging, and provide value. To determine the right content for your campaign, you must first identify the key words or phrases that your audience uses to search for content. Next, create content that includes these words, using platforms like Google Docs or a similar online word processor.

Competition

If you’re marketing a product or service and you don’t have any direct competitors in your market, you can rest assured that no one else is going to swoop in and steal your customers. However, in most cases, you’re competing with millions of other products and services for the attention of your potential customers. To stand out, you need to do something unique, extraordinary, or provide a better service or experience than your competitors.

In most cases, your best chance of emerging victorious from a digital marketing showdown is by being the best—by using the right platforms, implementing inbound marketing strategies and tactics, and building a solid team.