How to Develop a Strong Digital Marketing Strategy

Analyzing Your Current Business State

Okay, let's dive into figuring out where your business actually stands right now. It's kinda like taking stock of your pantry before you go grocery shopping, right? You don't wanna end up buying three jars of pickles when you already have two.

So, where do we even start?

• First things first: Performance, baby. Dig into what you did last year. Like, really dig. What campaigns killed it? Which ones flopped harder than a pancake? Why? That's the gold right there.
• Then, snoop on the competition. What are they doing online? What’s working for them? What looks like a dumpster fire? Tools like SpyFu can give you a peek behind the curtain. It's not cheating; it's smart. SpyFu can show you what keywords your competitors are bidding on, their ad copy, and even their top-performing content. This helps you understand their strategies and find opportunities.
• Finally, get cozy with your audience. Facebook has a tool called Facebook Audience Insights that's free, plus there is Google Trends. (Looking for Google Trends alternatives? Here are some: 1. ...) Use it! What are their interests, their quirks, what makes them tick? What are they searching for at 3 am? Facebook Audience Insights can reveal demographic details, interests, and behaviors of people on Facebook, helping you understand who your audience is and where they hang out online. Google Trends shows you the popularity of search terms over time and by region, indicating what people are actively looking for.

Once you have a solid handle on all this, you're in a way better spot to start planning where you wanna go next.

Defining Goals, Strategies, Objectives, and Tactics (GSOT)

Okay, so you've done the hard part: figuring out where you're at. Now what, right? Well, it's time to map out exactly how you're gonna get to where you wanna be. Understanding your goals will help you figure out who you need to reach.

• Think of goals as your North Star – what do you really want? Increase sales? Get more leads? Maybe it's boosting brand awareness, as online.yu.edu suggests. For a small bakery, a goal might be "Become the go-to cake shop for birthdays in town."

• Strategies are your overall game plan – the broad approaches you'll take to achieve your goals. If your goal is to increase brand awareness, a strategy could be "Enhance online visibility through engaging content and social media outreach." If you're looking to drive sales, a strategy might be "Implement targeted promotions and loyalty programs to encourage repeat purchases."

• Objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) targets that contribute to your strategies. They answer "how much?" and "by when?". If your strategy is to enhance online visibility, a good objective would be "Increase website traffic by 20% in the next six months." If your strategy is to drive sales, an objective could be "Achieve a 15% increase in online sales revenue by the end of Q4."

• Tactics are the concrete actions you'll take to execute your strategies and achieve your objectives. A tactic for the bakery's objective of increasing website traffic might be "Run a targeted Facebook ad campaign showcasing new cake designs, driving traffic to the website's gallery page." Another tactic could be "Publish two blog posts per week on popular birthday cake trends, optimized for relevant keywords."

Don't get hung up if this feels a lil' overwhelming. Next up, we'll break down how to pinpoint exactly who you're trying to reach.

Identifying Your Target Audience

Are you marketing to everyone? Then you're marketing to no one. Seriously! Time to narrow it down...

• Start with demographics: Age, location, income, gender, education level – you know, the basics.
• Then, get psychographic. What do they care about? What are their values, interests, hobbies, and opinions? What motivates them?
• Don't forget behavior: How do they use the internet? What platforms do they frequent? What are their purchasing habits? What content do they consume?

How to gather this info:

• Surveys: Create online surveys using tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to ask direct questions about demographics, interests, and preferences.
• Interviews: Conduct one-on-one interviews with existing customers or potential customers to gain deeper qualitative insights.
• Website & Social Media Analytics: Dive into your website analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) and social media insights to understand who is visiting your site and engaging with your content.
• Market Research Reports: Utilize industry reports and studies to understand broader market trends and consumer behavior.

You want to build buyer personas, like, really detailed profiles. These are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers, based on your research. Give them names, backstories, motivations, and pain points. This helps you empathize with them and tailor your marketing messages effectively. Gotta know who you're talkin' to! Next, let's get into understanding just how these folks behave online.

Developing a Content Strategy

Alright, so, got your target audience nailed down? Sweet. Now, what are you gonna say to 'em? Once you know who you're talking to, you can figure out what kind of content will resonate with them.

