In today’s world, the internet makes it much easier for potential customers to find your products and service. Thanks to the wide availability of digital marketing tools that can be accessed from any computer or mobile device, you have the ability to market your products and services online and across multiple digital platforms.

However, with great power comes great responsibility. You may develop an online presence that is unproductive, filled with meaningless content or even detrimental to your business. To ensure that your digital marketing efforts are performing at their optimal level and that you are utilizing the tools at your disposal effectively, it is essential that you put in place the right policies and procedures to manage your digital marketing strategy.

What follows is a guide to help you efficiently build, implement and regularly review your digital marketing strategy.

Set A Budget

While it is great to have a healthy budget and be able to spend what you need to grow your business, you must set a budget for your digital marketing efforts. Just because you have the ability to spend money on marketing does not mean that you should. Marketing is a process that requires planned spending and measurable results. Setting a budget will assist you in keeping track of your marketing activities, and hopefully, you will be able to remove some of the excess spending that could otherwise eat into your profit.

Hire Consultants

If you are unsure of what your business needs in terms of marketing or how to position yourself as an expert in your industry, you should consider hiring a professional. Consultants can help you identify your target audience and determine what actions you need to take to reach your audience. They can also help develop an effective content strategy, assist with SEO and drive traffic to your site. Hiring a marketing consultant is not a bad idea, and it can certainly prove to be beneficial. Remember, business owners without experience in digital marketing fall into the trap of overexposure and spamming which can do more harm than good to your brand. So, if you are looking into hiring a marketing consultant, make sure that you only hire the best.

Create An Online Brand Guide

Your brand voice and aesthetic should be reflected in every aspect of your business, including your website. This is why it is important to create a brand guide for your website. A website brand guideline will assist you in ensuring that your site reflects your business’s identity and can be used as a reference point for all marketing and design activities. When creating your online brand guide, you should look to incorporate the following elements:

• The site’s architecture and design
• The type of content you want to feature
• Your target audience
• The brand voice you want to project
• The image you want to convey
• Links to other parts of the website (e.g., social media platforms)
• Contact details (e.g., phone, email, website)

Ensure that each of these elements are considered and crafted thoughtfully, and you will have an effective website that accurately portrays your brand voice. To learn more, check out this helpful guide to creating a brand guide for your business website.

Hire A Social Media Manager

If you are active on social media, you know how important it can be to have a social media manager who can assist you in creating engaging content and gaining traction on various platforms.

A social media manager can help you launch your product or service onto the various platforms and also assist with day-to-day operations such as content curation, responding to queries, and dealing with negative comments. What’s more, by hiring a social media manager, you are saving time that you would have had to spend engaging with your followers on social media platforms manually.

To learn more, check out this detailed guide on how to choose a social media manager, or, if you are looking to grow your social media presence, consider using a tool like Hootsuite to assist you in managing your account. With Hootsuite, you can set up multiple accounts (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook), and engage with your followers across all platforms simultaneously.

Set Up Regular Reviews

It is important to set aside a specific time each week to review and plan your marketing activities for the following week. This is particularly important if you are looking to optimize your results or want to track the effectiveness of your online marketing strategy. Set aside at least half an hour every week to review what you did in the previous week and plan for the following week. By doing this, you ensure that you are constantly improving your strategy and taking into consideration the data that is being presented to you.

Have A Clear Plan For Measurement

As we mentioned above, marketing is a process that contains both planned and unplanned activities. This is why it is important to have a clear plan for measurement. Just because you have a plan to increase web traffic, does not mean that you will increase your web traffic or even recognize that you have done so. To ensure that you are meeting your objectives, you must have a clear methodology for measuring and evaluating your results. This includes assessing the amount of website traffic you are receiving, the type of content that is attracting the most interest, and which platforms are delivering this interest. By having a clear plan for measurement, you will be able to determine the effectiveness of your online marketing strategy and whether or not the time and resources you have invested are paying off.

Use All The Right Metrics

To truly understand the performance of your marketing strategy, you must be looking at the right metrics. When creating a marketing plan, you will have considered the various platforms you will use to disseminate your content, and the demographics you are targeting. Now, you must consider the metrics that will allow you to track your progress and the results of your strategy.

What are the most suitable metrics for measuring the results of your marketing strategy? Consider using the following metrics:

• Website traffic (e.g., visits, page views)
• Social media metrics (e.g., follows, likes, posts)
• Search engine rankings (e.g., Google search results)
• Sales (e.g., orders, inquiries)
• Media impressions (e.g., articles, videos, and podcasts that refer to or mention your product)

By integrating these various platforms, you can gain a better understanding of how your content is performing across multiple channels and gain a clearer picture of the results of your efforts. With this information, you can then determine if or where you should allocate more resources and attention.

As you can see, setting up a digital marketing team doesn’t have to be complicated. With a little planning and cooperation between different departments, you can ensure that your marketing strategy is executed efficiently and the results you desire are achieved. With the proper use of digital marketing tools, it is possible to generate more leads and make more sales online. So, if you are interested in expanding your business into the digital space, consider using one of the services discussed above or create your own in-house team to properly manage your online marketing strategy.