Create a Digital Marketing Plan That Outshines Your Competition

Operating a business is not for the faint-hearted. Not only does running a business requires a lot of time, but there are also a lot of small moving parts that make up a whole business. One of these moving parts is marketing, and thanks to technology, you must also add digital marketing to the list.

Unfortunately, digital marketing is challenging and can be difficult to understand completely. Expertise is needed when creating an effective digital marketing plan. This is one of the reasons why many business owners typically put this task on the ‘back burner’ to work on later. In some cases, it is forgotten.

However, it is a mistake to not focus on a digital marketing plan for your company. It has been shown that organizations with comprehensive digital marketing plans in place experience twice the growth and revenue.

Here are some ways you can include digital marketing in your marketing strategy to get the results you want.

Consider Your Entire Marketing System

Many small business owners place so much emphasis on their websites, they often forget about marketing outside of their own page, and then there are those you ignore the importance of their website. The truth is, the site is part of your overall marketing strategy. Therefore, creating a more effective website will not impact your business as much as creating a digital marketing plan.

Once you have a system in place, it will need to be managed. There are a variety of business process software tools that you can use to help you evolve more efficient processes.

Target Loyal Customers with the Best Offers

A business will not be successful if it tries to target everyone. Your marketing system needs to focus on your target audience and not much else. In other words, who is the target demographic? These are the people who will always be interested in what your company has to offer. If you are still stumped about your target audience, consider grouping your customers into the following factors:

• Lifecycle – Consider how long the customer has been with your company as repeat and long-term customers are the most loyal.
• Different segments – Categorize customers based on geography, purchase history, behaviour and demographics.
• Problem – What does the customer need help with? Determine how your service or product can help.

Do Not Hide from Your Target Audience

Make it easy for your customers to find you online. Your primary goal for your digital marketing campaign should be to convert visitors to your website into paying customers. Although your website will play a key role in these conversions, you will need a system in place to generate the traffic. The best way to do this is to go where your customers are. Some of your options are:

• Social media
• AdWords
• Retargeting
• Influencer marketing
• Email

Create a digital marketing plan with realistic expectations. After creating your plan, stay focused and consistent while also being open to changes when necessary to get the results you want.