How To Create a Digital Marketing Strategy for Your Business: The Complete Guide

 

Digital marketing is an essential cog in the marketing wheel for businesses looking to succeed in this age of digital commerce. In fact, according to research from Ascend2, marketers will spend more on digital advertising than traditional advertising by 2020, with a projected combined spend of $121 billion. To succeed in this new age of marketing and sales, businesses need to have a digital marketing strategy that is as forward-thinking as their customers’ habits. A solid digital marketing strategy can help you leverage the opportunities presented by the digital landscape and avoid being left behind by your competition. This guide is filled with helpful tips on how to create a digital marketing strategy for your business. From understanding why you need it to tips on what to include and examples of great strategies from other businesses, there’s everything you need here!

What is a digital marketing strategy?

Digital marketing agency nyc are tactical plans that outline the specific digital marketing initiatives that a business will use to achieve its marketing and sales goals. They help bridge the gap between the marketing and sales teams, making it clear what each side needs from the other to create the best customer experience from start to finish. Digital marketing strategies are often referred to as “omnichannel” strategies that take into account how customers interact with a business across multiple channels. It’s important to remember that customers don’t just interact with your business online; they interact with you across every channel they prefer, including in-store, on the phone, and through social media.

Why is creating a digital marketing strategy so important?

Simply put, digital marketing is essential to succeeding in business in today’s marketplace. By leveraging the power of digital, you have the opportunity to connect with your customers in a way that has never been possible before. You can target a much larger audience than you could through traditional marketing channels. You can create innovative marketing campaigns that will grab your audience’s attention and make them eager to learn more about your products and services. Digital marketing also gives you access to data about your customers that you would never be able to get through traditional marketing channels. This data can help you create better products and services for your customers based on their needs and desires.

Step 1: Define your core business objectives

This first step is crucial to the process of developing your digital marketing strategy. Why? Because your goals dictate the tactics you use. For example, if you’re looking to maximize customer retention, you’re going to use different tactics than someone who is trying to acquire new customers. Each goal will require different strategies and tactics, which is why it’s important to define your core objectives at the start of the process. You can use traditional marketing strategies to inform your digital marketing objectives. For example, if you’ve been using direct mail marketing to acquire new customers, you might use those same objectives to target those same customers through digital channels.

Step 2: Determine your current position and digital capabilities

At this point, you have a general idea of what your business goals are through digital marketing. Now, it’s time to take a look at your current situation to determine which digital channels and capabilities are best suited to help you achieve those goals. This will help you avoid the “shiny object” syndrome that many marketers fall victim to. You want to avoid jumping from one digital channel to the next, never fully committing to any one approach. To do this, you’ll need to conduct thorough research, including taking a look at your internal capabilities, competitor analysis, and customer data. This will help you determine which channels are best suited for your business and how you can best use them to your advantage.

Step 3: Define your target consumer

This may seem like an odd step to include in an article about creating a digital marketing strategy. However, it’s important to make sure that you’re marketing to the right customers. It’s tempting to try to appeal to everyone, but it’s impossible to do that effectively. By knowing your target customer, you also know what marketing channels they prefer, what language they use, and how you can best engage with them. This will help you create marketing campaigns that are more likely to resonate with your customers and get them to take the action you want.

Step 4: Decide on the digital channels you’ll use

Now that you have a solid understanding of who your customers are and what they want, it’s time to decide which digital marketing channels will help you reach them. You’ll also want to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each channel so you can create the best possible strategy. Some of the most common digital marketing channels include: Social media - Social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn provide an excellent opportunity to interact with your customers and generate brand awareness. Social media is a good channel for content marketing, like blogging and e-books, and for building customer relationships. Email marketing - Email marketing provides a great way to nurture leads and move them through your sales funnel. Email marketing can also be used for retargeting and leading nurturing campaigns, helping you keep in touch with potential customers and maintain your brand’s presence. Video - Video is one of the most effective marketing channels today. It’s an excellent tool for content marketing and brand awareness campaigns and can help you connect with your customers in a personal way. - PPC (pay per click) - PPC campaigns can help you reach a larger audience than ever before. PPC advertising allows you to bid on keywords that are relevant to your business, bringing you targeted traffic and leads. - Website - Your website is your home base, and it should be designed to bring customers back regularly. Successful websites have a clear message, call-to-action, and plenty of customer-focused content. - Social Commerce - Social commerce has become a major trend as customers start to prefer purchasing products on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. - Email marketing - Your email marketing strategy can also be leveraged on social media, especially when you use automation to help engage with your audience. - Content marketing - Creating compelling content that appeals to your customers and helps them solve their problems is essential for success.

Step 5: Define your marketing tactics

 After you’ve determined the digital channels you’ll use and how you’ll use them, it’s time to brainstorm specific tactics that you can use to achieve your goals. For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, you might brainstorm tactics like creating and sharing influencer content, hosting a social media contest, or writing guest posts for relevant publications. These tactics can be added to your digital marketing strategy, helping you achieve your goals by creating a concrete plan. If you create a digital marketing strategy, you’ll be able to plan out your marketing campaigns months in advance. This will help you avoid the unplanned, haphazard marketing tactics that plague many businesses today. 

Conclusion

Your customers are living their lives online and expect to be able to interact with your business however they prefer. If you’re not there with them, they’ll find someone else who will. Creating a digital marketing strategy helps you stay on top of this ever-changing landscape, making sure you’re consistently reaching your customers where they are and providing them with the experiences they’re looking for. By following the tips in this article, you can create a digital marketing strategy that will help you engage with customers, increase leads and sales, and ultimately help your business thrive.