Creating and implementing a successful digital marketing strategy starts here.
1. Inbound marketing
Using tools such as content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization, and branding, inbound marketing turns the tables on traditional marketing methods. No more vying for the attention of your consumers, prospects, and customers with impersonal channels such as billboards, cold calls, radio, television, and print advertisements etc. Inbound marketing is all about developing meaningful, long-term relationships with those who initiated interactions with you. On some level, they were already interested in what your company has to offer, and they sought out your expertise.
Once you have attracted the right prospects, you continue to engage with them as a trusted advisor who provides solutions for their pain-points. Once the transaction has been made, you ensure to provide support which helps them get the most out of your product or service. Their gratification will spill over as they share their success story with others – who then seek you out in a positive spiral of new and ongoing business.
What inbound marketing strategies will work in 2020?
The three key areas of inbound marketing remain:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Social media marketing (SMM)
- Off page content marketing.
To keep these relevant in 2020, here are some refinements within each of these which are essential in drawing in your target market:
Personalization. Just as it is almost impossible not to turn around if you hear your name, so the personalization of all your inbound marketing material catches the eye of your target audience.
Not only will you add their name to your output, you will also segment your database so that only information which is relevant to each one is sent out to them.
Valuable content. While we are on the topic of sharing relevant information with your contacts, don’t spew out as many words as possible for the sake of checking a box. Your content must be something worth opening. Quality always trumps quantity when it comes to content.
Recycle content. Leading on from the previous point, one of the benefits of creating meaningful content is that it stays evergreen. Rather than re-inventing the wheel each time, have a look at updating your existing content.
Establish a local SEO presence. Picture the last Google search you did. You might have noticed a trio of results under a Google map that refer to places near you. That is what local search engine optimization does for you.
For this to happen, you need to claim your Google My Business listing – using appropriate keywords and phrases in your description and a welcoming photo. Be sure to verify all your details, or NAP, which stands for name, address, and phone number.
Cater to voice searches. Obviously searches done on the go are done with the safety of a voice search (we hope!) But, as more and more homes are using voice-activated devices, the need to cater for the words people use when they conduct queries verbally – it varies from the way we type searches.
2. Mobile marketing
Going mobile as part of your digital marketing strategy is essential. According to Forbes, tablet, and especially smartphone sales as far back as 2014 already dramatically outnumbered sales of PCs. Additionally, they mention that “90% of consumer transactions are started on one device and finished on another. (Neil Mohan, Google).”
With such a smartphone penetration rate as a share of the United States population of 79.1%, that is a whopping 260.2 million potential leads. Anything less than a mobile-first mindset will fall short.
Mobile-driven commerce (m-commerce) is one of the fastest growing trends in mobile marketing. It comes as no surprise because smartphones have become our preferred way to browse and buy thanks to their ubiquity, speed, and convenience. (Have you ever tried sneaking your laptop into the bathroom cubicle?) This rapid growth of m-commerce has gone hand-in-hand with increasingly innovative shopping apps and social media commerce partnerships.
It is not too late to catch up with this trend, though, as m-commerce sales are projected to reach $284 billion this year which translates to 45% of the total US e-commerce market.
Mobile strategies your business can employ
In case you have not already done so, check that your website reads correctly on all devices from a desktop or laptop to a tablet or smartphone.
Even better than a responsive web design is to invest in building an app for your business. Surveys show that approximately 80% of smartphone operators use apps daily.
Parallel to the swift progress of m-commerce, mobile directories are what most people refer to nowadays. When you register with mobile directories such as YP, Yelp, and Google+Local, share your NAP, as well as the products and services you offer, your business hours, and a link to your website.
Engage with your prospects and customers on social media and with texts. An opt-in campaign is a powerful way to encourage specific action from your leads in exchange for a reward of some kind.
Mobile marketing is perpetually evolving. Consider moving as many of your interactions to mobile – smartphone-specific special offers, a mobile customer service center, and mobile payment solutions.
3. Content marketing
Content should be a major driving force in your digital marketing strategy as sharing pertinent information ups user engagement, the number of visitors to your website, and ultimately, your bottom line. On top of that, insightful, in-depth content establishes your brand as a leader in your industry.
For years and years you have heard that “content is king”, and so it is. But not all content is created equal. For the most effective ROI (return on investment), a four-pronged approach is your best bet:
- Produce grouped content. Start with an overview about the topic which targets your main keyword. This is your pillar content which acts just like a tent pole. The more detailed content about the various aspects of the topic unfold from that with hyperlinks.
Not only does this result in a themed flow to your content, it also forges topic authority.
- Balance your editorial. Although you want the content that you share to help you populate the SERPs (search engine results pages), copy that focuses too much on search results often lacks freshness and uniqueness – the two descriptions that should describe your brand and its voice.
- Be relevant. Organic traffic may result from your exciting content, but if it does not connect directly to your business offerings, it is pointless. Solving your customers’ problems is what your content should highlight. Be informative, helpful, entertaining – and always on-point.
