It’s very rare that a business can be successful in its marketing efforts when there’s no strategy or detailed plan in place. There are many different approaches when it comes to establishing a digital marketing strategy. Once you are clear about your goals and strategic direction, it’s easier to understand where to spend your time and how to make the elements of your marketing strategy work cohesively to achieve the results you are looking for.
Here’s our checklist for establishing an effective digital marketing strategy for your business:
You have clear objectives for your digital marketing strategy
The most common objective we see with our clients at KWSM: a digital marketing agency is sales or lead generation. However, there are several other objectives that can be supported by your digital marketing strategy. For example, you can use digital marketing to increase brand awareness, improve retention, promote repeat sales, and much more. Once you are clear about what you want digital marketing to do for your business, you will be able to begin planning your strategy. Learn more about how to identify what goals your digital marketing strategy should contain here.
You know who your customer is and what social media channels they use
If you are putting time and energy into marketing your business online, you need to know whether you are talking to the right audience. Take a look at the audience insights data available on your channels and see how closely this matches with who you consider to be your target client. If they are not aligned, you may not be posting the right type of content. Try to tweak your posts to appeal to that ideal audience. Check your insights frequently to see how you’re doing. For example, learn about how LinkedIn can support your digital marketing strategy here.
You are aware of what your competitors are doing with their digital marketing
We always recommend keeping a close eye on your key competitors, especially if you operate in a local market. Find out what channels are working for them and what type of content they are posting that is getting good engagement. Learn from their successes and also from their mistakes. Once you have a clear understanding of what your competitors are doing, you can start looking for new tactics and channels that may set you apart.
You have a content calendar that looks at least a month out to align your strategy with all relevant events
The best way to resonate with your target audience is to speak to the things that are on their mind. Make sure that your content is always ahead of schedule so you can anticipate what they will be thinking and talking about and can keep your content relevant and fresh.
You adjust your strategy every 6 months based on what you learned
It generally takes about 6 months to know if your strategy is working or not. You should be reporting your results every month to find out if you are improving your KPIs. In addition, we suggest that you review your entire strategy every 6 months and analyze what is working, what is not working, and what might be missing.
Learn more about what a digital marketing strategy should contain here.
In today’s landscape, it is crucial that you have the correct digital marketing infrastructure set up to produce optimal results for your business.
Looking to identify gaps in your digital marketing infrastructure?
Download our 55-Point Digital Marketing Checklist to find out if you’re set up to produce optimal results for your business.
