If you want to make it in the startup world, you know you have to do everything possible to stand out.
Sure, meeting the right people, hosting awesome launch parties and events, and even handing out branded swag will help you to set your brand apart from everyone else.
But so can your digital marketing strategy.
Especially when you’re just getting your company off the ground, it can be difficult to understand how to develop an effective digital marketing plan. It can be even tougher to determine which aspects you should focus on the most.
This post is here to help.
Read on for advice on how to start your Internet marketing strategy off on the right foot.
Know the Type of Content Your Market Prefers
The most important aspect of any digital marketing strategy is to understand which kind of content your market is the most likely to interact with, respond to, and share.
Do they like product videos? Are listicle blog posts especially popular? Which specific social media platform do they use? What topics are they the most interested in?
For example, let’s say you’re pitching to mainly a millennial market.
Know that they prefer a brand consistent with their values, frequent social media posts, and short videos to email campaigns and postcards.
If you’re not certain which kind of content your market is the most drawn to, ask them!
Create polls on social media, send them an email with a quick survey, (an entry into free product giveaway drawing incentivizes them) and look at your past website data for popular posts and content.
Create a Content Calendar
Here’s the thing about online marketing:
It’s one thing to come up with a digital marketing strategy, but quite another to actually put it into action — and to be consistent about it.
You might have no trouble coming up with tons of content ideas for the first month you’re in business. You stick to your schedule, post at the optimal times, and stay on top of your mentions on social media.
But once business starts to pick up, it’s easy to push your digital marketing plan to the backburner.
In order to plan ahead and create consistent posts, you need to create a content calendar.
Once a month, meet with your team to analyze website data, results, ROI, and anything else surrounding your past marketing campaigns. Also, brainstorm content ideas for the coming months, and create a posting schedule.
If you’re doing your SEO in-house, assign each employee a few tasks, spreading the work out evenly.
This way, you’ll avoid pulling all-nighters to get next month’s content ready. Plus, you’ll ensure you always have content for your readers.
Know the Next Big Thing in Digital Marketing
The world of digital marketing moves incredibly fast, and not anticipating upcoming digital marketing trends can cause your website to be outranked in an instant.
Make a habit out of reading digital marketing blogs and attending SEO conferences so you can always stay a step ahead of the competition.
For example, in the past few years, mobile website optimization was one of the most important aspects of an effective Internet marketing strategy.
However, given the recent rise in voice-activated technology like Alexa, Siri, and the Amazon Echo, voice search is now just as important mobile optimization.
Other recent digital marketing trends include long-tail keyword phrases, hyperlocal advertising, and story marketing on social media.
Decide Which Investments Are Worth It
Even if you have the technical skills to implement a winning digital marketing strategy, you won’t always have the time.
That being said, as a newer company you likely can’t afford to hire marketing agencies and freelancers to take care of all your digital advertising needs. Sit down with your team and decide which aspects of your digital marketing plan will offer the highest return on investment.
We do suggest that you always hire professionals to build/design your company’s website.
After all, it’s often the first impression customers have of your business. (In fact, 75% of consumers say that a company’s website is the strongest indicator of experience, authority, and professionalism.)
Especially if your SEO score is far lower than you’d like it to be, we do suggest you work with freelance writers who can create SEO-optimized blog posts for your company.
If you know that your social media strategy will be an essential element of your marketing plan, consider hiring professional photographers to take product photos and even film short video clips for your social stories.
As you grow your company, focus first on capturing organic web traffic.
These are people that end up on your website on their own, not as the result of paid links. Responding to blog post comments, developing a good linking strategy, and including the right keywords in your content will help to make this happen.
Then, once you have a dedicated readership and consistent traffic levels, you can scale up your digital marketing services.
You’re Ready to Create an Epic Digital Marketing Strategy
Above all, remember that your digital marketing strategy should be a genuine reflection of who you are as a company.
Focus on the tone of your writing, brand all your content, and avoid parroting back what all your other competitors are saying. Don’t forget to stay on top of SEO trends and pick and choose initial marketing investments wisely.
We know it can sound like a lot.
However, our blog exists to help you understand the ins and outs of the most effective and popular marketing tips today.
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