Digital Marketing

Why You Need a Strong Marketing Plan in the Digital World

The world has gone digital. If your business isn’t utilizing digital marketing, you’re missing out on a big chunk of the market.

So how do you create your own digital marketing plan? It’s not as daunting as it sounds – you simply need a strong strategy and the right tools.

Marketing strategies and plans have been part of business for a long time, and the digital age has only made them more important. If you’re not using digital marketing, you’re at a disadvantage. You need to be where your customers are, and right now, that’s online.

Let’s discuss why a digital marketing plan is critical to your business’s success – and the step-by-step process of creating one.

Why Create A Digital Marketing Plan?
Your customers are online. In fact, according to a study by Hootsuite and WeAre social, 79% of consumers are now active on social media. That’s a lot of people that you’re not reaching if your business isn’t utilizing digital marketing strategies.

Not only that, but the way customers buy products and services has changed. They’re no longer relying on advertisements or salespeople to tell them what they need.

Instead, they’re turning to the internet for research and recommendations. In fact, studies continue to show that customers are more likely to buy a product after seeing a positive online review.

That’s why it’s so important to have a digital marketing plan – to make sure your business reaches out to customers where they are and provides them with the information they need to make a purchase.

How To Create A Digital Marketing Plan
Now that we’ve established why it’s crucial to have a digital marketing plan let’s discuss how to create one. The process can be broken down into five simple steps:

1. Figure out your goals and objectives
2. Consider the time, money, and resources needed
3. Develop a strategy and tactics
4. Put it all together
5. Measure and adjust

Let’s discuss each of these steps in more detail.

Figure Out Your Goals And Objectives
Your first step is to figure out your goals and objectives. What are you trying to achieve with your digital marketing plan? Do you want to increase brand awareness? Increase website traffic? Sell more products or services?

Once you know what you’re trying to achieve, you can start developing specific goals and objectives.

For example, if you want to increase brand awareness, you might set a goal to increase the number of followers on your social media channels. Or if you want to sell more products, you might set a goal to increase website traffic by 20%.

With the right goals and objectives in mind, you can start developing a strategy and tactics to help you achieve them.

Consider The Time, Money And Resources Needed
Before you start creating your digital marketing plan, it’s important to consider the time, money and resources that will be needed. How much manpower will you need? What kind of equipment or software do you need? How much money can you realistically spend on this project?

It’s also important to consider how long it will take you to achieve your goals. Some objectives might be short-term, while others might be long-term. Make sure you have a timeline in mind so you can stay on track.

Develop A Strategy And Tactics
Now that you know your goals and objectives and consider the time, money, and resources needed, it’s time to develop a strategy and tactics. This is where you decide on the specific methods you’ll use to achieve your goals.

For example, if one of your objectives is to increase website traffic, you might develop a strategy to increase the number of blog posts you publish each month. And your tactics might be to promote those blog posts on social media and through email marketing.

Putting together a strategy and tactics will help you stay focused and make sure you’re using the most effective methods possible to reach your goals.

Put It All Together
Once you have a strategy and tactics in mind, it’s time to put it all together and create your digital marketing plan. This is where you’ll outline the steps you’ll take, and the timeframe you’ll be working with.

It’s also a good idea to include a budget, so you can stay on track financially. And don’t forget to include contact information for everyone involved in the project.

Measure And Adjust
Once your digital marketing plan is up and running, it’s important to track your progress and make sure you’re on track to achieve your goals. This means measuring things like website traffic, social media followers, email opens and clicks, and sales conversions.

If you find that you’re not making the progress you expected, don’t be afraid to make changes to your plan. This is a fluid process, and it’s important to be flexible and adapt as needed.

Over time, you will need to ensure that you engage with emerging technology and online platforms so that you can remain ahead of the curve.

Start Building a Strong Strategy with Standout
Your marketing plan in the digital world is only part of a robust plan that starts with having a website that is both effective and efficient.

You’ll need to research what is being offered currently on the market related to your business as well as design trends so that you can have a site that looks great, represents you well, and gets people to stay longer when they visit. You should also consider hiring experts who can help get the most visibility for your website.

At Standout, our team of web design professionals has the experience to help you create or update your website and then deploy a digital marketing campaign that targets your customers and gets results. We start with understanding your business and what you want to achieve, so we can develop the most effective plan for you.

Check out Standout’s complete line of services and get started with a powerful digital marketing plan today.