There is a method for everything in life. We create a plan whenever we decide to complete a task, regardless of the task. Videos are storyboarded, websites are mapped, movie scripts have treatments, novels have outlines, and sales calls are broken down in the vehicle on the way to meetings. Before trying to snag a date, most people rehearse their pickup lines in front of the mirror. With this in mind, why do so many businesses run digital marketing initiatives without a plan?
A digital strategy serves as a roadmap for a company’s online presence. Anywhere a business is represented in the digital sphere, whether in video, graphic design, site design, or any other format, it must be a part of a larger strategy. Due to the rapid-fire pace of digital media, many businesses just implement random elements of a digital strategy without a specific goal in mind. Performing surgery without a diagnosis is analogous to this.
Naturally, given how new so much of this digital world is, it is totally comprehensible why so many businesses have trailed behind. A dynamic landscape is the outcome of the rapid development of social media, mobile technologies, and the internet itself. The use of text-based fundraising campaigns, specialised YouTube channels, Facebook and Twitter strategies, mobile app development, and hundreds of other digital marketing opportunities have replaced print advertising, television and radio ads, and other static media in marketing plans.
These new marketing strategies have gradually been adopted by businesses as their popularity has increased. A online presence was the first step, followed by social media accounts, an explosion of video marketing on websites similar to YouTube and Vimeo, and finally mobile apps so that customers could carry your marketing around with them wherever they went. An great lot of money and effort is spent on employing tools with no end in sight by starting with the how and not the why.
All digital marketing initiatives must have a goal at their core. What do these strategies hope to achieve? What do I hope to achieve for myself through my website, social media presence, and internet marketing? Am I instructing customers? Increasing sales? raising consciousness? promoting a resume of work? No matter what the objective is, it must be the centre of the approach.
The digital strategy can start to take shape once we have a goal. Examine every aspect of your online presence rather than starting with a website, adding a Facebook profile two years later, and creating a new marketing video five years later. Make sure that the social media and video integration on your website is optimised. To increase your site’s visibility and SEO, use social media, blogs, video pages, and other websites to build solid backlinking and link-sharing partnerships. Drive traffic to your website and include a call to action that is clear and compelling on the front page if you’re seeking for qualified sales leads.
The constantly evolving world of digital media is both frightening and fascinating. It might be daunting because there are so many possibilities and alternatives for engaging and interacting with people. But with the right plan in place, taking use of these technologies and employing them to our advantage is not only simple, but also a very successful approach to advance organisations and businesses.
