Digital marketing is where the action is for sales teams. The high return on investment (ROI) inherent to online marketing (and e-commerce) makes it irresistible. Learning how to get the most out of this lucrative method is integral to growing your business. Here are seven ways to build your digital marketing plan.
- Develop Supporting Technologies
Digital marketing is necessarily a tech-heavy pursuit. It’s not enough to have the necessary tools. Those tools require an array of devices to support them. Make sure you understand and prepare for the level of maintenance and support that these systems require. The so-called “Internet of Things” consists of heavily networked devices and applications. Doing so necessitates having a good support structure in place to handle it. Acquiring networking tools like the IPC Edge and choosing competent cloud providers are important considerations. Match your purchases to your goals.
- Automate for Efficiency
Once you have the needed infrastructure in place, it’s time to consider leveraging automation. There are many options for business process automation (BPA) in digital marketing. Customer relationship management (CRM) software is one of the most prevalent aids. A good CRM suite can help track a customer’s journey with your company. Project management tools like Basecamp are also quite advantageous. The file sharing and text functions can help keep remote teams connected without physical infrastructure. Even chatbots can help deal with high volumes of customer queries. Shop around for the solutions that augment your unique processes.
- Rethink Your Website
Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of failing to update their landing pages. Doing so can be a critical error. Dependability is what visitors and repeat customers alike are expecting. Ensure that your social media pages are updated routinely. Look carefully at the basic features of your landing page, including text layout, font, and color scheme. Optimize the structure for ease of readability and navigation. Your entire web presence should be conveying a sense of your brand’s legitimacy.
- Be Content-Focused
Bill Gates wrote in 1996 that “content is king.” He could have been talking about blogging. Generating engaging long-form content is a powerful way to drive customer interest. Jaded consumers have advertisement fatigue. Instead of advertising directly, use the written word to communicate the vision and mission of your company. Long-form blog content also works well with search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. If you’re not already fighting to get ranked highly in search engine algorithms through SEO strategies, it may be advisable
- Focus on Customer Experience
Customer experience (CX) is the sum of many factors. Web content quality is only one of them. Eliminating roadblocks to purchasing is the heart of CX. Test your e-commerce sites to ensure that purchasing takes as few steps as necessary. Monitor your social media feedback to gauge the responses of your target audience. Most importantly, emphasize a positive attitude among sales associates. Hospitality industry research shows an indelible link between employee attitude and customer satisfaction. A customer-centric approach earns customer loyalty.
- Expand Customer Service Options
One of the best ways to elevate the customer experience is to have high-class customer service. Digital marketing simplifies CX because the customer service methods preferred by customers are facilitated by having online touchpoints. Leverage these. Research reveals that live chat, email, and phone service stand out as preferred channels for customer service. All of these methods can be performed by dedicated staff with mobile devices. In other words, expand your customer service to include the human element.
- Mitigate Loss
These days, “loss” often means the considerable damage done by data breaches. Small digital startups are particularly lucrative targets for cybercriminals. Secure your network by verifying the credentials of any new users. Upload (and update) antivirus programs on all user endpoints. Insist upon compliance with a common set of security standards. The remote, decentralized nature of digital workforces adds another layer of risk. Getting everyone on the same page is vital.
Digital marketing comes with its own unique set of opportunities and challenges. Tackling those challenges means optimizing your marketing plan for success. Keep these strategies in mind when planning your operations in the next quarter.
