In case you’ve been living under a rock since 1998, we now live in a digital world. Industries of every size, from newspapers to billboards, have completely changed their business model to stay relevant in today’s digital standards. Because of this, there is no question that companies have executed a digital marketing strategy to acquire leads and convert them into loyal clients.
Even though digital marketing is the new norm, it doesn’t mean it’s less intimidating than traditional marketing (in fact, it’s probably more overwhelming than before). This is still a fairly-new way to market, and new tactics are constantly being discovered and tested to make it even more complex for businesses to figure out what’s best for them.
Whether you’re looking to revamp your digital marketing strategy or you’re starting from scratch, keep our list of digital marketing dos and don’ts in mind.
3 Marketing Dos
1. Know Your Brand and Competition
Before you spend a single penny on digital marketing, it’s important to build a strong branding strategy and identify what sets your business apart from your competitors.
It’s also wise to stay ahead of the competition; make your business stand out by learning what your competitors offer and how their products or services are better/worse than yours. By doing this, you will be able to use your competitor’s weaknesses and strengths to improve your digital marketing efforts.
2. Write Original Content
Once you know your brand strategy and your competitors’ “competitive edge,” you may now begin your digital marketing strategy. A successful digital marketing strategy includes high-quality, original content that your targeted audiences will remember and connect with. This means your digital content, everything from your website and blog to your social media posts and ads, must be tailored to your target audience.
Nowadays, the relevancy of your content is what’s going to get your business’s website higher rankings on Google and help you engage with your audience.
Keep this tip in mind with all of your content: Make sure all of your original content either answers a question, solves a problem or provides insight. Let your audience see the value you provide and that you’re a reliable source.
3. Personalize and Engage the User Experience
The best thing about digital marketing is it’s able to be fully customized, but you have to know your audience in order to be successful. A great example of personalized digital marketing is email marketing. Dynamic content has completely changed the way people connect with their emails, and personalization can lead to more engagement with your brand. Whether they communicate with you through your social media pages or share their experience with your brand, an engaged, a digital community of customers will do wonders for your business.
3 Marketing Don’ts
1. Stay Away from Spam
Digital marketing is only successful when it’s reached by your audience by consent. With this in mind, don’t become a spammy brand. Even though email marketing can enhance your digital footprint, it can also tarnish it; be mindful of your audience and don’t clog their inboxes.
The same principle applies to social media; when you start appearing in your followers’ newsfeeds every 10 minutes, you’ll quickly lose your audience’s consent. There is a clear line between what’s appropriate and not, but many businesses still fail to respect this boundary.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t actively pursue digital marketing on a daily basis; promotions are acceptable to ramp up your digital marketing efforts, but be sure to slow the pace once the event or sale is over.
2. Never Stick to One Digital Outlet
Digital marketing is not the time to try putting all your eggs into one basket. There are so many effective outlets for digital marketing, but some will better suit your business than others. Your business may choose to create a monthly newsletter, while others businesses prefer a more established social media presence.
Keep in mind, if you naturally take to a type of digital marketing, continue to pursue it even if the results aren’t in your favor. Test new marketing techniques to discover the best way to market your business. Ultimately, your business should take advantage of the numerous elements of digital marketing out there.
3. Don’t Overtly Sell
No one likes to be sold to. Period. If you want to build positive engagement with your target audiences, then do not overtly sell your product. Your social media posts should get their trust first, so don’t try to pitch anything on your page. Once they start to trust your brand, they’ll become interested to find out more about your offering and come to you directly.
Digital marketing can be your business’s friend; it’s just about testing the waters and finding what works best for you. No matter which direction you choose to go, these tips should help guide you down the path to digital marketing success!
To learn more about digital marketing, contact GreenMellen Media today!
