7 Steps to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy

[tongfkymm44]

In a digital world that never stops evolving, the success of companies often depends on what they do (or don't do) to promote their companies on the Internet. Obviously, we don't all follow the same steps to create a digital marketing strategy, but there are some basic ones that we shouldn't ignore.

Since digital marketing encompasses so many aspects (SEO, content marketing, analytics, etc.), it can be overwhelming to decide where to start and, more importantly, what will have the most impact on your business. However, for digital marketing to be effective, you need a strategy.

Depending on how big your business is, your digital marketing strategy will include several objectives and many development elements, but thinking about your strategy in a simple way will help you stay focused on achieving those goals.

However, as much as we try to simplify the term “strategy,” there is no doubt that starting to create one can be a very complicated process. That is why we have prepared this post where we compile a set of 7 essential steps that will help you create an effective digital marketing strategy and put your company on the right path to online success.

What is a digital marketing strategy?
Digital marketing strategy defines how a company can achieve its business goals using digital channels, platforms, and thinking. It states clear objectives, prioritizes audiences, recognizes customer needs and behaviors, and details channel usage and platform requirements. In a nutshell, it sets out how you plan for and use digital to remain relentlessly relevant.

Digital marketing intersections exist not only within branding and CRM, but also in user experience (UX), customer experience (CX), and customer service:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) integrate the brand into our product experience.

iOT
Content strategy includes not only traditional marketing assets, but all content that can be a lever for growth.
Digital innovation is creating new services, products and experiences – things that are actually worth marketing.
How to create an effective digital marketing strategy?
Thanks to our experience with our clients from all sectors and markets, we have identified 7 steps necessary to form a successful digital marketing strategy.

1. Determine your potential

The status quo has changed and digital is imperative to be current, competitive and attractive in the market. On which channels do your customers interact with you? What are your competitors doing to transform digitally? What level of visibility does your brand have and how many leads have been converted into sales? If you don't know, you're probably already behind.

2. Define the role of digital marketing

How does digital marketing contribute to the business? This should not be a long list of marketing objectives, but rather a deliberate vision and a series of intentional choices that indicate what digital marketing can and should do for the organization.

Be sure to recognize the relationship digital marketing has with related elements in your ecosystem, which often include: brand, data, marketing, content, CX, UX, CRM, customer support/care, product innovation, and media.

By simply writing down what’s at stake and the opportunities available, you can quickly clarify your approach. Based on this assessment, you can develop key performance indicators (KPIs) that clearly communicate to your executive team how digital is impacting the business.

3. Understand your goal

dartboard-darts

Create strong digital profiles (what they want, how they behave, how to attorney email database interact with them, and who else they interact with), map the customer journey in detail, and identify value exchanges along it. These profiles often start with traditional segmentation, but you need to go beyond that to recognize behaviors, interactions, and needs for content, functionality, and experience.

With many clients, especially in B2B, digital personas aren’t necessarily built around who the customers are, but rather what goals you’re trying to solve for your target audience. Goals versus roles. Doing this from the start keeps you aware of the customer’s needs and allows you to match your goals to meet them.

4. Adopt a multi-channel approach

Create a channel strategy by leveraging and activating key channels like search, web, social, and email.

Consider social media as a sales driver, not just a communication medium or customer service channel. How can you use social media to achieve your business goals?
Be clear about search. Can incorporating organic ( SEO ) or paid (SEM) search engine optimization help build brand credibility, drive web traffic, or “fend you off” the competition?
Think about the web in a fresh way. Is your website positioned to attract, acquire and convert leads?
Are you effectively nurturing past, existing, or potential customers using email or marketing automation platforms?
5. Identify the necessary resources

Use all of the information in the list above to determine what you need to execute based on this strategy—including staff, budget, and your marketing technology (platforms, APIs, services, and data integration points). As former Spotify CEO Mayur Gupta said, “technology is the interface to marketing” and “the pipes that connect the different pieces.”

Governance is critical – create guidelines and guides for people (roles, responsibilities, and skills), processes, and tools. Many companies don’t pay enough attention to governance, but it’s necessary so that people know their role and how they contribute to the success of the program. Also, if you’re a global or complex organization, you’ll need to establish “market types” to help local leaders see where they are and understand what it takes to grow in a new direction.

6. Create a roadmap

roadmap

Organize and prioritize initiatives into a roadmap that takes you from strategy to execution, even if you have a 6, 12, and 24-month pace and phase. Don’t be too slow or cautious, don’t wait for annual planning cycles; be prepared and agile with the alternative scenarios available. Organizational digital transformation can take time, but marketing must be the most agile driver and ready to act on the opportunities available.

7. Support your digital transformation strategy

Identify how digital marketing can go beyond doing your daily work efficiently and act as a powerful lever in this new era of digital transformation. It could be through using creativity in storytelling, innovating digital services or allowing the voice of the customer to influence media spend, uncover engagement opportunities and discover new audiences.

Conclusions

Creating a digital marketing strategy that includes the seven points above will enable your digital team, and the executive side, to have a clear understanding of how digital can impact your business, plans on how to do it better, and the right measures in place to benchmark and evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts.

If digital is a priority in your organization, as it should be, you will probably need some strategy and execution experts to help you create your digital strategy, identify opportunities for digital disruption or drive digital transformation in your organization. That's what we're here for at Esmartia, to help you with your digital plan, so don't think twice, get in touch with us!