Digital marketing has become one of the best ways companies can succeed in today’s internet-focused landscape. But how do you know you’re doing it right? Let’s get into some of what you should be focusing on (and what to avoid!) to grow your business, drive traffic, and connect with your audience.
Dos
There are many methods to use to create a successful digital marketing strategy, and while best practices will be different depending on the industry, there are some that can help with a company’s success no matter what the sector. Let’s dive in.
1. Know Your Audience
Understanding and defining your target audience is one of the most important elements in digital marketing. With billions of people using the internet daily, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Remember that you don’t need to reach everyone, just the ones you want to, and who will be most excited to receive what you’re offering. Knowing who your typical customer is, where they live, how old they are, their gender, interests, occupation, education, and other demographic details can help you develop a savvy digital marketing strategy across whichever channels you choose. How well you know your audience directly correlates with how well your business succeeds. Not sure where to start? Check out hashtags, influencers, or events that have to do with your industry or business. Click through the websites and social media profiles of the people who are interested in products or services or brands like yours. And on the flip side of researching your target audience, don’t forget to peek at the competition.
2. Research Your Competition
Truth? It’s more than a peek. Doing market research on your competitors can help you get to know them as well as possible. The process of getting to know your competition is similar to figuring out your target audience: research competitors’ profiles across channels and check out their followers. Think about doing a competitive analysis to get a deeper understanding of other businesses like yours. Seeing their strengths and weaknesses and identifying where they’re succeeding and where they’re falling short is a great gauge for your own company. Evaluating what your competitors are doing right (and even more importantly, what they’re doing wrong, so you can do it better) can help build your brand from the ground up. The more you know about your competition, the more you can create strategies to meet your goals—and avoid what doesn’t.
3. Use Tools and Ask For Help
There are plenty of tools available to help execute digital marketing strategy. There are plenty of tools that can help you stay on track with timing by creating a calendar and posting content on a schedule. Another way to get ahead is by using Google Analytics, which provides valuable information about your target audience. There are even design tools like Canva and Filtertune, which help with aesthetics even if you’re not a graphic designer.
Understanding what kinds of options exist and how to utilize them to work for you can keep you ahead of the competition. Let the tools do their jobs so you can do yours better! And remember: if outsourcing to an expert is an option, there’s no shame in asking for help. Communicating and benefiting from others’ expertise can only help your own business, product, or brand succeed.
4. Keep Communication Open
Speaking of communication, another important element of digital marketing strategy is making sure to keep lines of communication open. Provide chances for users to get in touch with you. Reply to questions, comments, and inquiries as quickly as possible—whether it’s good or bad! Responding promptly to feedback and interacting with your current and potential customers shows that you are engaged with your audience and value what they have to say. It also gives you a chance to take care of any issues or problems right away.
And don’t forget: while there are plenty of tools to help collect, track, and measure data, synthesize information, and provide notifications, the human connection is still the basis of a brand’s communication success. Interacting through a Q&A session, responding to a customer’s problem, promptly answering a follower’s question, or simply engaging on a human level is crucial to growing and maintaining your brand.
Don’ts
Sometimes knowing what not to do can lead you in the right direction. Let’s break down a few common mistakes when it comes to digital marketing, and see how you can best avoid them.
5. Don’t Opt for Quantity over Quality
While it’s important to be consistent and stay relevant, it’s more important to share quality content. With so many digital marketing channels to choose from, it can be easy for businesses to spread themselves thin trying to utilize every single one. Experts recommend focusing on a few channels to get a message across, rather than bombarding users with content anywhere and everywhere. Although the channels within the digital marketing field are interconnected, it’s not necessary to create and share content in every single one.
As your familiarity and understanding of the different channels grow, you can expand your strategy. But creating quality content for a few channels will be more effective than a bunch of mediocre content on every one of them. While exploring the various channels, see what you enjoy working on or what you’re good at. Producing resonant, meaningful content is an integral part of any digital marketing strategy.
6. Don’t Forget About Mobile
According to a 2020 Statista report, mobile devices generated about half of all website traffic globally. Since more people than ever are using their phones rather than desktop or laptop computers, it’s critical to design your app or site to be as mobile-friendly as possible. While websites used to be made for desktop experiences, now, it’s a much better idea to design first for mobile and then make it compatible for desktop. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly and mobile-optimized website, take action immediately to ensure it is navigable for mobile use. There are plenty of ways to test your website’s mobile-friendliness. Do yourself a favor and take a look and make any changes necessary. These seemingly simple fixes can have a large impact on your SEO rankings, user satisfaction, and overall business.
7. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Influencer Collaboration
Influencer marketing helps you grab the attention of another follower base, promote your brand, gain credibility, expand your reach, enhance brand awareness, and drive sales. Influencer posts are often relatable, align with a company’s values, and provide a chance for business owners to connect with niche audiences. Many users see influencers as everyday consumers just like them, so influencer posts come across as a recommendation from a friend rather than an ad. Influencer marketing is currently the hottest trend (it’s on track to hit $13.8 billion in 2021!) and will only continue to move upward. Adding influencer-generated content and collaboration to your digital marketing strategy is a great way to expand and promote your product or brand.
8. Don’t Get Impatient When Waiting for Results
Don’t worry if you don’t find instant success overnight. Digital strategy takes time. It takes patience to wait for results—which can sometimes take months! Continue creating content, continue working on your brand. Let your genuine self shine through. Be authentic! Keep looking for and connecting with your target audience. Eventually, you'll carve out a space for yourself and your business, product, or services. You may not immediately see what’s working and what isn’t. But once you have all the elements in place, you can continue to refine your strategy until you’re satisfied.
Learn Digital Marketing
Those ready to learn more about this fast-growing industry or who are considering a new career path can enroll in a digital marketing class. Students can attend in-person classes at Noble Desktop’s New York City location or live online digital marketing courses from anywhere in the world.
For a more comprehensive look at digital marketing strategies, check out Noble’s Digital Marketing Strategies bootcamp. The bootcamp is a 12-hour course that delves into the important role digital marketing strategy plays in a company’s overall success. The bootcamp is also offered as part of the robust 78-hour Digital Marketing Certificate, which delves deeper into each aspect of digital marketing.
Other resources offered by Noble Desktop include its digital marketing blog which has detailed articles about career paths within the field and offers industry tips and tricks. You can also check out Noble’s seminar on YouTube: The Pillars of Digital Marketing Success.