In 2018, more and more businesses are moving to online marketing as a means to gain customers and to grow their business. It would be a missed opportunity not to provide an online marketing foundation to build upon.

An online marketing foundation is a set of skills and knowledge that provides the basis for developing successful online marketing campaigns. This includes everything from marketing research and analysis through to content creation and distribution via digital channels.

If you’re interested in setting up a marketing foundation to build your business, then this article is for you. Here, we’ll discuss how to build an online marketing foundation in 2018.

Step one: Identify the gaps in your knowledge base

As a business owner or marketer, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the right knowledge and tools to succeed. You can start by assessing your existing understanding of digital marketing and analysing where you could improve your skills. You can also look into identifying any specific knowledge gaps that you might have. For example, you might want to consider whether you have the required technical knowledge to design and implement a successful SEO strategy.

You can also proactively seek out training courses and e-learning modules that you might find helpful in terms of enhancing your skill set. By taking this step, you’ll be doing your business or marketing team a favor, as well as yourself, by expanding your knowledge base and enhancing your skill set.

Step two: Assess your existing digital marketing skills and analyse your strengths and weaknesses

Once you have a good idea of the knowledge gaps in your existing understanding, you can begin to work on enhancing your skills by focusing on one particular area at a time. To do this, you’ll need to set up a specific development plan that covers all of the areas of digital marketing that you feel you need to work on. This includes everything from analysis and interpretation of data to strategy and execution. To set up this plan, you’ll need to consider your existing digital marketing skills and analyse your strengths and weaknesses. Start by taking a look at your digital marketing efforts in the past and work on strengthening your weaknesses. Look for areas that you can benchmark your performance against and that can be improved upon.

Step three: Make a note of the tools you’ll need for the role

You don’t need an online marketing foundation to have a successful digital marketing campaign, but having the right tools can certainly make the process easier and more effective. To put it simply, without the right tools, even the most skilled of marketers can struggle to produce effective results. You’ll need to make a note of all of the tools you’ll need for this role and ensure that you have them at your disposal. Some of the more popular and helpful tools in this area include Google Analytics, Hootsuite, and Adobe Audience Manager.

You’ll also need to consider investing in other tools that can make your life as a marketer easier. For example, consider investing in a transcription service to help you develop SEO content, or invest in a quality video editing suite so that you can produce compelling videos to use in marketing.

Step four: Create a detailed plan for educational and development activities

You’ll need to create a detailed plan for all of the activities that you undertake to strengthen your digital marketing skills. Create a schedule that covers all of the learning activities that you have planned and break these down into weekly, or at least, monthly activities. You should also consider sticking to a formal schedule, so that you can track your progress and ensure you stay focused on your objectives. A schedule and a plan will help you to stay focused and ensure that you don’t miss out on any valuable learning opportunities.

Alongside creating a detailed plan for your educational and development activities, you’ll also need to consider creating a plan for how you’ll implement what you’ve learned. This entails creating a set of goals and objectives that align with what you’ve learned and developing a plan of action that maps out how you’ll achieve these goals. This is where you can begin to consider the various online marketing channels that you might use to achieve your goals and the types of content that you’ll use to build your following.

The final step in the process is to review your plan and consider whether you’ve achieved your objectives. By taking the time to do this, you’ll be able to determine whether you’ve made a worthwhile investment of your time and whether or not what you’ve learned will be applicable to your business. If you feel that you’ve not yet reached your goals, then you might want to consider taking a step back and re-evaluating your plan. Remember to stay persistent and be diligent in your efforts, as you’ll be learning a lot and quickly expanding your knowledge base, which will undoubtedly be beneficial to your business.

In conclusion, in order to build an online marketing foundation, you need to consider the following: