Over the past few decades, the realm of marketing has evolved to the extent that even the smallest of businesses can target customers from around the world with laser-focus. The Small Business Administration recommends that SMEs should spend around 7-8% of their total revenues on marketing.
However, simply buying up ads is not enough. An effective marketing strategy requires a step-by-step, goal-oriented approach. When putting together a digital marketing strategy, only the most well-developed plans will succeed.
With that in mind, we thought we'd provide a step-by-step guide to putting together and implementing a killer marketing strategy that works for businesses of all stripes. Read on to find out more.
1. Forge a Brand Identity
Before you can start experimenting with online marketing strategies, you will need to figure out a strong and consistent brand identity. This requires asking yourself what your company is and what you stand for.
It means putting together an aesthetic and theme that represents your company and connects with your target audience. Most importantly, it means forging a brand identity that is true to who you are and what you are trying to achieve.
2. Know Your Audience
No content marketing strategy can be successful if you don't know your audience. Your customers are the driving force of your growth, so it is important that you understand them and their needs to that you can better cater to them.
Conduct extensive market research to find out who is most likely to buy what you are selling. Find out their demographics, their motivations, and their concerns with your industry. This way you can put together a marketing strategy that speaks directly to them.
3. Boost Your SEO
Much of the current conversation around marketing is focused on social media marketing strategy. However, while this is important, there is no denying that your website's search engine optimization (SEO) is the most important factor in getting noticed. Ensuring your website appears at the top of Google search rankings is vital.
Moreover, it is something that is best outsourced to professionals that can boost your ranking quickly. You can, for example, use this service to instantly access SEO experts who will ensure your website is pushed to the top of search results.
4. Set Your Goals
So you've figured out your brand identity and you know who you need to market to. What next? Your marketing strategy can only deliver results if you have very specific goals by which to measure success. Do you want to simply attract more followers to your social media channels?
Do you wish to boost your conversion rate on your website? Do you want to utilize an email marketing strategy to boost e-commerce sales? Knowing exactly what you want to achieve will drive your success.
5. Scope Out the Competition
Finally, it is important to see what competitor companies in your industry are up to and how they are trying to engage customers. The goal of a successful marketing strategy is to be better than the competition and reach the customers that they are failing to.
This means looking at what competitors are doing and identifying any opportunities that they have missed. Do your research on the competition if you want to get ahead.
6. Essential Marketing Strategy at Your Fingertips
Now that you have all of the essential components of a killer marketing strategy in place, it's time to get started. To find the tools that will propel your business to success, we've got you covered.
Make sure to check out our in-depth Marketing guides today to find out exactly what the best marketers in the business are doing to reach customers.
