Do you stutter when you think about your digital marketing strategy? Worry that it’s too much work with very little return?
Tired of listening to everyone telling you to go all-in!! You have to do it all!
Become an instant sensation. Become a mega influencer.
Yeah, they remind me of the magazines at the checkout lines that tell me I can lose 2 jean sizes before the weekend!!
Or another favorite– you have to spend lots and lots of money to reach your audience. You can. But there’s no reason to jump into the deep end! There’s plenty of ways to reach and attract your audience. You are probably already using some of them. Now let’s make sure.
In my Blog Inbound Marketing I discussed the various ways inbound marketing helps you attract, convert, and nurture your clients/customers. We can’t be everywhere unless we have a huge team– and let’s face it— most of us don’t.. I think starting with 3 is a good number. It will help you find and attract your ideal clients, generate the leads you need and improve your conversions.
Let’s dive in.
What is Digital Marketing? It’s the act of promoting or selling products and services by leveraging online tactics.
Before we get too far, let’s make sure we are on the same page regarding terms:
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Digital marketing is the act of promoting and selling products and services by leveraging online marketing tactics such as social media marketing, search marketing, and email marketing. When you get down to it, digital marketing is simply marketing.
Inbound marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. While outbound marketing interrupts your audience with content they don’t want, inbound marketing forms connections they’re looking for and solves problems they already have.
There are different types of digital marketing and you employ them based on where your audiences are on their journey with you.
When your audience is just finding you–earn their attention with relevant helpful and useful content that provides uber high value and allow them to get to know you. Types of digital marketing to utilize during this phase in their journey would include Blog, Keyword research, SEO, Social Media, and Paid Search Ads.
Once you have formed a great relationship with your audience you want to enable them to interact with you based on their terms. A solid relationship with your audience builds strong levels of trust- You build this level of trust through using email marketing, inviting them to join your Facebook Group, Sponsored posts on Facebook/Instagram, Newsletters, you get it!
Most of you would agree that most purchases begin with an online search and having an online presence is critical regardless of your business model
But just not anywhere and everywhere. You want to be where they are hanging out. Once you are there, use your content strategy to provide industry news, understand their problems, and provide timely relevant solutions.
Utilize Social Media to share your content. This is where you will first make that connection to your audience and begin building the relationship.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)- optimize your SEO so your audience can find your content and message when they are searching for information and solutions.
Pay per click- get your message out so people can see what you are offering and get to know you.
Email/Content- a way to continue the relationship and continue to deliver the solutions and information they are craving.
There are different tactics based on where they are in their journey.
| Tactics: which digital marketing activities to use for your customer journey | ||
| Attract | Convert | Engage |
| Acquisition strategy to build awareness | Conversion strategy to achieve marketing and sales goals | Retention and growth strategy |
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This probably sounds like a lot to manage. But remember you don’t have to do all of them. Pick one from each category- to attract you need either a website or strong social media presence, to convert landing page and retain you need an email nurturing sequence. If you want to grow faster, then you start incorporating others once you have had time to master and understand how the previous tactics are performing.
I see a lot of people just throw everything into the mix and then have no clue as to what’s working, what’s not, and how to optimize. I call it the Spray and Pray method. You throw everything out there and hope that something works. Or it gets too much to manage and they give up with the thought that marketing is too hard.
It’s not but you have to be thoughtful about how you approach your strategies. Remember—Less is more in the beginning. Your challenge, pick one tactic from each, master, optimize, and grow your business.