Digital Marketing Strategy

Digital marketing is all the rave these days; but what is it, and how can you leverage it to achieve your goals and objectives? This article is the first in a series of articles designed to demystify what digital marketing is, provide you with a framework to create a successful digital marketing strategy, and help you better understand the digital marketing channels available to you and how to choose the right ones for your business.

Digital marketing is the process of utilizing online marketing tactics to promote your products and/or services and build your brand.

M??t bu??n????? have a ?????f?? target ?ud??n?? th?? are tr??ng t? r???h, ?nd digital marketing ??m? to h?l? bu??n????? r???h th??? target ??n?um?r? more precisely through th? ?nt?rn?t ?nd ?th?r digital ?v?nu?? such as mobile.

In addition to having a w?b??t?, a ??m??n? might ?l?? u?? PPC and d???l?? ?d?, ?m??l marketing, m?b?l? technology l?k? ?m?rt?h?n??, social m?d??, content marketing, email ?nd ?th?r m?d?um? to attract ?nd engage th??r target customers.

Traditional Marketing refers to the methods marketers used to get the word out about their products and services before the internet existed.  Traditional marketing includes:

• Print (magazines, newspapers, etc.)
• Broadcast (TV, radio, etc.)
• Direct Mail (catalogues, postcards, etc.)
• Telephone (telemarketing, cold calling)
• Outdoor (billboards, fliers, street teams)

When asking yourself whether you should go the digital marketing route or the traditional marketing route, you should know it truly depends on your business and your target audience. Is your target audience online? If so, digital marketing may be a good option for you. S?m?t?m??, th? ?n?w?r is a combination ?f b?th to capture a larger market share.

When compared to traditional marketing, digital marketing offers a wide range of benefits for both small and large businesses. Those benefits include:

A Low Barrier to Entry
Whether you’re simply looking to test the waters or you’re an established small business, the investment to get started with digital marketing – if that’s what you choose – can be very low when compared to traditional marketing.

Get in Front of People that are More Likely to Buy
Digital Marketing is highly targeted. You might be using a search campaign to target the keywords your ideal prospects use to search online, or running a social campaign to reach people who own dogs and love to travel. If you have a clear understanding of the demographics and psychographics of your target audience you can zero in on them and reach them effectively using digital marketing tactics.

It’s Highly Measurable
Digital marketing provides you the opportunity to benchmark the results from your campaign and measure your top-performing channels and the mediums and sources that are driving conversions and revenue, providing you with a better understanding of your target market by utilizing analytics tools, insights and reporting.

Your business objectives should drive the digital marketing channels you choose to invest in. Whether your objectives are Br?nd Awareness, L??d G?n?r?t??n, Increasing Web Traffic, S?l?? or Cu?t?m?r Edu??t??n digital marketing can help you achieve them.

Your website should be at the Center of Your Digital Marketing Strategy
A professional website is a critical part of your digital marketing strategy. It’s where you drive traffic, convert traffic into leads and turn browsers into buyers. It must be well-designed, engaging, and get your core message and value proposition across.

1. S??r?h Eng?n? Optimization (SEO)

SEO is th? ?r????? of ??t?m?z?ng the ?tru?tur? ?nd ??nt?nt of ??ur w?b??t? so that search ?ng?n?? ??n index and rank your website for relevant search queries. Search engine optimization provides businesses with the opportunity to show up in search engines’ organic results without having to pay each time someone clicks on their listing. Most importantly, search engine optimization puts you in front of the people who are searching for the products and services that you sell at a time when they need it. Furthermore, 88% of consumers perform some type of online research before making an online or in-store purchase.(Source: PYMNTS.com)

When to Use It:The start of building your website or launching your business is the perfect time to use SEO. However, if you already have a website, you can still optimize it. One ?f th? b?gg??t r????n? a ??t? l?un?h (?r r?l?un?h) ?? th? b??t t?m? to ??rf?rm SEO ?? b???u?? k??w?rd r????r?h will dr?v? ?? m?n? ?f th? ?h????? ??u make dur?ng ??ur w?b??t? build.

Drawbacks:Search engines u?? algorithms to d?t?rm?n? r??ult?. Every time a major ???r?h engine updates its algorithms, this can negatively impact your positioning in the search engine results page. Therefore, your ranking is ??nd?t??n?l, and ??nn?t b? guaranteed.

