Digital marketing can be a great way to reach new customers and grow your business. However, it can be difficult to know where to start. Business owners can often be overwhelmed when choosing to start marketing their business online, and nothing ever seems straightforward in the digital marketing world.
Creating a digital marketing plan can help you to focus your efforts and make the most of your budget and the resources you put into your companies online marketing. Here are 5 steps to creating a successful digital marketing plan.
Step 1: Establish Clear Goals
What do you want to achieve with your digital marketing efforts? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads? By setting clear goals, you will be able to measure the success of your campaign and make necessary adjustments along the way.
The goals that you establish for your digital marketing plan set the tone for your overall campaign. Every digital marketing campaign will have a different goal and it is important to be clear about this from the start.
The goal that you set for your digital marketing campaign will define the other key steps outlined in this post. Since every digital marketing campaign is different, with a different goal, the budget and audience will also be different.
This is why it is important to establish clear goals at the beginning of your digital marketing campaign.
Step 2: Allocate An Appropriate Budget
How much money are you willing to invest in digital marketing? You will need to consider the cost of advertising, hiring staff, or purchasing equipment. It is also important to factor in the opportunity cost of not investing in other areas of your business.
When you are allocating a budget for your digital marketing campaign, it is important to evaluate the costs from different agencies. The cost of your digital marketing campaign will vary depending on the provider you choose, and the overall goals you have for your marketing campaign.
By allocating an appropriate budget, with enough wiggle room, you will allow your business to grow online. It is also important to remember that you will need to allocate enough budget for at least a 12 month period to ensure you have enough time to see the required results.
Step 3: Find Your Online Audience
Who is your target market? Where do they spend their time online? What type of content are they interested in? By understanding your audience, you will be able to create content that resonates with them and reaches them where they are already spending their time.
For example, if you are a beauty business, it would make more sense for you to use social media marketing rather than pay-per click advertising. Since your service is visual and your target demographic may be younger, it makes sense to find your online audience on social media.
By figuring out exactly where your target audience spends their time online, you can create a plan to target them on the specific platforms that they use. This will also reduce the overall budget needed, since it will be easier to convert customers online if there are a large number of your ideal customers engaging on these online platforms.
Step 4: Build Rapport
Once you have found your audience, it is important to build rapport with them. This can be done by providing valuable content, engaging in social media conversations, or offering customer service that goes above and beyond their expectations.
It is important to build trust and rapport with your audience. We recently read a report here: australianwebexperts.com.au that it takes an average of 9 touch points before a customer will contact a business they have found online.
Not only will building rapport digitally create a feeling of trust for your customers, it also allows you to reach more customers on a regular basis. This can be achieved through providing value and offers upfront, sometimes in return for the contact details of your ideal customer.
There are a large number of ways that you can build rapport online with your customers and new ways are being explored everyday by savvy business owners.
Step 5: Post Content Consistently
The final step is to post content regularly. This will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. It is also important to vary the type of content you post so that you don’t become stale or boring. Experiment with different formats, such as blog posts, infographics, videos, or podcasts, to find what works best for you and your audience.
As we outlined above, it can take an average of 9 touch points before a customer will start an offline conversation with a business. This is another reason why posting consistently is important.
If a business is posting consistently, across their ideal online platforms, they are able to get their message in front of their customers more frequently. In addition to this, customers love connecting with brands online so it only makes sense that a business would post regularly.
By posting regularly online, you are ensuring that your business looks active and is trusted.
Create A Digital Marketing Plan That Works
Digital marketing can be a great way to reach new customers and grow your business. However, it can be difficult to know where to start. Creating a digital marketing plan can help you to focus your efforts and make the most of your budget. By following these five steps, you can create a successful digital marketing plan that will help you achieve your business goals.
Creating a proper digital marketing plan can take time, effort and resources. It is always recommended to complete in depth research to ensure that your business gets the most value for its digital marketing spend.
No digital marketing plan will look the same and there are various factors that will go into creating the right digital marketing plan for your business. Hopefully this article has given you some insight into the best 5 steps to get started!