• Planning is key, duh. Map it all out. What main topics are you hitting? What content "buckets" makes sense for your business? Think of it like planning a music festival, you need different stages, right? Content buckets are overarching themes or categories that your content will fall under. For a fitness brand, buckets might include "Workout Tips," "Nutrition Advice," "Mindset & Motivation," and "Product Spotlights." For a local restaurant, they could be "Menu Highlights," "Behind the Scenes," "Local Events," and "Customer Stories."

• Get inspired! Don't just sit there staring at a blank screen. Snoop on the competition (ethically, of course). What questions are people asking online? Use tools like AnswerThePublic or check out forums and social media discussions related to your industry.

• Content, content, content! Blog posts? Videos? Infographics? Podcasts? Social media updates? Mix it up! The right mix depends on your audience and your goals. If your audience is highly visual and spends a lot of time on Instagram, video and image-heavy content will likely perform well. If they're looking for in-depth information, blog posts and whitepapers might be more effective. Just make sure it's actually, y'know, good.

According to oneibc.com, an effective content strategy will let you acquire more organic traffic, resulting in higher sales and lower costs.

Next, let's talk channels... which ones are right for you? Once you know what you want to say, you need to figure out where to say it.

Choosing the Right Marketing Channels

Think of marketing channels like spices – you wouldn't dump a whole jar of cumin into a cake, right? It's about using the right ones, in the right amounts.

To prioritize channels, ask yourself these questions:

• Where does my target audience spend their time? Focus on the platforms and channels where your ideal customers are most active.
• What are my campaign goals? Different channels are better suited for different objectives. For awareness, social media and display ads might be key. For direct sales, email marketing and search engine marketing (SEM) could be more effective.
• What is my budget? Some channels are more cost-effective than others. Consider the return on investment (ROI) for each channel.
• What resources do I have? Do you have the team and expertise to manage certain channels effectively?

• Prioritize channels based on what you're actually trying to do. Wanna build awareness? Social media is your friend. Trying to drive sales? Maybe focus on email and targeted ads.
• Consider how each channel helps you meet your goals; don't just chase the shiny new object.
• Focus on what's gonna get you the best bang for your buck.

Next up, let's talk about measuring if all this channel stuff is even working, so you can refine your approach and maximize your ROI.

Setting kpis and Benchmarks

Alright, so you've got all these marketing plans swirling around, right? But how do you know if any of it's actually working? That's where kpis and benchmarks waltz in.

• kpis, baby! These are your Key Performance Indicators; the metrics you'll use to gauge success. They should directly tie back to your GSOT framework. For example, if your objective is to "Increase website traffic by 20% in the next six months," your kpi would be "Website Traffic" (measured in sessions or unique visitors). For a healthcare provider, a kpi might be the number of new patient appointments booked through their website, directly linking to a sales/conversion goal.

• Benchmarks: Where the magic happens. Now you need to set the bar. What's good look like? Benchmarks provide context for your kpis. They can be based on industry averages, your own past performance, or competitor performance. Aiming for an email open rate of 25% or higher? That's a benchmark. A retail company might benchmark against last year's holiday sales, aiming for, say, a 10% increase in online revenue.

Let's say you're running a social media campaign. A good kpi? Engagement rate. A good benchmark? Doubling your average likes and shares per post compared to your previous average. Or, if you're a finance firm, maybe you want to see a 15% bump in qualified leads from a new webinar series, benchmarked against the lead quality from previous webinars.

A Forbes article emphasizes that each activity should have a clear kpi to measure success.

With your kpis and benchmarks locked in, it's time to execute with best practices – and keep a close eye on those numbers.

Executing and Optimizing Campaigns

Don't just set it and forget it!

• Execute campaigns following best practices. This generally means having clear, concise messaging, strong calls to action (CTAs) that tell people exactly what to do next, and maintaining consistent branding across all your marketing materials. Stay updated on trends relevant to your channels.
• A/B test calls to action, and ad creatives. This helps you figure out what resonates best with your audience.
• Pause underperforming campaigns, try something new! Continuously monitor your kpis and be ready to adjust your tactics based on the data.