With 3 billion people online, your business needs to be there too. But where to start? It’s easy to get lost in the huge number of things that you could do, so start with what every good business needs: a strategy. This should basically outline what you want to achieve and how you’ll go about achieving this. Here are some steps that should help you to draft that kickass strategy:
Know thy customer.
Your customers are your bread and butter. Try to be as targeted as you possibly can to avoid irrelevant prospects. Look at customer profiles and try to create a buyer persona for your business: that is your target customer. Where are your customers – where do they hang out online? Look at the channels available to you, and make sure you’re marking the areas where your customers lie.
Understand their pain points.
What are your competitors lacking? What do their customers wish they were doing? Have a look at their reviews which should be easy to find online, to see what they’re not doing quite right. Then ask yourself: what can I do to resolve this issue?
Determine how much business you want.
By doing this, you’ll set achievable goals to help you stay focused. Evaluate your current position, don’t just make it up as you go along and hope that you’ll make it! Choose a realistic growth trajectory.
Think about lead strategy.
How will you get enough leads to achieve your set goals? Evaluate your current marketing funnels, and understand where your current gaps are. Try to build referrals, incentivise people to capture leads, and leverage your existing database – being compliant with GDPR, of course.
Choose your armour.
Will it be SEO, email, affiliate or paid? There are many variations of digital marketing in this day and age, and no one can rely on just one method. They need to be integrated and complementary. For example, an SEO strategy that’s supported by a content marketing campaign will be much more effective than pure SEO.
Do the maths.
Set your budget. Try not to think of it a cost but rather an investment, but be smart about it. Spend 70% on avenues you’ve already tested and have proved to be effective, and then experiment with your remaining 30% so you can learn every month.
Go for it!
Its always a learning curve when you first start off, so test test and keep testing! Closely monitor your data and make adjustments accordingly. Don’t be afraid to experiment and be patient. You’ll soon discover what works for your business.
Or if all of this sounds like too much hassle and you’d rather trust the experts (we don’t blame you) then get in touch by clicking here