A digital marketing strategy is a plan to increase brand awareness or grow sales using digital channels. Digital channels include everything from your own website and email campaigns to social media and blogs. A good digital marketing strategy helps you reach your customers wherever they want to interact with you by providing several opportunities to learn about, interact with, and possibly even purchase from your business. You can hire a marketing pro to create your digital marketing strategy as part of a larger marketing plan or on its own. Either way, your professional will most likely provide you with a comprehensive plan that leverages your website, email list, social media, and outreach.
If you choose to plan your own digital marketing strategy, choose a strategy that incorporates the action you want your potential customers to take and the tactics you will use to guide them toward the desired next steps. You may need to revise your strategy and tactics over time, especially if you need to adjust your customer profile or if you are learning as you go. If this is the case, try to adjust one element at a time so you can determine which changes make the greatest positive impact.
Determine the overall strategy first, then list out the tactics that you will use on each platform to enact that strategy. It's helpful to work through one element of your brand at a time, especially if do your digital marketing on your own. Start with the elements and platforms that are most under your control. You determine how your website looks and the content that you place on your site. You write your email campaigns and newsletters and tailor them directly to your customers. You also write your social media posts and curate the posts (by others) that you share.
Once you have a strong website, a great open rate on your emails, and a growing social media presence, begin to consider paid advertising (e.g. pay-per-click and sponsored social media posts) and also to reach out to bloggers and media. Again, work with your strategy first. Determine whether your overall strategy will work for a paid campaign and/or media outreach. If so, list your tactics to create paid ads and implement an outreach program that attracts the right customers and converts. For example, select your partners based on your customer profile. Choose the media outlets that your potential customers read or that will build your credibility as a brand. If you want to read more about how to select the right media, you can read the 'Find the Right Media for Your Marketing Message' article.
It will take some time (or money, if you decide to hire someone) to develop the right digital marketing strategy for your business, but it's well worth the effort to connect with your customers.
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