An effective digital marketing strategy is a must for any business in this day and age. Whether you are an established bricks and mortar business in a traditional market niche, an online start up or a combination of the two, being able to strategically leverage all the key digital technologies – web, social media and mobile – has never been more essential to your business success.
The new digital technologies have changed the way businesses market themselves forever. Social media like Twitter and Facebook are the new word of mouth and as consumers turn to online search to find local products and services, old school methods like the Yellow Pages and local print advertising are becoming less and less effective.
If you don’t believe us just look at how the number of classified adverts in your local paper and the Yellow Pages is shrinking! And where has all that advertising gone? You’ve guessed it! It’s gone online. Why? Because that’s where your customers are!
Over 90% of consumers looking for services now go online first and half of all searches are for local businesses. And increasingly, they are using the web and social media to find reviews and recommendations and their mobile devices (smart phones and tablets) to seek out local businesses. Which means that if you don’t have a strong presence on all of the new online marketing platforms chances are, they’re finding your competitors, not you. And if prospective customers can’t find you, they will not hear about you and they will not buy from you. Meanwhile your more internet savvy competitors are getting further and further ahead. You literally cannot afford to ignore what’s going on any longer.
Just like any offline marketing, your online marketing efforts need to be planned. It’s not enough to have a website that is no more than a glorified brochure or simply replicates your offline product offers. Nor can you randomly tweet, blog or email (the spray and pray approach!) and expect to get results. No. If you’re going to be successful you will need a clear digital marketing strategy and plan of action.
The digital marketing strategy that’s right for your business will depend on what you are trying to achieve and where you’re starting from. For most small businesses, generating more leads and getting new customers is a key objective but getting your existing customers to spend more may also be a high priority for you, or you may be undergoing a business rebranding, launching new products and services, looking to sell online for the first time, trying to cut costs or facing a threat from a new competitor.
Each of these is likely to require a different approach.
So how do you start to develop your digital marketing strategy? The first step is to map out your overall business goals. Where do you want to be in 3 or 5 years time and how do you plan to get there? What specific business milestones and marketing objectives do you have?
Once you’ve set your objectives you then need to:
Whether you want to develop a business or digital marketing strategy now, or build a business website; whether you are an offline, online or bricks and clicks business, or whether you would simply like to learn more about our digital marketing strategy services – contact us today or call 0208 252 0557. We’re here to make sure that you get your digital marketing strategy right because in the long run that’s what will determine how successful your online marketing efforts will be.
Over 72% of potential customers go online first to find out about businesses. Half of all searches are for local businesses.
Our FREE Digital Marketing Strategy Guide will explain exactly what you can do RIGHT NOW to make sure they find YOU and not your competition.
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