When it comes to digital marketing strategy, you can relate it to “seeing the big picture.” It’s crucial to understand how your blog fits into a larger ecosystem of other blogs, businesses, and service providers and how your offer appeals to consumers. It’s effortless to perform day-to-day activities, forgetting how you or your employees or contractors are doing to reach specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or achieve a goal. You can indeed get up and running fast without taking many strategic activities into account, but this will only limit your potential for growth and profit.
What is a digital marketing strategy?
A strategy is an idea, plan, or solution that considers how to solve a problem or fill a demand in the marketplace. A strategy is differentiated from tactics. Digital tactics include email marketing, social media marketing, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), including paid ads in search engines, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), web design and development, mobile marketing, video marketing, content marketing, inbound marketing, analytics, conversion optimization, and other emerging trends in the industry. You will find that many service providers and agencies focus on one or a few of these tactics. So what unifies these distinct digital marketing tactics? You guessed right, digital marketing strategy.
Strategy – Born from plans and goals
Goals are paramount to be ready to achieve success, in particular well-defined goals. Many marketers use the SMART acronym to set their purposes the right way. Although you may use your style, you’ll find many references for SMART goals.
The S stands for specific; this means your goal is clear. The M stands for measurable; remember, what can be measured can be improved. The A stands for achievable, which means achieving the goal is possible. The R stands for realistic, which means the goal is attainable and manageable. Finally, the T stands for timely; this means it’s not only a dream, but it has a definite date for completion.
Strategical considerations
A strategy of this kind is not created just because. It should consider where to point your efforts or your organization’s efforts. This direction should benefit the project’s stakeholders and your readers and clients. Strategy is about using strengths to achieve goals, understanding, and using a particular terrain to gain an advantage. A business translation is that the marketing function should understand the business’s plan. It can be a one-man operation, or it can be a marketing department. The critical element to consider is how the business and competitors’ context provide value and becomes an advantage.
Better use of the word “digital.”
The world has come a long way since the internet was the wild, wild west. Today, practically all developed markets are running towards the digitalization of businesses and service providers. E-commerce has boomed, especially since a large part of the population has experienced – or sought – to work from home, and today, they don’t have to be sold on buying what they need online. This means digital should be baked into marketing strategy from the beginning. Digital is becoming more embedded in operations, to the point where the word is not needed, but it is included in many contexts.
Strategy and marketing
You may think that business strategy and marketing strategy are the same. Truth is, they’re not, BUT they’re related. The modern definition of marketing is all about awakening consumers’ emotions and creating experiences. You can define it as the art and science of materializing and providing value to satisfy the needs of consumers while profiting from it. You need to create value in the life of the people you interact with and do business with. Most of this value will transfer to monetary gain and build intangible assets such as brand recognition and interaction based on trust.
Digital channels and their advantages
Just as the TV, the radio, or newspapers have advantages, digital channels have many inherent benefits. Traditional media is filled with quotes, just as the one from John Wanamaker says, “Half my advertising spend is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” Although it may seem comical, you’ll find that no modern magnate would say that about digital channels. First, everything digital is almost entirely measurable. Secondly, your audience can be segmented in a precise manner. Finally, as time goes by, you’ll find that many automated platforms and tools allow you to communicate directly with your target audience when they choose to.
Exchanging value
Marketing is all about uncovering and satisfying demands. In a digital world, this is achieved by using the internet. You can add that this process is performed in innovative and new ways. Since the complete scope of marketing is implemented on the internet, you’ll find that your blog, as a brand, can achieve attention from your audience. You can add value in education, entertainment, or utility. You can accomplish wonders if you align with your user’s interests and values. By making or endorsing products tailored to your market’s needs, you’ll make them fall in love with your recommendations.
Towards agility
It seems long ago, businesses had long periods between static and dynamic management phases. The first one was all about making plans and securing resources, while the second one was what we now call an execution period. In a day-to-day setting, it may seem that the daily agenda is more pressing than strategic concerns. Adding planning in a more agile loop solves this issue. Planning with feedback from execution can become a strategic advantage acquired by companies, and yes, even blogs of any size. Planning and acting faster, aided by quality information, provides a more flexible, measurable, and competitive environment for you to take advantage of.
Digital marketing strategy and your blog
You may be asking yourself: Is this information relevant to my blog? The answer is a resounding yes. A digital marketing strategy is exactly what you need to cut through the clutter, be pertinent to your target audience, and be able to compete, no matter the resources you have. Are you a one-person operation? Great, you can make fast decisions. Are you blogging for your business? Great, you may have more resources to get the job done, but no matter your position, you’ll have strengths and weaknesses that can take you through a unique journey.