How to create a digital marketing strategy
The need for a digital marketing strategy stems from the high rate of digital media usage. Computers, tablets, smartphones, game consoles, the list of digital devices is endless. New opportunities are emerging for entrepreneurs to communicate their products to online customers. Find out how to step up your digital marketing strategy professionally in this article.
What is a digital marketing strategy?
A digital marketing strategy refers to measures taken to achieve economic goals digitally or virtually. The strategy developed, must be consistent with the defined objectives and the framework of the company.
In a digital strategy, the goals are achieved through online marketing channels. For example, a digital marketing goal could be to achieve 20% more sales through a website. This goal can include different variables. The elaborated strategy decides the approach to the emerging variables.
Is a digital marketing strategy the same as a digital marketing campaign?
The terms “strategy” and “campaign” are often considered synonyms in the context of digital marketing.
The strategy shows how primary marketing goals are to be achieved. The campaign contains individual elements that make up the strategy. A campaign moves the digital marketing goal forward incrementally with the help of individual elements.
Types of digital marketing
Every business needs a clear strategy to work effectively. If the conceptualized strategies are followed diligently, the probability of making the right decisions is much higher, aimless spontaneous ideas or inspirations are avoided, and energy is saved for the essentials.
Digital marketing is characterized by various manifestations. The most common forms of digital marketing include:
- E-mail marketing
- Content marketing
- Pay per click advertising
- Social media marketing
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Affiliate marketing
A successful digital marketing strategy should include all of the above elements in a well-thought-out, cohesive plan. A professional marketing plan that includes all elements will save time, energy, and money.
How to create your digital marketing strategy
Developing a digital marketing strategy does not have to be a complex task. We will show you 5 simple steps to a digital marketing strategy that can provide a foundational framework for your business.
1 Define the target audience
Before effective marketing can take place, the target audience must be accurately determined. Conducting an analytical evaluation of the website is considered an effective method. Alternatively, surveys and conversations with sales or customer service can also help. Such evaluations provide new insights regarding the age, intentions, and challenges of the customers.
2 Define the goals
A goal should be specific and motivating. “Generate more revenue,” or “win more customers” are not good examples of specifically defined goals. To successfully define a goal, it helps to look at the SMART concept. SMART is an acronym for:
Specific
Measurable
Accepted
Realistic
Scheduled
3 Make assessments
In the third step, the marketing strategy is already in full swing. Accordingly, a review of all previous activities is due. What has worked well and what, not so well? It is a good opportunity to create visual and text material to record the results and re-use them if necessary.
4 Clarify practical issues
A variety of creative ideas are certainly beneficial but creativity is not of much use if there are not enough resources to implement them. At this point, it is important to realistically assess all further measures and to precisely identify the available resources.
The following aspects comprise the identification of the own means:
Available budget: How much money can you spend on marketing activities?
Personnel planning: Do you have enough employees or do you need to outsource tasks?
Marketing channels: Which marketing channels can you use? What goals are you pursuing through each channel?
These practical questions should be clarified from the outset in order to avoid stumbling blocks and to generate the best possible success within the scope of your entrepreneurial possibilities.
5 Planning
Ideally, optimal planning is done via a calendar in which all essential elements are brought together. For example, a clear spreadsheet is an excellent way to record and document email newsletter campaigns. In the long run, the plan often slightly differs from what was initially chosen as the strategy but mistakes and differences are a part of it!
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