- Mix it up. Increase your appearances on SERPs by making every bit of output count. Consider using different types of content – video, podcast, paid ad content marketing, blogs, live video streams, Instagram Carousel posts, visual data – to improve your ranking as well as your authority.
4. Google analytics and reporting
No prizes for using marketing lingo, but the truth is that, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it!”
Google Analytics is a built-in tool which should be included in your website design. As its name implies, it lets you track the success of your online business with systematic reporting and optimization services. Some of the valuable insight it provides includes:
The customer acquisition report reveals how your visitors are landing on-site and which channels are contributing the most revenue to your business.
The organic traffic landing page report highlights your top performing landing pages for organic traffic, giving you insight into which content or keywords are driving your organic traffic
The email assessment report shows which email campaigns proffered the best results. Replicate these top performers to maximize your email marketing output.
The device comparison report compares user behavior based on device.
The time of day/day of week transaction report identifies when you experience your highest levels of online sales. The quiet times may be boosted with special deals and promotions.
The clichés just keep rolling in – probably because they have proven to be true over the years. But, in the words of Henry Kissinger, “if you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.”
This is why you need to have targets and goals about what you want your digital marketing strategy to achieve – and they need to be smart.
Specific. State exactly what you want to achieve using powerful action words.
Measurable. Create a way to evaluate your progress and results using metrics and data targets.
Achievable. Be realistic about what is possible within your timeframe so that you do not set yourself up for disappointment.
Relevant. Your goals should improve the business in some way – not anything ego-driven which may detract from the bottom line.
Time-bound. Keep yourself on track by setting a specific date or detailed timeline for when you want to have achieved your digital marketing goals.
By combining old-school techniques with cutting edge technology, your inbound efforts should propel you to great heights of success.
5. Digital marketing training
A social media community manager is responsible for designing and implementing a digital marketing strategy, managing your brand’s online reputation, and reporting on specific objectives relating to ROI.
Reading an article like this may leave you feeling stressed about all there is to do, all the jargon you need to remember, and the ever-changing finer points you need to keep up with. Perhaps you are concerned that your team may not know how to create content calendars, schedule posts, and respond to feedback.
Relax! Help is at hand. Brand Energy can give training for all this, and with our knowledge, we are confident we can train anyone – regardless of age or experience.
Our digital marketing training can be summed up with the four Cs:
- Customized. Whether online or in-person, we will customize the training to suit your business, goals, and level of experience and understanding.
- Competitive edge. That’s what you will get when your marketing team know how best to use the current tools (and there are many!) at their disposal.
- Corporates and small to medium businesses benefit from our training process.
- Communication. From search engine and social media marketing to online reputation management and web analytics, we translate your marketing goals into reality.
After attending a digital marketing workshop, you will:
- Know how to optimize digital marketing strategy and budget.
- Know how to utilize practical digital marketing tools.
- Understand tried and tested digital marketing approaches.
- Adopt important best practice strategies for effective implementation.
- Let us inspire and equip both you and your team to harness the power of the internet.
6. Digital marketing advertising
A digital advertising strategy is an important part of lead generation and customer retention, brand awareness and online reputation management, all working towards marketing penetration.
What are the digital advertising trends for 2020?
The basics – such as being customer-centric, credible, and compelling – are still valid, so never skimp on getting them right. Here are some exciting new trends to add to your digital advertising repertoire:
- While online video advertising has been around for a little while now, its increased popularity means that it should now be a consistent part of your digital marketing strategy.
- For extraordinary results, include interactive content like infographics, quizzes, and polls in your next campaign.
- Old, but gold, social media is still a useful tool, especially when used to communicate directly with your audience. Renew your social media savvy with astute targeting with filters on location, gender, age, and interests.
- Be willing to give in order to receive. Offering help and advice or sharing online tools and downloads nurtures lasting relationships.
At Brand Energy, we examine all digital advertising opportunities to find the best fit for your business, your target market, and your objectives.
7. Leading and implementing your strategy versus hiring a digital marketing consultant
Are you toying with the idea of hiring a digital marketing consultant rather than implementing your own digital marketing strategy?
The answer to your dilemma is one you will need to come to after some analysis of your situation. To help you, here are signs that you do, indeed, need outside help:
- Your results aren’t what you had hoped they would be.
- Your team is overworked, behind schedule, rushed, and getting a tad stale.
- Your focus is too involved on tasks and not enough on strategy.
Before you make up your mind, though, consider mixing things up a bit. Have you considered outsourcing only some of your marketing and combining it with partial in-house work?
- You can outsource:
- Your marketing strategy
- social media strategy
- content marketing
- email marketing
- marketing analytics, or
- all of the above.
Energize your brand with Brand Energy
With more than twelve years’ experience in managing inbound marketing campaigns, Brand Energy is excited to implement a robust digital marketing strategy with you. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation today.