We get a lot of questions about what makes for a strong digital marketing campaign, and what businesses can do beforehand to get ahead of the game. It’s a great mindset to have, and it will create a solid foundation for any campaign you launch. Here are the seven things we recommend you have established before you take the deep dive into digital marketing. Coming soon, we will have a dedicated blog for each of these seven topics. 2. Established Brand Identity Who you are as a brand creates the guidelines for everything moving forward. Your tone, personality, and style of your brand are some of the first things your potential customers will learn about you. In a world where there are so many options for your customers, there is a noticeable shift to people being more picky about the business they choose to work with. Establishing a connection has never been more important. Tip: Create a brand guideline that you can have on hand when creating new content. This will ensure you use the right colors, fonts, and tone throughout your efforts. 2. A Deep Understanding of Your Core Customer It’s easy to forget that the people on the other side of the screen are just that, other people. Psychology plays such a huge role in what we do with marketing, and the closer you are to understanding who your core customers are and what motivates them, the better off you will be. Tip: Encourage your loyal customers to leave reviews for your business, or to provide a quote you can use as a testimonial. Studies have shown that nearly 90% of individuals aged 18-34 trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This blog from Hubspot talks about how to approach getting these reviews. 3. Strong Messaging You’ve likely heard the saying “The medium is the message”, and that’s so true. But the message itself should not be undervalued. Messaging is your opportunity to form an emotional connection to your audience, and it should be a priority when it comes to digital marketing. An ad that pulls on the heartstrings or immediately answers a problem for your audience can lead to immediate follow-through. Tip: Think about the needs of your audience. What are the most common things you hear from your customers? Answering those needs in your messaging is a great place to start. 4. A Vision and Goals Not only is it crucial to understand where you currently are, but also where you want to be in the future. If everything goes well, you will be able to grow with this new online presence, and that will create new avenues for you. It’s not uncommon for a business to suddenly have attention they were not prepared for, and to miss the boat of opportunity that comes with more eyes on them. Make sure that you have at least a basic idea of what directions you would like to grow. Tip: Think about what you wanted your business to become at the beginning of the journey. If those ideas haven’t yet come to fruition, and you still want them to, in what ways can you grow to accomplish those original goals? 5. Great Website Something we tell our clients all the time is that while ads can bring in a significant amount of clicks and views, your website is the place those viewers will be landing. From that point on, user experience will make or break you. If you have a phenomenal website, created with user experience and ease in mind, you have the best shot of keeping retention up. Ensuring that your website has the capabilities for SEO is important as well. In the case that a viewer did not click on your ad but decides to Google you later, you want to make sure that your website is one of the first they see. Tip: Pull up a private browser and bring up Google. Go ahead and type in your business name and see how far you have to scroll to find your business. Next, type in your business type (ex: eau claire clothing store). If your business doesn’t show up within the first 3-5 search results, it might be time for an update. 6. Powerful Imagery A picture is worth a thousand words, maybe more when it comes to online advertising. A bright, personal, engaging image is sure to catch the attention of potential customers, while a dull and uninteresting photo may turn their attention elsewhere. Photos of your company’s most recognizable people, your locations, and images showing your product or service shows a viewer exactly what they would be getting into with your company. Tip: The front of your business, a recognizable face, and a business logo that potential customers can get accustomed to seeing are a great starting point for imagery. 7. Social Media Presence There’s a good chance that when you think of digital marketing, one of the first things to pop into your head is social media. A common misconception is that you need to be on every platform that is trending, but the reality is different. Your business should be on social media, but only places that make sense for your brand. The most common social media channels for businesses to be on are Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. They cover three main needs: A place for sharing and connection, a place to connect professionally, and a place to share video content of your business. Limiting which platforms you have also allows you to post more consistently and not feel overwhelmed. Tip: Develop a template for posting on social media. This will ensure that even if you have multiple people posting on your business account, the tone and imagery stays consistent. Remember, it’s important to keep your unique business in mind when considering the steps above. Having a strong sense of who you are and where you want to go will help propel you to success not only in digital marketing, but will strengthen your business overall. Want to learn more about building a custom marketing plan around your business? Reach out to [email protected] to get started!
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