Why digital strategy is important for your business
In the current marketplace, a business without a digital strategy is like a ship without a rudder.
As the way in which companies reach their target market evolves, it really is time to ride the digital wave. If you want your business to grow, sitting on the beach and waiting for the tide to turn is simply not an option.
Heres why
As alluded to above, businesses without a digital strategy are directionless because they don’t have clear strategic goals for what they want to achieve online, in t
erms of reaching new customers or building relationships with existing ones. Even companies that do have a strategy in place would be well-advised to refresh it, as change is the only constant.
Having a cohesive digital strategy allows you to reach your target audience more effectively, using the platforms they prefer – that desktop computers, tablets or mobile phones. To take the last of these, the huge surge in the number of mobile-only internet user has altered the advertising landscape considerably. Put simply, companies who have a digital marketing strategy in place will have an edge over the competition in this regard.
A good digital strategy will use a variety of online engagement methods, from email promotions, social media and app management to SEO, blogs and content generators.
Analytics and reporting
Another important benefit of a digital strategy that includes analytics is the ability to set specific goals and keep track of your progress as you seek to reach them. In reality, this means knowing who your customers are and what they want. However, relying on, for example, Google Analytics will only provide you with half the picture, as it deals with volume, not sentiment. To get a full picture, website feedback tools are an important weapon in your armoury. Your goal is to attain a crystal-clear image of your customer – his/her age, interests, occupations, marital status and so on. Once you have that, targeting the customer will become second nature.
Some companies continue to shy away from adopting a digital marketing strategy, possibly deterred by the initial outlay. However, it is important to note that a digital strategy is not limited to advertising a website alone, and can lead to exponential growth. Thus, it is worth allocating it a sufficient budget. The budget will depend on your requirements but should be used to promote your social pages and posts, implement enticing marketing campaigns and invest in analytical tools.
Commit to digital marketing
But the work doesn’t stop there. Once up and running, your digital marketing needs to maintain its momentum and requires constant and consistent attention. Questions and messages must be replied to, responses made to as many likes and tweets as possible, and, crucially, you must be prepared to engage yourself – comment, tweet, share and like. Put yourself out there! And respond to feedback and comments, whether good or bad, in a friendly and professional manner.
All this must be underpinned with a willingness to analyse your results. Every campaign must be dissected to understand what worked and what, if anything, did not. Numbers should be crunched at the end of the year and all this will inform your digital marketing strategy for the next year. This will help you improve your strategies until you have perfected them.
