The 3 Fundamental Rules of Planning a Digital Marketing Strategy

As we all know, a digital marketing strategy encompasses all things digital related to your business. From website, to social media, email marketing, reputation management and more, before you start posting on your company’s Facebook page or send out email promotions to your customers, you need to first set up a Digital Marketing Plan. It is important to define a clear strategy that your company’s digital presence will abide by to ensure brand consistency and audience engagement.

Rule #1:

The first rule of putting a digital marketing plan together is to define your scope. Where do you intend to be present in the digital world? Do you plan to have a website, maybe a mobile app? Do you plan to be active on social media?
It is important to define where you want your digital presence to be in order to develop your marketing strategy accordingly. Defining your scope is an ongoing process, something that could change and evolve as your business evolves. When you are still in the starting phase, a website is a must. If you are contemplating the idea of having a digital presence in any capacity, your business needs a digital storefront. Further down the road, you may be able to evolve your website from a simple informative platform to an online business, but at the beginning, focus on building a reliable website for people to find you. Then you can incorporate social media to your scope, then mobile apps, or any other options. Do not focus on showing up on as many platforms as possible, instead, chose one at a time, and build it for success.

Rule #2:

The second rule is to define your approach and more specifically how do you intend to handle your digital marketing needs. Will you be in charge of it all or outsource it. The truth of the matter is, there is no right answer here, it all depends on your business and more specifically your online goals. As a business owner, if you believe that you have the skills, the time, and the resources to tackle your company’s digital marketing needs yourself, it could be a very interesting and gratifying experience. Remember that you are the one person who knows the ins and outs of your business, you have the vision of it all, and you are in control of your budget. Outsourcing, on the other hand, should be on your mind and should be an option for you to rely on eventually. You will realize soon enough that juggling business management and digital marketing will turn out to be quite overwhelming, and that outsourcing it will give you the time and freedom to focus on building your business, while your digital marketing is being taken care of by professionals.

Rule #3:

The third rule is to set up a budget and measurable goals. Even though many digital marketing resources are available to you for free, you will have to invest in certain areas of your strategy. Before you carry on with your plan, make sure to set a budget for your digital marketing strategy, and monitor its efficiency through measurable goals. These measurable online goals are critical to define, in order to track your progress and analyze the efficiency of your marketing efforts. A few examples of measurable goals can be building a website, having your business listed on different directory websites online, creating social media platforms, or getting online reviews from your customers.

In conclusion:

No matter what digital marketing strategy you decide on, setting up an elaborate plan that aligns with your vision and your business goals is crucial for a successful online presence.