Background
If you have played any game, from golf to chess, you’ll understand there are good and bad methods to win. Some methods are within the rules, others are outside the rules and cause penalties. Digital Marketing Strategy is not different and its important you learn the rules, keep an eye on your competition and avoid any penalties.
Basic Digital Marketing Strategy
Have One – The first rule of marketing strategy in the digital world is simple: Have One. You would be amazed how many small businesses have no strategy at all or rely on outdated methods or ideas. Some businesses, even larger ones, assume a younger family member who uses social media will be the perfect candidate to manage their online presence. This is nearly always false. As a small business, set out a clear strategy before you begin. It doesn’t have to be indepth or a full proposal, a simple ‘I will post one picture per day on facebook and instagram’ is perfect sufficient. Its a start!
Budget – Of late, many platforms are encouraging business owners to promote their business for seemingly small amounts of money e.g. Promote your business for $10 and reach 150,000 people. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this, you need to ensure your customer is getting the right message and to do that, you need to target the right customer. There is no point spending 50 dollars per day if only 1% of the people you are targeting will be interested in your message. Instead, set a budget of what you want to spend to reach the right person. As a Ferrari dealer, you may be able to afford 1000 dollars of advertising per sale. However, as a small business, you may need to reduce this to even less than 1 dollar, and thats perfectly ok. Just set the budget first!
Know Your Tools – Ensure the method of advertising you are using is working. Are you a carpenter on James St? Or a mechanic on Barton St? You will have very different methods of reaching your customer. A carpenter may make bespoke furniture and post their works, finished and in-progress on facebook and instagram. A mechanic will likely rely on people planning ahead and searching for ‘good mechanics in hamilton’ on Google. Therefore, they should encourage reviews of their services on Google and set an advertising spend for Adwords in the Hamilton Area for mechanics.
Set Your Goals – Like your budget, set some goals and be realistic. Do you want to grow your brand? Launch a new product? Maybe just keep in touch with your current customers? A simple goal or two can really help focus your efforts and ensure you are reaching the right person with the right message.
Seek Help – As a small business, you’ve mastered what you do but you don’t have to be a master of everything. Seek help from a professional if needs be and don’t be afraid to reach out. As long as you have a clear idea of the money you wish to spend and the results you want to achieve, there is no harm in having a conversation.
Example
James Juices is part of the college strip near McMaster University in the west end of Hamilton. They sell healthy juices but have noticed that they are getting the same customers day in, day out. They set a goal to get 100 new customers through the door per month for the next 6 months. They have good margins on their juices and decide a new sale is worth 10 dollars in advertising. They set a budget of 1000 dollars and it will be split between Adwords and facebook posts. They ask a few customer how they use instagram and given a good response, they decide to run their Ads there as well. James asks a local digital marketer to run the campaign as he is opening a new location on King St and won’t have the time. After 60 days, they review the campaign and figure they have 175 new customers through the doors. A little short of their goal but a success none the less.