Imagine coming up with the perfect business idea but never getting any traction. If you want to avoid that, you should look into developing a digital marketing plan.
That way, you can get eyes on your business from the beginning. Read on to learn how to establish a digital marketing strategy.
Set Some Goals
One of the first things you should do before you create a digital marketing plan is to outline a few business goals. Digital marketing can help you do a lot of things, from building brand awareness to generating more sales.
However, it helps to focus on one main objective when using the internet to grow your business. If your brand is fairly new, your goal might be to generate awareness.
On the other hand, if you already have a product or service, you might prefer to get more sales. Those goals are very different, and that can affect which metrics you track and which digital marketing tactics you use.
Determine a Budget
Another vital step to take before you create a marketing plan is to figure out your budget. Of course, you need money to pay the employees on your marketing team or any freelance marketers you hire.
However, you can use organic marketing strategies to keep costs low. This might include using social media platforms, such as Instagram or TikTok, or you could start a blog and use search engine optimization (SEO).
If you have a larger budget, you can look into using ads on social media or PPC ads on search engines. Ads can be a great way to generate more traffic more quickly, but the costs can add up just as fast.
Create a Brand Kit
As you start to develop your digital marketing plan, you may want to create a brand kit. Your brand kit includes things like your fonts and colors as well as your brand voice to use when writing posts.
It should also include a logo, which you may need to make if you don’t have one. Developing a brand kit is vital if you have a team or will be outsourcing any of the work to contractors.
You and your team can reference the kit whenever you design graphics or write social posts. That way, you can make sure the branding is cohesive, which can help people remember your brand when they see you online.
Identify Your Target Audience
Building a digital marketing plan also requires you to know your audience well. You can use your target audience to decide what platforms you use to market yourself and the type of content you create.
Researching your target audience can also help you confirm that digital marketing is the right strategy for you. After you learn about your audience, you can choose the right platforms to use to connect with them.
Then, you’ll have an easier time building loyalty, which can help you generate more sales. Be sure to learn more information on how you can build a loyal following for your business.
If you don’t know who your audience is, take a step back and figure that out. Without a buyer persona, any marketing you do may not be as successful.
Research Your Competitors
After you figure out your ideal customer, you should do some research on your competition. Take a look at which social media platforms other businesses use to attract buyers.
Consider if they have a blog or YouTube channel to post long-form content. You should also review the websites of these brands to see what they do.
Now, you don’t want to copy another brand because that will look unprofessional. However, you can use your competitors as inspiration regarding where and how you market your business online.
You can also learn what customers are saying about your competition. If you notice any negative trends, you can use those things to differentiate yourself in your marketing.
Use a Content Calendar
As you develop your digital marketing plan, you should set up a content calendar. A calendar is useful for social media, blog posts, and other content that you share regularly.
Consider if you have a marketing team or not and how much time you have to market your business. Then, you can figure out how many posts you can realistically create and share per week.
After that, you can decide on the days and times you want to post new content. If you’ve never marketed yourself online, see when your competitors post, and follow that to learn if it works for you.
Start Testing Things
You’re finally ready to implement your digital marketing plan. Ideally, you’ll have a few ideas of how to generate buzz or sales for your business, so put those ideas to work.
Maybe that means setting up a blog or joining TikTok or Instagram. Start posting content across a couple of platforms, and do so as consistently as you can.
It can take a while to learn for sure what does or doesn’t work for your business. Give yourself at least a month or two to use any new strategy you want to try before you give up on it.
Review Your Analytics
Once a month passes, look back at the analytics for your website and social media accounts. Consider the metrics you want to track based on your goal.
If your goal is to increase brand awareness, you’ll want to track impressions on your social media and website. Or if your goal is to make sales, you should check the number of website clicks from different platforms and see how many sales you made.
Be honest with yourself about what is and isn’t working. Stop doing the strategies that aren’t getting results so that you can dedicate more time to the successful strategies.
Create Your Digital Marketing Plan Today
If you’re ready to start or grow a business online, you need a good digital marketing plan. You can do a lot to promote your business on the internet, from using social media to SEO.
Be sure to set some goals and research your customers and competitors. That way, you can decide what strategies to try first.
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