Time to See Results:Search engine optimization takes time. On the low end, you can start seeing results within 3 to 6 months after optimizing your results. If you have  a limited budget and you’re looking to generate leads and sales right away, this may not be the best tactic for you to use.

Average Cost:SEO experts usually charge ?n?wh?r? fr?m $80 ??r h?ur to ?v?r $130 ??r hour.  Average monthly retainers can range from $750.00 to $1500.00 per month.

2. Em??l Marketing

Em??l m?rk?t?ng ?? th? act ?f ??nd?ng emails t? a list of subsribers u??ng an email software service. In ?t? br??d??t sense, ?v?r? ?m??l sent t? a ??t?nt??l or ?urr?nt customer ??uld b? ??n??d?r?d ?m??l m?rk?t?ng. Em??l m?rk?t?ng ?? a ???t-?ff??t?v? w?? to t?rg?t a wider audience and t? b? on th? m?nd ?f ?v?r? customer. Studies show that 76% of email subscribers have made purchases from email marketing messages.

When to Use It:Email marketing allows ??u to reach a v??t number ?f people ?n a ?h?rt amount ?f time, and the cost is low compared to other m?rk?t?ng channels. Email marketing can be used as a stand-alone tactic to create awareness and generate leads and sales, or it can be part of a larger strategy to move buyers through the various stages of the buying journey.

Drawbacks: Spam filters can affect your deliverability; the ability to deliver emails to your subscriber’s inbox. Emailing your subscribers too often can lead to high unsubscription rates.

Time to See Results: D???nd?ng ?n the ??z? of your email list and th? t??? ?f ?m??l? ??u’r? ??nd?ng, you may ??? r??ult? ?mm?d??t?l? ?r ??u m?? n??d to make several connections to nurture your list.

Average Cost: If ??u run a ?m?ll bu??n??? that only n??d? to reach a f?w ????l?, ?m??l m?rk?t?ng ??n cost as l?ttl? ?? $15 – $20 ??r m?nth, but for ??m??n??? th?t n??d t? r???h upwards of 25,000 ?r?????t?, th? ???t? ??n easily ?l?mb t? $175 or m?r? f?r a complete ?m??l marketing service.

3. Content Marketing

Content marketing ?? defined as a ?tr?t?g?? marketing ???r???h f??u??d ?n creating ?nd d??tr?but?ng valuable, r?l?v?nt, ?nd ??n???t?nt content to ?ttr??t ?nd r?t??n a clearly d?f?n?d ?ud??n??, ?nd ult?m?t?l?, t? dr?v? ?r?f?t?bl? ?u?t?m?r ??t??n.  Content marketing has proven to be an effective channel for generating leads.57% of marketing influencers say content downloads generate leads with the highest conversion rates. (Source)

When to Use It: Content marketing is especially useful if you have a product or service that requires educating your target market.

Drawbacks: Content marketing can take time and requires promotion in addition to content creation. You also need to either be a strong writer or outsource to a content producer.

Time to See Results: Wh?l? th? actual amount of t?m? w?ll depend ?n ??ur ?nd?v?du?l bu??n??? and ??r?um?t?n???, for a ?m?ll to medium-sized bu??n???, a ?tr?ng content m?rk?t?ng ?tr?t?g? g?n?r?ll? t?k?? between six to n?n? m?nth? t? ???ld r??l r??ult?.

Average Cost: Cr??t?ng high-quality ??nt?nt ??n run the g?mut depending ?n ??m?l?x?t?, r????r?h, ?m?l???? ?n??nt?v??, ?nd more, but g?n?r?ll? f?ll? ?nt? th? price range ?f $500 – $3,000 for each piece of high-quality content. Th?? t?????ll? includes scope f?r revisions, r????r?h, ?u?t?m gr??h???, etc.

4. S????l Media M?rk?t?ng

S????l m?d?? marketing (SMM) is defined as a f?rm ?f internet m?rk?t?ng that utilizes social n?tw?rk?ng w?b??t?? such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram as m?rk?t?ng tools to create brand awareness and generate leads and sales. It ?? one ?f th? top w??? to build a relationship with customers. In fact, over 71% of internet users in 2018 were social media users – that’s a total of 2.46 billion social media users worldwide (Source: Statista)

When to Use It:This can be used wh?n you wish to reach a wider aud??n?? and when you seek to d?r??tl? int?r??t with your t?rg?t?d cu?t?m?r?. It’s also great for creating brand awareness and spreading the word about your business.

