There is no one digital strategy that works for all businesses. No such thing as the holy grail of digital marketing strategies. This means that it is important to understand what works for your industry and specific target audience, to be able to develop a strategy that works for you.
Here, we aim to help you refine your online strategy and send you on your way toward sustainable growth. These tips are based on experience, so feel free to make use of them in building your digital marketing strategy.
1. Focus on user experience
A successful UX design is about creating an environment that’s designed to deliver a great user experience. I can’t stress how many times a friend/colleague deleted an app or stopped using a service because of their horrible user experience.
That being said, your website should excel when it comes to communicating with your customers. Not only does it matter how your brand is perceived, but it should also play a huge role in their lives.
Fast Page Load Speed
The average load time for web pages is around 8 to 11 seconds, and a best-practice benchmark is less than three seconds. A recent Google study said: “53% of mobile site visits leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load.”
Easy Navigation
How do you want your website to look when your customers first visit it?
One of the most critical elements of a navigation audit is having a navigation menu. It should be the top bar, a mega menu, or a footer menu. Page titles should be clear to avoid confusion. If the page title does the job, then it should be short and sweet. If it doesn’t, then it should be more personal.
Useful Material
Creating content that is relevant and useful for your consumers is a great way to build trust and increase sales. Even if you only have a few blog posts, give your consumers all the necessary resources they need.
The goal is to provide customers with the information they’re looking for or at least give them enough information to take action.
2. Use effective CTAs
If people are visiting your site to buy something, make sure to clearly state what they need to do to complete their purchase. This will make them more likely to come back and visit again.
This is a simple but vital thing to consider when it comes to developing a website or marketing a product. If the steps and features of your website confuse your customer, they might give up on your brand. To avoid this mistake, place your CTA at the top of the page, followed by an explanatory paragraph. Feel free to add more of the same CTA throughout the page.
Remember, CTAs don’t always have to say “Buy Now.” Other examples include:
- Download PDF
- Sign up for our newsletter
- Register for the next webinar
- Call now
- Watch this video
- Fill out this survey
- Start your free trial
Whatever your CTA is, be sure to use clear and actionable language. Choose verbs that tell your consumers exactly what their next step will be.
3. Create engaging, meaningful content
The cornerstone of any content marketing strategy is ensuring that the body of your content is relevant to your audience. If your content doesn’t have relevant titles and terms, none of that matters. Your words should be well-reasoned and well-researched. They should also spark curiosity and take action. Your message should be memorable and persuasive. In this way, it will grab the attention of your potential customers and convince them to take action.
Ask them questions and address their concerns. They’ll get better if they listen to their inner critic and make suggestions to help them get better.
4. Be smart with social media
Having a website is not the only component of a successful marketing campaign. Having various, active (but relevant) social media platforms is a must for any business. Knowing who your ideal consumers are, is the first step to creating an effective strategy so you can meet them where they are. This can be challenging, but it’s also worth it. Having an account on every social media platform used by your target audience frequently is crucial.
A busy mom can share a photo of her kids on Facebook, pin on Pinterest, or get inspiration from mommy bloggers on Instagram.
The modern-day millennial could post on YouTube whenever they want to talk about a specific topic or share a new lifehack.
We all know public figures who take to Twitter to share their opinions. Having a highly active account is very important for any businessperson.
For google,
Active accounts are more likely to appear on Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when they are posted.
For your audience,
If you sell clothes, you’ll want to keep up with the latest trends to attract and keep potential customers. This is a great way to avoid getting annoying customers.
For most people, Black Fridays only come once a year. That means monthly emails, newsletters or blog posts could help keep them informed about all the various discounts and offers that occurred.
The goal is to make people think of you when they need help or a new pair of pants. To do that, keep posting about what’s happening in their news feed.
Being on every platform is not necessary to be successful. Instead, start by finding the most used and relevant platforms.
You can find below the current most popular social media platforms. Do your research, create accounts, and get to posting!
- Youtube
- TikTok
- Snapchat
5. Showcase reviews and testimonials
This is a big one for your content marketing strategy.
Online reviews and testimonials are when people share their experience or opinion about a product or service. They help spread the word about your brand and increase sales.
Having a review section on your site is very important to promote yourself. Having a good review section is as important as having a good rating. To avoid this, make sure that you respond kindly to all the feedback that they provide.
6. Hone in on your target audience
Knowing who you are talking to is the key to understanding your customers and prospects. How do you get to know your buyers without meeting them? You can find the answer in building data-driven buyer personas.
Hubspot provides a simple definition of buyer personas:
“A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.”
Creating buyer personas helps you understand your potential customers better. They help you identify their behaviors and patterns, so you can better serve them.
In a nutshell, you’ll want to:
- Interview customers
- Identify trends
- Create tailored website forms
- Use the information and data to transform your strategy
Creating a persona is an important step in developing a content marketing strategy. Having a target audience will help you create good content that will resonate with them.
7. Provide value to your customers, not just a product.
Be generous with your audience. Show them how much you value them and ask them to give you something extra.
Being a generous brand is about more than giving away products and services. It’s about being able to offer value to consumers early in the buying journey. Give away educational content, such as blog posts, PDFs, and podcasts. Instead of marking down content, add value by including extras and bonuses.
The goal here is to create a valuable brand that people want to buy from. It’s not about giving away products and services. Create a brand that people want to buy from.
Use a content strategy that works for your customers’ journey. It should include a description of the products or services they buy, a how-to guide or video, and a call to action button.
Visualizing your online strategy
You’ve probably thought about what kind of car you want and what kind of person you would like to be. But, have you taken the time to visualize your company’s future?
Do you want people to feel welcomed and valued when they visit your website?
This is your place to start. Gather all the elements of your strategy and create a great content marketing plan.
Creating a content marketing strategy is an important step in the right direction. It can be challenging to get started, but it pays off.
