Digital marketing is a result of this capitalist society – and with businesses trying to maximise profits, it’s been a great introduction into the professional world.
Not only do digital tools help you to connect with customers, but they also allow you to connect more efficiently with employees, for example, Workplace by Facebook.
I’ve put together a digital marketing strategy for your business, but I’ve started from the end because most businesses miss out the most crucial part:
#1. Measure your success with KPIs
You probably already have an existing digital marketing strategy – so the first step for you would be to analyse it.
You can do this by using digital marketing tools that will help you monitor and analyse Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as profit, day sales, customer satisfaction etc.
The following are great digital tools for your overall digital marketing strategy, both free and paid:
- HubSpot
HubSpot is a platform that will let you analyse all the elements of your marketing funnel in one place.
The platform helps you monitor your SEO, social media, landing pages, website, email, marketing automation and lead management – among other features!
It has separate marketing, sales and service hubs to segment different needs into categories:
Here’s what Software Advice has to say about the platform:
“With its cloud-based, customer relationship management platform, HubSpot helps companies of all sizes track and nurture leads and analyze business metrics. HubSpot is suitable for any B2B or B2C business in a variety of segments, including accounting, construction, retail, real estate and more”.
HubSpot may be a bit pricey if you want to go for premium packages with maximum features, but it’s worth the investment.
The platform is rated 4.5 on a number of websites, making it excellent for the required purpose:
- SendinBlue
SendinBlue is another all-in-one digital toolbox that provides you with various features customised for each business.
Here are the features that it provides:
The great thing about SendinBlue is that it’s much cheaper as compared to HubSpot and you can even choose a customised pricing option with all the features that you prefer.
The platform’s strongest asset is email, which is so good that the platform has often been compared to MailChimp – the top email service provider currently.
Check out these digital tools for marketing if you want to focus on a specific area of your digital marketing strategy.
#2. Create a plan
According to LinkedIn, Research & Development plays a key role in gaining a competitive edge over other businesses in the industry.
Not only that, but it also helps you to develop a plan that gives a clear foresight about future problems that need solutions.
And that is why you need to create a plan. It’s the first thing they teach you in business school, and for good reason:
- Improves time management
- Clarifies goals that employees can follow
- Gives an approximate budget
- Helps to identify your target audience
- Determines what works and what doesn’t
Not only this, but your research and planning will eventually help you in formulating your business strategy.
I’ve said this many times and I’ll say it again – you need to make sure you carry out proper research and planning before you implement any plan in order to ensure that it is successful.
But there is one thing you need to keep in mind – don’t always stick to your plan. Yes, you read that right.
Planning is great and it has multiple advantages, but you cannot always forecast the future accurately.
To successfully carry out a plan, you need a leader with good intuition because many decisions are made on the spot which may not be in line with your proposed plan.
Your plan is the foundation for your strategy, but every foundation requires adjustments from time to time.
#3. Market automation
These statistics should be enough to convince you to shift to market automation (if you haven’t already).
Small businesses often worry about the high cost of shifting operations to technological platforms.
Moreover, business personnel is not always willing to shift to new methods or procedures that they are not familiar with, so it takes a lot of excessive training to shift to automation and the entire problem lies there.
Small businesses do not have enough resources to carry out this timely and hectic process.
However, as a marketing expert, I’d suggest that you gradually shift your operations to the newest technologies in the market from time to time.
Plus, if your business relies a lot on automation, it’s best to hire millennials as the younger generation is much more willing and able to adapt to new technology.
Here’s a variety of platforms that you can use automation in:
- Customer Service
Customer service entails two types: in-store and online.
For better online customer service, you can introduce Chatbots to your website.
They’re great because customers can drive your support representatives crazy during sales, bombarding them with questions and whatnot.
With platforms like ManyChat, you can get chatbot services that are so personalised, your customers won’t even know they’re talking to an automated system!
Plus, the great thing about switching to these online tools is that there’s no startup cost. In fact, you’ll just be reducing reliance on your workforce by incorporating chatbox marketing so it’s a win-win situation.
When it comes to the in-store experience, you can install interactive kiosks or other self-service devices to incorporate automation and reduce the burden on your employees.
