From Facebook and Instagram to Snapchat and Email marketing, Google Ads to SEO there are so many digital marketing options available to leverage your business. With endless strategic tactics available, trying to be present everywhere can stretch resources and translate to poor quality and mediocre results.
Most businesses want leads, i.e. business coming in the door, from their marketing efforts. There are several ways a business can generate leads from digital marketing. However, lead generation doesn’t always eventuate to winning the business and shouldn’t be the only marketing goal.
One of the main benefits of digital marketing is being able to build your reputation. Social media, in particular, gives businesses the opportunity to show their customers the human side of their brand, promote brand loyalty and generate a greater brand awareness.
If your business relies on repeat customers, referrals, word of mouth or if you need to develop trust with customers – social media might be the right strategy for you.
Before you select the strategy for your business, work out how much time you have to dedicate to it.
Creating digital content that is valuable to your customer base on a regular basis is time-consuming.
You will also need to find time to track and analyse the results of your efforts, as well as keep on top of the latest trends and changes in the digital space.
One small change to a social media algorithm could do detriment to your digital efforts.
Instead of trying to connect with your audience across all platforms, businesses who don’t have a lot of time and resources would be better off selecting one or two digital platforms and focusing their efforts there.
Mastering one platform, engaging with your clients and delivering quality content will benefit you more than a spotty presence on all platforms.
Do your research and find out where your target audience spends their time and which channels or marketing formats will have the most impact. Consider your own strengths and the assets available to you.
You may not be comfortable with presenting on camera – so don’t do video. Or perhaps you aren’t a great writer – blogging might not be the best option then.
Focus on what you are good at and leverage the assets you have available to you.
Maybe it’s Facebook or Instagram, maybe it’s YouTube or maybe it’s a weekly email or blog.
Businesses shouldn’t feel like they must be active on every digital channel as this often translates to time and money wasted.