The Information Age has created a massive gap in the demand for traditional marketing services and products. In 2021 alone, email marketing was cited as the most popular online marketing channel with a 76% increase in engagement over earlier this decade.
Even worse, 78% of respondents in an HubSpot survey said their existing email marketing programs were not performing as well as they could be. This was found to be particularly frustrating for marketing leaders who have to navigate the demands and expectations of increasingly digital customers while continuing to grow and develop new business units.
If you’re looking to digitally market products and services to consumers online, this informational guide will help you build a solid foundation for your marketing efforts.
Create A Marketing Plan
If you’re looking to build a long-term brand strategy that will stand the test of time, you should begin with a solid marketing plan. According to HubSpot, building a solid marketing plan is among the most essential steps to take, as it will allow you to identify the right strategy and goals for your marketing efforts. More importantly, it will also give you a clear benchmark around which to gauge your progress.
The first step in the marketing plan creation process is to break down your goals and objectives. Start by identifying the problems you’re trying to solve (e.g. lackluster reviews, low consumer engagement, or a complete lack of brand awareness), and then brainstorm solutions to those problems. In doing so, you’ll not only develop specific goals for your marketing efforts, you’ll also have generated a list of potential problems that need to be solved. From there, you can develop a game plan to solve them.
Once you’ve developed a comprehensive marketing plan that sets you up for success, it’s time to get to work.
Research Key Performance Indicators
One of the first and most critical steps in the digital marketing process is to research key performance indicators. In order to do this, you need to define what you’ll be measuring and tracking across your plan. Key performance indicators are metrics that you can use to judge the success or failure of your marketing efforts. They can include things such as the number of people who clicked on a particular link, downloaded a product, or registered for a webinar.
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Once you’ve identified the key performance indicators that will allow you to track your progress, you can create an action plan to increase their number. For example, if you’re looking to increase the number of people who purchase a product after watching a video, you could create a series of action plans, such as, “I will create a new sales page with a video showcasing the product.” Or, “I will send out a monthly email to a select group of customers welcoming them to the community and providing them with helpful tips on how to use the product.” In each case, you’ll be able to effectively track your progress as you implement and tailor the plan to meet your goals.
Use Multiple Channels
With the plethora of communication channels available to consumers today, it’s virtually impossible to keep up with all of them. As a digital marketer, it’s your job to figure out which ones your customers use the most and then use those channels to your advantage. While social media has evolved to be a significant source of marketing information, it’s also a virtual sea of distractions. If you want to increase the effectiveness of your marketing strategy, you need to work with a company that can help you channel surf and find the right audience.
One of the best tools for doing this is a channel mixer. These platforms allow you to create multiple accounts, each with a different purpose, and then segment and target consumers based on their behavior on different channels. As you establish and grow your Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, you’ll be able to use a tool like this to ensure you’re reaching the right audience and engaging with them online.
Find Your Niche
If you’re starting a marketing campaign today, you’ll need to make sure that you’ve found a niche. As a digital marketer, you should work in a marketing firm that has the resources to identify your target audience and then build a marketing campaign that speaks to them. If you don’t have the resources within your own team, then it’s time to consider bringing in outside help. A good marketing team should have the capability to identify the problems you’re facing, come up with solutions, and then put those solutions into action. However, at the same time, you also need to be mindful of what your customers want and need. Without a clear understanding of your target audience’s needs and challenges, you’ll have a harder time figuring out effective marketing strategies.
Create Brand Awareness
As a brand new business or a business that has been around for a while but still lacks awareness, you need to put in the work to ensure that consumers are aware of your brand. One way of doing this is by creating a brand awareness strategy. A brand awareness strategy is a step-by-step plan that will help you develop and grow brand recognition among your target audience. It usually starts with a single focus group interview, during which you can identify key issues that your customers are facing and explore how others might perceive your brand. From there, you can develop a brand voice, platform, and style, before moving onto more traditional marketing tactics, such as, advertising or public relations. A good brand awareness strategy will form the basis of your marketing plan and allow you to track your progress as you implement and fine-tune your plan.
Once you’ve created a comprehensive online marketing strategy, it’s time to get to work. It’s not easy creating a digital marketing plan, and it takes a good amount of research and effort to ensure you’re doing your job correctly. Even then, though, you’ll only be able to get return on investment if you’re tracking your goals and measuring your results. So, it’s crucial that you begin by establishing key performance indicators, before you start spinning off all-out campaigns. If you want to transform your marketing efforts and begin seeing real results, it’s essential that you track your progress and implement a plan that will meet your needs.