Did you know that having a video thumbnail in the search results can double your search traffic?
That’s because people are more likely to watch a video, rather than read a whole page of text. It’s also why videos are a key component of a good digital marketing strategy.
A wave of digital technology is transforming industry after industry, and professional services are no exception to this trend. Potential clients now have new ways to learn about and vet potential service providers. This change is forcing firms to rethink their digital marketing strategies if they wish to remain competitive. Kilowott’s award-winning full-funnel digital marketing services can help your business become visible in the online world through tested and rewarded digital marketing strategies.
What makes a good digital marketing strategy?
As the world moves toward digital transformation and taking their operations online, it only makes sense that you have a solid digital strategy. When creating a digital marketing plan, we need to consider a number of things, such as target audience, goals, reach, and of course, budget. Since there are various ways of reaching out to users on the internet, we need to strategise taking all of these factors into account. Which is why when we create a digital marketing plan for your company, we start by getting to know you and your goals.
A digital marketing strategy is a plan for using digital marketing tools and techniques to achieve a firm’s strategic marketing objectives, such as brand building or new business development. Digital marketing strategy is often a part of an overall strategic marketing plan that incorporates both digital and traditional (offline) approaches. Common digital techniques include search engine optimization, digital advertising, email, webinars, social media, websites and mobile apps. Digital marketing is changing the way professional services firms go to market. It has made it easier for firms of any size to compete against larger, more established players. And for firms that want to reach new markets, it practically eliminates geographic barriers. Digital marketing gives firms new and exciting ways to communicate their expertise and value proposition to their most prized target clients — and find the specialized talent they need to grow and prosper.
Digital Marketing - Organic, Paid, or Both?
While there is a certain allure to getting what you want for free, it doesn’t always work that way. Many companies while creating a digital marketing strategy often fall prey to the notion that social media is free, hence digital marketing through social media is and should be free. This is where the concept of organic vs paid comes in. Organic marketing refers to putting your product or service online, usually social media, and allowing it to get noticed in its own time. While organic growth is long-lasting, this, however, does not guarantee that your product or service will get noticed, especially not by your target market. It also allows very limited tracking or insights and will take a lot of time before it can yield the desired results. Paid advertising on the other hand will allow you to target your intended demographic, and reach more people in a lesser amount of time. This is why a combination of both strategies is always advised.
60% of marketers create at least one blog or content piece per day.
Which means, even though a picture is worth a thousand words, a thousand words get three times more leads than paid search advertising, and costs 62% less than traditional marketing.
Digital marketing strategy is the high-level planning and strategic choices that set the direction for positioning your firm in the marketplace and the key messages you will deliver to your audiences. Your high-level strategy should be the same in both the digital and offline worlds.
“Emails with no subject lines (from legitimate sources) were so intriguing that they were 8% more likely to be opened than an email with one.”
Understanding the Digital Marketing Funnel
Understanding a consumer’s behaviour online means having to understand the Digital Sales Funnel. A consumer essentially goes through 4 stages online during his or her purchase journey, and those stages are as follows:
- Discovery: This where people hear about your brand. This is a crucial stage for new companies because this is probably the first time people are hearing about you.
- Research/Consideration: In this crucial stage, while a user is learning more about your brand, they are also considering or comparing you to the competition. A good digital strategy will ensure that your USPs shine.
- Purchase: The hard part may seem over because you’ve converted the shopper into a buyer, but the hardest part is next.
- Loyalty: Your online campaign needs to keep encouraging people to come back, while turning existing customers into loyal advocates.
There are a number of other finer details that make a great online marketing strategy, and we’d be happy to share them with you at one of our online consultations.
FAQs about Digital Marketing Strategy
Would my company benefit from digital marketing?
What is SEO?
SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the practice of using on-page and off-page tweaks and tactics to ensure that your page ranks higher on search engines. You can find out more about what we offer in SEO by clicking here.
How often should I update my website?
A website that sits stagnant for long periods of time, without any new or fresh content, is nothing more than an online brochure for your company - which is why optimising your website is a good place to start. A successful website will interact with consumers and provide new and up to date information and content. Also, in terms of SEO, Google much prefers a website that is consistently updated. There’s no specific time limit on updating your website, just make sure it stays relevant.
Do I need a Blog?
How often should I post on social media?
There’s really no hard and fast rule, especially since it depends on your goals, and the balance of organic versus paid. However, if you’re looking for a ballpark estimate, we’d suggest the following:
Facebook: Aim for once a day and definitely no less than 3 times a week.
Instagram: Once or twice a day.
LinkedIn: At least twice a week and no more than once per day.
Twitter: This one is a bit more varied but generally anywhere from 3-30 tweets per day is good.
What is inbound marketing?
Inbound Marketing is a term coined by HubSpot, and is defined as “a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. While outbound marketing interrupts your audience with content they don’t want, inbound marketing forms connections they’re looking for and solves problems they already have”
Which social media channels should my business be using?
6 Steps to the Perfect Digital Marketing Strategy
Figure out what you want to accomplish
Every company has a different reason (or combination of reasons) for wanting to establish an online presence. Whether it is to build brand recognition, generate leads, or get more subscribers, the first thing you need to do before you begin strategizing is to figure out what your campaign aims to accomplish. Based on this, you can then pick the right platforms, set budgets, and brainstorm awesome ideas to stand out from the competition.
Use the Digital Sales Funnel
Yeah, we talked about that earlier, but it’s important to mention. As we saw earlier, there are a number of stages that a consumer goes through from discovery to purchase, and targeting all or some of these stages is crucial while formulating a strategy. Digital marketers see and interpret the sales funnel in different ways, but the broad categories still include discovery, consideration, purchase, and loyalty.
Create Buyer Characters
The more detailed you are while selecting a target audience, the better your chances of scoring actionable leads. Which means if you’re looking to sell to ‘young moms’, don’t just stop there – go further. How about Wonder Woman Mom 25-29 with at least one kid under the age of five who is on a budget in a middle-class home. She tries to live an organic lifestyle. but does a McDonalds run on busy weeknights all while running a busy household and working from home. At Kilowott we skip the stereotypes and use years of insights and analytics to build real buyer personas.
Find users at every stage
Once you’ve understood the Digital Sales Funnel and how it works, you’ll want to find your audience members in those categories. In each part of the funnel, there will be people looking for your company. If you’re new, you’d probably want to focus more on the discovery phase and putting out content that introduces your company and brand to people in your segment. Likewise, if your an established company looking to generate sales, you’d want to focus more on research and consideration.
Implement Specific Guidelines to Achieve Your Target
After identifying your target audience and identifying where they are on the digital marketing funnel, it’s time to start tying everything together and create specific tactics that will help you reach those end goals. A few things you might consider are:
- Lead magnets on the side of your blog posts, and a CTA at the end
- Share influencer content on social media
- Encourage testimonials to improve your local SEO score
Consider Automation and Personalisation
Once your campaigns are running, your job is not over. You’ll want to find ways to continue to make your campaigns as impactful and effective as possible. Two ways you can do this are by personalisation and automation. Ads that utilise retargeting or triggered email autoresponders are great ways to show customers similar products that they might have seen in the past. If planned right, they’ll see the message at the ideal time and it will be exceedingly relevant to their needs at that moment.
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