Successfully running a business without a digital marketing strategy seems highly unlikely these days. Most people are glued to their smartphones and are now spending less time watching TV, reading newspapers or even noticing billboards and physical ads when they are walking and driving. When it comes to being a business owner there is a big difference between surviving and thriving, and digital marketing just might be the push to get you there.
If you haven’t experienced the digital marketing world so far, don’t worry. Just because you are more traditional, and prefer to use other forms of reaching out to customers, that doesn’t mean that learning about digital marketing is going to be difficult for you.
In order to make this transition as smooth as possible, we came up with a list of questions that you should ask yourself before you embark on this adventure. We hope that, with solid preparation, your relationship with your potential customers is going to grow through this medium as well.
Who is Your Target Audience?
There is nothing more important than figuring out who you are speaking to. Before you know anything else you need to know who your target audience is. Digital marketing enables you to be very precise and to target specifically a group of people that could be your potential customers. Think about age, gender, geographic location, and any other preference you can think of. There’ll be no losses if someone outside of your target group sees your ad, but you will lose a lot if you can’t reach the audience that the ad was meant for.
What is your Target Audience Like?
Now that you know who you are speaking to, you need to figure out what they are like. Would they prefer a casual ad or a more serious one? Do they want to know about discounts or new arrivals? When are they spending time on their phones and laptops and what is the best time to reach them?
None of this is possible with traditional marketing, which is why going digital is going to help you narrow down the scope and achieve more with fewer resources.
What is the Message of My Campaign?
Once you know who you are talking to, what they are like and what they want, there is another important task to cover. You need to think about the overall message of your campaign. Perhaps you are going to use Instagram ads, Facebook videos, even new Snapchat filters… No matter how big or small your campaign is, it simply needs to have one particular, unified, branded message.
That message needs to be derived from your goal. What do you want to achieve with this marketing campaign? Are you aiming to present your business to the world? Get new customers? Stop current customers from leaving? Announce a new prize, feature or product?
Figure out the goal and market it in a way that will be appealing and attractive to your target audience. Digital marketing campaigns are very cost-effective, and you should take full advantage of that.
Who are You Competing with?
Before the campaign gets launched, you need to take a quick peek into what your competition is doing. Your great idea might already be on the market. It is very important to distinguish yourself and stand out amongst several similar ideas; it will make all the difference.
Make sure that you have checked what kind of message they are sending, what their slogan is, colour palette, and mediums they are using. If you are new, this matters even more, because you don’t want to be mixed up with another business, and send your potential customers to them.
How can You Use SEO to Improve Your Campaign?
If you are new to digital marketing, chances are you haven’t heard about SEO. Well, search engine optimisation is a new buzzword, and it has been for a while. And if you aren’t familiar with it, you’d better start learning!
Getting organic, natural traffic to your website, Instagram or Facebook pages, and Twitter account isn’t that easy. But, using SEO techniques can make all the difference. Instead of paying for ads, you could be investing in an experienced SEO expert who will elevate your digital platform and enable you to have way more traffic than any ad ever could.
Most people don’t enjoy seeing ads, getting interrupted or even bothered. This is why taking full advantage of SEO and a well-trained expert can make a huge difference not only for your digital marketing campaign but for your entire business as well.
Every change is difficult and challenging, but have in mind that this cando wonders for your business, and make you way more successful. The digital generation is about to start their adulthood and they are the biggest consumers. They are going to be very happy that there are more ways to learn about your business, and we hope you turn them into loyal customers.