The right digital marketing campaign can make or break your business. But if you’re reading this article, it is unlikely that this information comes as news to you.
What you might be interested in knowing, however, is how a digital marketing campaign brings about all those fantastic business improvements that everyone keeps talking about.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Spoiler alert: If you want to build a campaign that is genuinely effective, you might want to follow our 5 Step plan- but more on that later.
First, let us understand what it is we mean when we talk about digital marketing.
Back to Basics
Investopedia, for instance, defines this terminology in the simplest of words:
“Digital marketing, is the use of the internet, mobile devices, social media, search engines, and other channels to reach consumers.”
Pretty simple. Huh.
And it would be, except that, as is made obvious by the definition, when it comes to digital marketing, the number of touch points one needs to keep in mind are often more than a handful.
Users today get to interact with products from more than just one device; and so, a smart business needs to know not just the number of touch points but also, which point should be tackled at what time of day to make conversions most likely.
Types of Digital Marketing
And this is just the beginning.
Today, digital marketing needs to be done via various tools and outlets.
While social media marketing tends to get the most buzz- and to be fair, it should because of all the brand awareness it helps create, it is not the only tool in the digital marketer’s repertoire.
Website Marketing
In fact, the base of any effective campaign is built on the age-old tool known as, you guessed it: the website.
Not only is a website supposed to be the central point of all internet marketing endeavors, it also adds a sense of authenticity to your brand in that customers now know how to get in touch with your product/services with just the click of a button.
On top of that, if the website is made to be mobile friendly and easy to use, it can act as a huge factor in increasing conversions from the get-go.
Content Marketing
It goes without saying, however, that building a website is just the first step of a digital marketing campaign.
Regardless of the type of business, or the services it offers, most experts agree that content is a great way to reach out to customers and gain their trust and loyalty.
Simply put, when a person is about to make a heavy purchase, or hire someone for their services, they need to know that the person they’ve come to for help, knows what they’re talking about. And as it just so happens, content marketing helps you achieve just that with your customers.
By making regular posts on topics related to your business, you create an opportunity to showcase your abilities to potential clients in the easiest of ways possible.
Whether you choose to do so via podcasts or, conversely, by writing long articles, doing so is an imperative step on the way to establishing credibility.
Affiliate Marketing
While content marketing is done by the business itself, it is important to know that a real expert is usually someone who other people can vouch for.
Affiliate marketing, therefore, is a great way to build credibility, in addition to reaching out to new and different customers.
Influencers are usually paid to reach out to their communities and educate them about a business and its products and/or services. Many well-known affiliate marketing programs such as Amazon Affiliate Marketing Program etc. are a great way to get in touch with people who can help promote a business almost immediately.
Social Media Marketing
It helps to know that not all social media is equally effective; therefore, instead of branching yourself out to several platforms all at once, it might be best to focus on sites that people interact with more often. According Similarweb for instance, Google, YouTube, and Facebook are the top sites to seek out if you’re looking to increase customer engagement.
At the same time, however, (as you will find in our 5 Step plan) it should be noted that while these are in fact the most visited sites, it might be worthwhile to consider promoting your business on other sites if your customers, particularly, are more likely to be visiting them instead.
Take for instance, the figure posted by Deloitte, which shows that roughly 32.5% of all Instagram users are between 18 to 34 years of age. So, for a business that caters to the youth, it might therefore be more prudent to start here rather than anywhere else.
Video Marketing
In the fast-moving world we live in today, few people have the time to engage with long blog posts unless they really want to dive deep. And so, it is no surprise that one of the main ways for increasing customer engagement these days is via video marketing.
While different video platforms exist, YouTube till date remains the site people engage with most often and might, therefore, be a good starting point.
Email Marketing
Unfortunately, over the years, email marketing has acquired a slightly distorted image due to the increase in spam mails; when in fact, there couldn’t be a more sophisticated way to get in touch with one’s clients.
In general, leads acquired through several sources may be contacted in an organized yet personalized manner via email marketing.
As a rule of thumb, the more personal an email, the better it is.
This is because customers, at the end of the day, are human beings. And human beings need to know that they’re being sold something with honesty and by a credible source. Personalized emails are hence a great way to build customer loyalty in the long run and show your clients that you do, in fact, care.
The Five Step Plan
So, now that we’re through with the major types of digital marketing, let’s look a little more into how, using these tools, we can design a marketing campaign that actually works.
Step 1: Build Your Roadmap
No matter how adventurous you want your journey to be, it always helps if one knows where their destination point lies. The same idea also applies to business.
Before starting out on your digital marketing campaign, sit down and understand what your goals are.
What do you want to have achieved by the end of this campaign?
What is your purpose behind having this campaign in the first place?
While these may seem like basic questions, answering these right now will help build a clearer picture of what it is the campaign should look like. For instance, if your end goal is to achieve more brand awareness, then it might be wiser to focus on affiliate and social media marketing. If your goal, however, is to increase leads, then content marketing might be a more suitable focus for the campaign.
In other words, build your roadmap, before setting out on your marketing journey.
Step 2: Know Your Audience
As mentioned earlier, knowing what your target audience looks like can be a make-or-break factor.
Many companies will unnecessarily waste their budget on extravagant Instagram, Pinterest etc. campaigns without realizing that the age group they intend to cater to, does not indulge with the site as much to begin with.
All this, in turn, means that money is simply sunk without generating any ROI…
One way to avoid ending up in such a disaster is by utilizing data; be it customer demographics, buyer profiles etc., the point is: Know your audience!
Step 3: Love What Your Customer Loves
The market buys what it demands. And with the proliferation of the internet and more options than ever at hand, customers are likely to get the same product from multiple sources- especially, when we talk about e-commerce businesses. Therefore, creating differentiated experiences is key to selling in a market as competitive as today’s online sphere.
One way to stand out of the crowd today is by taking your customer on a journey.
What do we mean by this?
To put it briefly, the customer’s journey starts by getting awareness of your product/service and ends with them having the intention to buy it.
While different businesses can get creative with this in their own ways, it helps to know that the primary goal is to offer information to potential customers in such a way that their engagement with it increases, piquing their interest, which finally nudges them to purchasing from your business.
Step 4: Identify Channels
Having made a thorough analysis of your customer and their profile, it is now time to streamline the most effective channels to get in touch with them and stimulate their curiosity.
Sometimes, setting up a simple pay per click ad might be useful in getting your customer to visit your website. At other times in your campaign, running a brief video might be the best way to re-capture the attention of an audience which you fear may have started losing interest in your brand.
Channels may be identified pre-campaign and sometimes, also during it. Especially, if you feel like certain things need to be revised. Ideally speaking, however, it is best to pre-empt problems and identify the appropriate channels right from the beginning. In this way, both time and money will be saved down the line.
Once the channels are identified, you can now start planning when a certain type of content/ video/ ad needs to go live and for how long.
Step 5: Be Wise with Time and Money
A smart goal is one that is strategic, measurable, achievable, and not to mention time bound. The truth is, we live in a world of scarce resources, which is why, allocating an infinite amount of time and money is just not realistic.
Setting up a budget, therefore, in addition to having a timeline, are perhaps one of the most prudent ways to go about doing anything. And especially if that thing happens to be a digital marketing campaign.
Some things to keep in mind
While our five-step plan can get you started on your campaign, it is worth remembering that everything requires re-evaluation from time to time. Different businesses grow in different ways, and while you might indeed have set up a certain plan in the beginning, it is important to remain agile and add or remove goals from your campaign, as need be.