Drawbacks:Company ?nd brand pages requ?r? constant administration ?n ?rd?r to monitor any negative comments ?r ???t? on the page. Also, sponsored ???t? require ?r??t?v?t? ?nd investment of t?m? in order t? be ?nt???ng and effective. It can also take time for you to see a return on investment (ROI). Measuring ROI from social media can also be difficult.

Time to See Results:It can be immediate depending on the objective of your campaign

Average Cost:Outsourcing your social media marketing can average ?n?wh?r? fr?m $3,000-$20,000 ??r m?nth, w?th the ?ndu?tr? average ??ttl?ng between $4,000-$7,000 ??r month.

5. Aff?l??t? Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is a marketing ?rr?ng?m?nt by wh??h a business ???? ??mm?????n to another party or company to promote their products and/or services to their audience.  In return, that party or company is compensated only when they provide a successful conversion (this can be impressions, leads, sales, subscriptions). Compensation is usually set at the beginning of the arrangement and paid out on a specific schedule. A company can set up an affiliate program on their own, or they can use a third party website such as Commission Junction. If ??u need to r???h a w?d?r and more gl?b?l ?ud??n?? affiliate marketing could be a great solution. It requires you putting out little investment upfront and there’s no limit to how many affiliates you can have promoting your products and/or services on your behalf.  “Affiliate marketing accounts for 7.5% of total digital spend and 81% of brands use affiliate marketing.”

When to Use It:If you’re looking to generate more sales and have the profit margin to support paying out a commission, then affiliate marketing could be a good channel for your business. Are your competitors or similar businesses in your industry using affiliate programs? Then you may want to consider affiliate marketing.

Drawbacks:Affiliates usually represent multiple brands, creating competition between your products and similar products. Commissions paid to affiliates can also cut into your profit margin. In addition, their messaging to promote your products and/or services may not align with your brand positioning.

Time to See Results: Website tr?ff?? t?k?? t?m?. Ev?n ?f you have the b??t affiliate m?rk?t?ng bu??n??? ?l?n ??t u? in a ?r?f?t?bl? niche and ???nd 40hr? per w??k on th? site, ?t is ?t?ll g??ng t? t?k? you a minimum ?f ?b?ut 6 months t? really ?t?rt ????ng g??d traffic from search ?ng?n??.

Average Cost: You’ll have t? do the m?th t? figure ?ut what ??r??nt?g? of your margin ??u can ?ff?rd to g?v? u? to ?ff?l??t? m?rk?t?ng. C?n ??u part w?th 5% ?f th? t?t?l revenue th?t comes fr?m a sale? H?w ?b?ut 10%? Th? h?gh?r th? ??r??nt?g?, th?n g?n?r?ll? the m?r? ?ff?l??t? tr?ff?? ??u w?ll r????v?.

6. PPC Advertising

Pay-per-click advertising is defined as ?n ?nt?rn?t ?dv?rt???ng m?d?l u??d t? drive tr?ff?? t? w?b??t??, ?n which ?n advertiser pays a publisher wh?n th? ?d ?? ?l??k?d. This ?n?lud?? t?xt and image advertisements th?t appear either in th? ???r?h results ?r on w?b??t??.

When to Use It:This can be utilized when you are seeking the fastest m?th?d to get t?rg?t?d visitors. When ??u m?n?g? ?n online business ??u need traffic; n?t just any t??? ?f tr?ff?? but targeted traffic th?t ??n ??t?nt??ll? lead t? m?r? ??l?? ?nd bu??n???. SEO ?? th? f?r?t thing th?t ??m?? to mind when talking about t?rg?t?d traffic, but ?t takes t?m? t? work ?? th? n?xt b??t ?lt?rn?t?v? is PPC because it produces results fast. According to Google, businesses make an average of $2 in income for every $1 they spend in AdWords.

Drawbacks:Using PPC can b? ?x??n??v? because you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. Once your budget runs out your ads stop showing. In addition, only 15% of searchers tend to click on paid ads, compared to 85% who prefer to click on the organic search results.

Time to See Results: Once your campaign is launched you can usually start seeing traffic to your website right away. Ensuring that your website is designed to convert visitors is paramount to generating leads and sales.

Average Cost: PPC costs vary greatly based on your industry. “The average cost per click in Google Ads is between $1 and $2 on the search network. The average CPC on the display network is under $1.

