Digital marketing has transformed the way businesses sell their products and services. Nowadays, entrepreneurs and small business owners are able to reach their target audience with economical marketing budgets. Yet, there is still much confusion about this marketing field, particularly about what it entails (it is not just about pay-per-click ads) and how to do it right to get the most out of its potential.
Now, before I get into the nitty gritty of it all, let me be clear about something: if you do not set aside any cash for a marketing budget in the hopes that you can reach and convert your target audience fast “organically” you are in for a surprise.
Every single platform and algorithm is designed to get you to spend money, one way or another.
In this article, I will help you discover what is involved in an effective digital marketing strategy, what are the best tactics when it comes to enhancing brand awareness and conversions and, in general, how to laid the best groundwork so you can get the most out of your paid advertising for as little cash as possible.
First of all, Digital Marketing is a term that covers all of the following online marketing areas:
- UI / UX & Mobile Optimisation
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
- SEO
- Content Marketing
- Video Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Influencer Marketing
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
- Analytics and Data Tracking
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Thus, Digital Marketers are strategists with enough multi-disciplinary knowledge and expertise to devise brand-tailored cohesive strategies to be delivered by specialists in each of the above areas.
Which takes us to the aforementioned nitty gritty.
How to Create an effective Digital Marketing Strategy – Tactics to Enhance Brand Awareness and Conversions
1. First, you need to Identify and Understand Your Target Audience
Conduct market research to learn about their demographics, tastes, and online behaviour. You can carry out market research with public data, surveys, competitive analysis, qualitative interviews, focus groups, social listening, field trials and observations. Armed with this insight, you will be able to build a personalised digital marketing strategy that will resonate with your target demographic from the get go and therefore produce greater results.
2. Use the Power of UI / UX to Build a Strong Online Presence
A robust online presence is the foundation of any successful digital marketing. A professional website that reflects your brand´s identity and values and offers your products or services in a user-friendly manner is imperative to convert traffic into customers. You must also make sure that is optimised for mobile. Hotjar is a tool that will help you to better understand your audience, what they expect to find on your website and generally improve your UI / UX.
You can learn more about UI/ UX on my article “How to Use UI & UX to Increase Sales plus Best Tools and Tactics”.
3. Execute Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
CRO focuses on improving the percentage of website visitors who take desired actions, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. Utilise A/B testing to experiment with different elements on your website, such as headlines, layouts, or call-to-action buttons, and analyse the impact on conversion rates.
4. Perform Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO plays a vital role in driving organic traffic to your website, one of the factors contributing to low paid advertising later on. Conduct keyword research to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally into your website’s content, meta descriptions, and headers. I show you how to perform effective SEO in my article “The Best SEO Tactics to Increase Traffic and Sales”.
5. Create a Content Strategy & Social Media Sharing Schedule
Focus on creating high-quality, informative content that is in line with your business objectives as well as answers your audience’s questions and provides value. Even if you must keep SEO in mind, don´t write for the engine, write for the people. It is also important to create new content weekly and share it consistently. Identify the social media platforms where your target audience is most active and share content and/or statuses at the very least three days per week. Join groups to foster meaningful connections and respond to comments and messages promptly.
Video has become a dominant form of content consumption so it needs to be part of your content strategy. Use platforms like YouTube, Instagram Reels, or TikTok – depending on your audience preference – to share them. Don’t forget to optimise your video posts with relevant keywords and compelling descriptions.
To maximise your efforts and ensure consistency, you can repurpose your long-form articles, blog posts and videos and extract their content to create infographics, gifs and even fun memes.
I will be publishing an in-depth article on social media tactics soon, so don´t forget to subscribe to this Know-How section to get notified. You will find the subscription box on the right column next to this article – if you are reading it on desktop – or at the end of it – if you are using a tablet or mobile.
6. Work your Email Marketing
Email marketing continues to be a successful method of nurturing leads and driving conversions. Increase your email list by providing valuable content or incentives. To send customised, personalised communications, segment your list depending on demographics or user behaviour. Personalisation is essential for providing relevant experiences to your audience. You can use collected data to categorise your audience and produce these highly-personalised marketing messages.
There are tools, such as Brevo (formerly SendInBlue), Mailchimp or Klaviyo, among others, that will help you not only deliver email marketing messages based on user behaviour and preferences but also automate this process saving you a ton of time.
Don´t forget to create eye-catching subject lines and optimise your email content to increase open and click-through rates.
7. Explore Influencer Marketing, Partnerships and Online Collaborations
Collaborating with influencers in your industry can increase your brand’s reach and credibility tenfold. Research and determine influencers that share your brand’s beliefs and who have a true connection with their audience. Collaborate on sponsored content or product reviews to capitalise on their influence and reach out to new customers.
Likewise, investigate the possibility of guest blogging, co-marketing efforts, or collaborative webinars with complementary businesses. Strategic alliances could help to enhance your digital marketing efforts and provide mutual benefits.
8. Invest in strategic Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Yes, you are going to have to pay for ads at some point. But laying the previous groundwork will work to satisfy the greedy algorithm with less cash while getting it to produce better results.
Use Google Search Ads to reach your target audience when they are searching online for your products or services´ keywords or Display Ads when they are visiting sites or videos related to your brand´s offerings.
Social Media ads such as Facebook ads are also quite effective when it comes to reaching a precise target audience. Monitor your campaigns closely, analyse results, and refine your strategies to optimize conversions and maximize ROI.
Bear in mind that not all website visitors convert on their first visit. In fact, it often takes up to 7 touchpoints before a user becomes a customer. Remarketing and retargeting campaigns allow you to re-engage with those visitors and encourage them to take action. You can use Google Ads or Facebook Pixel to track visitors and display targeted ads to remind them of your products or services when they might be ready to purchase them.
Don´t forget to subscribe to this Know-How as I will be publishing a very valuable article on effective PPC techniques in the near future.
9. Set up Analytics and Data Tracking
To measure the success of your digital marketing efforts, collecting data is essential. Use Google Analytics to track website traffic, user behaviour, and conversions.
This will help you gain a better understanding of your audience’s preferences, campaign performance, and areas of improvement, which will enable you to refine your strategies and optimise your marketing efforts. This is a crucial part of any professional digital marketing strategy.
10. Implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools
Implementing a CRM system will help streamline your digital marketing efforts and enhance customer relationships. It allows you to manage and track customer interactions, automate marketing campaigns, and personalise communication. Consider using CRM platforms like HubSpot or Salesforce to manage your customer data effectively.
11. Conduct Online Reputation Management (ORM)
Last, but not least, your online reputation can significantly impact your business’s success. And, if not managed properly, a bad online reputation, such as a very low Google Reviews score can actually break all of your digital marketing efforts and doom your business to failure.
Obtain what is called Social Proof in the form of testimonials and reviews by your satisfied customers and showcase them on your website, media channels and dedicated review platforms.
Monitor all online reviews, social media mentions, and other forms of feedback. Respond promptly and respectfully to customer feedback, whether positive or negative, to maintain a positive brand image and, most importantly, build trust with your audience, which is essential.
Conclusion
Digital Marketing involves expertise and work in several online marketing areas. It is also a very dynamic field which requires constant learning to keep up-to-date with new tech developments, changes in consumer behaviour and algorithm updates.
Though this article serves you as a blueprint to establish a successful digital marketing structure for your small business, unless digital marketing is your actual service, I will always advise you to hire a professional to guide you, so you can focus on producing the best products and/or services in your industry. At the end of the day, the latter will always be the best marketing tactic, whether digital or traditional.
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