Like a reporter, brands must stay on top of the who, what, where, when, why and how of digital marketing to optimize performance.
Digital marketers, store that shotgun approach safely away, forsake those for the-sake-of appearances tendencies, and check the check-the-box approach at the door. It’s not enough to show up in this dynamic marketing sphere, you better show out. That means embracing digital marketing best practices to maximize results for building your business.
Digital or online marketing offers many advantages for brands to generate attention and sales for products and services. Delivered right to a handheld device, whether via social media, websites, search engines, email, or text messaging, your messaging could not be more accessible. Forbes shared the following best practices to turn those big advantages into big results.
Goals to Go
Like any good business move, initiative or program, your digital marketing efforts should start with a plan. What is to be targeted? What are your goals? Increase website traffic, build brand awareness, boost brand engagement, elevate your thought leadership profile in the industry, generate more qualified leads, expand your email prospect database and, of course, increase sales are examples of top digital marketing goals, according to Forbes contributor Janette Novak.
Know Your Audience
It sounds self-explanatory when trying to increase attention and ultimately sales for your brand that you know the direct object, the people to whom you’re trying to reach. It pays to be detailed and systematic in this step though. Define your target audience by shared attributes (e.g., age and gender), then identify the problems or issues this group has. There’s no better messaging reaction than ‘they get me and my needs.’
Establish a Budget
Unlike the days of print ads, TV spots, and billboard signs, the price of online marketing is quite right.
You don’t need a large budget to get started, so digital marketing can be an effective tool for all types of businesses, writes Novak.
It’s important to know the cost of the tech tools needed to deploy your digital marketing efforts, including SEO and social media management software, as well as the human resources needed to run and feed them, including copywriters, videographers and designers.
System Selection
A brand’s website is the Mother Ship, its home base, the hub to which all the other channels or spokes connect. Not surprisingly, launching a company website is step No. 1 in digital marketing for most businesses. Additional digital marketing methods — social media, SEO and email are the most popular — should depend on what’s being sold, where the target audience spends their time and, of course, budget, according to Forbes.
Track & Analyze
Evaluation happens in school, sports, government and elsewhere, and so it should also be with your digital marketing efforts. Tracking and analyzing performance metrics — Novak calls it relatively easy, just don’t put too much stock into early numbers — indicate what parts of the plan worked well relative to your goals and what didn’t. This leads to informed decisions for future continuance or modification of tactics, as well as those times when it’s back to the proverbial drawing board.
“With all the high-speed commercial clamor out there, achieving authentic and effective connection with one’s target audience can feel like trying to command a kid’s attention in the middle of the world’s biggest toy store,” said Vince Vitti, infinitee’s VP, Employer Branding & Recruitment Marketing. “The good news is that all those digital marketing channels mean more options for brands to find their sweet spot in terms of audience location, messaging and budget. We can help!”