So far, kiosks have only been introduced in the restaurant industry on a large scale, but other industries have also begun to adopt automated point of sale systems.
These systems allow your customers to make transactions without having to make any human interaction. So far, it’s a futuristic concept but brands like Nike have introduced it:
- Email & SMS
We’ve reached a point where we no longer have to choose between automation and personalisation.
There are software so complex that if they have customer information and history with them, they can send emails and texts personalised to the needs and wants of each customer segment.
So for email, as I mentioned before, MailChimp is the top email service provider and that’s primarily because of the automation that it provides.
Similarly, for SMS you can choose ExpressText as your SMS provider because it’s one of the few SMS providers that offers a mobile application through which you can access your account.
You can personalise your emails and SMS to the recipient’s name, send out birthday wishes, Christmas greetings and other scheduled messages that are mass messages and yet, personalised.
These little tactics can go a long way in creating customer value and retention.
#4. Local search marketing
Local search marketing is one of the biggest marketing trends that you’ll see in 2020.
That’s because consumers are shifting from desktops to phones so they can make searches anywhere, anytime:
For this purpose, you need to ensure you are listed on Google my Business. Every time your consumers search for your business or product, your business will show up:
With a proper listing, customers will find it more convenient to retrieve all the relevant information that they need about your business.
Plus, it’s absolutely free, so you’re getting a return with 0 investment!
I marketed for a dental clinic once and after listing the clinic on Google my Business, around 80% of new customers claimed that’s how they found out about it.
However, you also need to make sure that your customers rate your business well because all reviews show up on Google and if your company isn’t rated good enough then you’d just be negatively promoting your brand.
Ask your customers to leave positive feedback after they’ve used your brand or service.
You can send out a text which includes a hyperlink that directs them to your Google listing so that the process is hassle-free and quick.
#5. Video Marketing
Another trending marketing tactic is videos.
The reason behind that is because are much more engaging compared to any other content.
According to DataBox, here’s what some of the best marketers have to say:
You can use videos for a number of different purposes – whether its brand awareness, tutorials, product reviews or setup instructions.
In fact, there’s a whole buzz about live videos because they are so much more interactive.
You can use them to directly communicate with your customers. In fact, a lot of brands pay celebrities to interact with their customers as a form of brand endorsement.
This communication bridges the gap between the buyer and seller, making the purchase process a lot more personal – thus, creating a competitive advantage for your business.
To make sure you market your video content effectively, you’ll want to keep your videos as short as possible.
The optimal time is 5-15 seconds, but you can always make them longer if your content has a story that really touches your viewers’ emotions.
For example, here’s a heartfelt advertisement campaign by Canadian Tire that brought its viewers to tears:
Even though the video is an entire minute long, It portrays a beautiful sentiment of love and kindness which viewers are likely to remember for a long time.
However, that’s not where the brand succeeded. It succeeded in marketing its tires within the story.
Create an emotional appeal, but don’t lose sight of what you’re marketing.
#6. Revisit your landing pages
A landing page is the first thing your visitors are going to see when they open your website, so you want it to look the best – because first impressions can last a lifetime!
There are 3 things that you need to keep in mind to ensure a great landing page: good web design, call to action and the right amount of advertising.
Here’s what a good landing page looks like:
It’s simple, elegant and it catches the attention of the viewer effectively.
Eventually, a well-designed landing page will help you improve lead generation as well.
You’ll want to place your CTAs above the folder if your landing page is short, and there should be a clear CTA on your homepage as well.
When it comes down to advertising, make sure you don’t overwhelm your visitors with so many promotions that they leave your website.
Lastly, get a good web designer can create a world of difference in reducing your website’s bounce rate and optimising search engine ranking.
Conclusion
Your digital marketing strategy will go a long way in creating sales and profitability for your business – and at the end of the day, isn’t the goal of every business?
Know what works for you and use it within your digital marketing strategy. Don’t follow others. The key to increasing market share and becoming a market leader is to be unique and innovative – because you can always earn money by learning from others, but if you havhe something that others don’t, it will take you a long way.