To me, digital marketing is like a jigsaw puzzle. You know the end result you’re trying to create and you have the pieces to help you get there, it’s just understanding how they all fit together. If you’re missing a piece or you’ve put a piece in the wrong way round, the picture doesn’t look quite right, or you find there’s a gap that you still need to fill.
I’m from the digital generation. I shop online, I have a mobile, laptop and tablet, and I’m on social media. I’m savvy when it comes to shopping around, researching before I buy and getting frustrated when a link takes me to a dress or a hotel or a product recommendation that isn’t relevant.
Getting your website up and running is fantastic but it’s just the start of the journey to ensuring you’re driving your business to long-term success. It’s vital that you look at the bigger picture and ensure you have all the pieces of your puzzle to be able to get there.
Top Tips for Building an Online Marketing Strategy
1) Define your vision
What are you hoping to achieve from your business? Think about a realistic, but stretching goal that clarifies the direction in which you want your business to head. Give it a time frame too. Your vision is the finished puzzle – the picture you are aiming to create.
2) Set your objectives
To help you achieve your vision, break it down into 3-5 manageable objectives that scope out your key business goals. Your objectives are your stepping stones to accomplish your vision. When you’re making your jigsaw, you might decide to do certain elements first, or lay all your pieces out and prioritise them.
3) Outline how you’re going to get there
From email marketing to SEO, PPC, online advertising and mobile marketing, identify the key digital channels that you could use for your business to help you achieve your objectives. Think about 3-5 key activities for each channel and how they complement other channels to ensure you have a fully holistic approach to your online marketing strategy. Think about weighting the channels too – how much importance does one have over the other specifically for YOUR business, and as a result how much time and money are you willing to invest in them? When you’re creating your jigsaw puzzle, you’re ensuring that you have all the pieces you need to make your picture.
Do you have an Online Marketing Strategy you need to review or are you looking for help to build your business’s strategy? From social media training to strategy consulting – Cariad Marketing would love to hear from you to see how we can help drive your business to success.