7. Onl?n? Publ?? R?l?t??n?

Online PR is defined as a t??t?? used b? brands to build influence and trust through the use of online media such as industry specific websites, blogs and new sites.  These tactics may result in increased awareness, brand mentions, and backlinks for the purpose of boosting keyword rankings and social shares.

When to Use It: Online PR can be utilized when you want to ?m?r?v? a ?l??nt’? r??ut?t??n and ?n?r???? th??r v???b?l?t? among their t?rg?t ?ud??n??. Also if you wish to b???t website tr?ff??, because when your brand is m?nt??n?d online it can lead to greater brand name recognition and website traffic.

Drawbacks: Y?u m?? ???nd t?m? ?nd m?n?? ?n wr?t?ng a press r?l????, g?tt?ng ?u?t?bl? photography ?nd speaking with journalists, but ??u ??n n?v?r gu?r?nt?? your story w?ll be ?ubl??h?d. Th?? ??n r??ult ?n a poor r?turn-?n-?nv??tm?nt. Links from PR distribution sites are no longer as valuable as they used to be and can potentially hurt your rankings.

Time to See Results: Online PR, if done well, can produce results immediately. However, if your pitch is not of interest, you may not see any results.

Average Cost: Hiring a PR company can be pretty costly and it’s not unusual to pay as much as $5000 per month for a PR campaign.  You can also choose to handle your PR in-house if you have the capabilities.

8. Gu??t Posting

Gu??t posting is defined as the act of wr?t?ng ?nd ?ubl??h?ng content such as ?rt??l?s, infographics, videos, etc. on websites and blogs. Perhaps the b??t ??rt ?f gu??t posting is that ?t ?ll?w? you t? enter ?n ?lr??d?-??t?bl??h?d ??mmun?t?, ?nd ?h?r? ??ur message. It allows ??u to connect with n?w people, which can ultimately b?n?f?t you by increasing your credibility and visibility. It can also help you obtain backlinks and build your email list.

When to Use It: To build your credibility as an expert in your topic, to obtain backlinks as part of your SEO strategy, and to build your email list by turning readers into subscribers.

Drawbacks: It may take time to get publications to respond and approve you.  Researching and creating content may also be time consuming and it’s not guaranteed that your content will bring you the desired results.

Time to See Results: Typically, once your guest post is published you should start seeing some traffic. Because your post lives on the internet, it can also bring you additional traffic over time if your posts are evergreen and still applicable.

Average Cost: Your costs can be minimal if you can write your post yourself. However, if you need to outsource your content creation you can expect to pay per article and based on the number of words. High quality content may start at around $150.00 per article.

You may be familiar with one of these channels or all of them. I have found that most people think they have to be on social media or they have to be on Google. The truth is, you have to choose the channel(s) that align with your goals and objectives. You may choose one of these channels or a combination. Here are a few tips for choosing the right channel(s):

• Kn?w Y?ur Customers

W?ll, th?? one ???m? obvious, d???n’t ?t? Th? choice ?f m?rk?t?ng ?h?nn?l? d???nd? u??n th? ?r???n?? ?f ??ur ?d??l bu??r?. Y?u n??d t? focus ?n the ?h?nn?l? th?t ?r? not only r?l?v?nt t? your bu??n???, but that your ideal target audience is most likely to be on.

• L??t Y?ur G??l?

If your goal is to generate leads right away, then paid advertising may be the right channel for you. If you’re in it for the long-haul then search engine optimization or social media can be viable options. You have to be clear and realistic on your goals, then look at the time each channel takes to produce results and the cost before determining which makes sense for you.

• Id?nt?f? Y?ur Budg?t

This goes without saying, but your budget ?l??? ?n important role in ?h????ng th? right marketing channels. You may want to do content marketing or online public relations, but you may simply not have the budget or in-house resources for it. So right away those channels will not be an option.

• An?l?z? Y?ur Team Sk?ll?

Take an inventory of your skills and the skills of your team members to determine your capabilities and what can be done in-house. You also have to take into consideration the time commitment as well. Once you have identified the skills you have at your disposal, then you can determine what you can do in-house and what will need to be outsourced.

Digital marketing continues to change rapidly.  However, it also happens to be extremely accessible for businesses, small and large, and having a solid digital marketing strategy in place can provide concrete, measurable results.  
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