In the last two years, more than 75 percent of consumers report taking a new interest in online activities. Of that 75 percent, 21 percent made an online purchase for the very first time.
There are still plenty of people to win over with online marketing (or digital marketing), even in 2022. Read on to learn more about the importance of having a digital marketing strategy and how you can start upgrading your approach today.
Digital marketing involves achieving a business’s marketing goals with the help of various digital technologies and media. Some of the channels you may use include:
When it comes to managing digital marketing and making sure you have a well-rounded strategy in place, a good starting point is to understand the 7 Ds:
Don’t yet have a digital marketing strategy for your business? 2022 is the perfect year to establish one.
Here are 12 reasons to start planning your strategy:
A digital media marketing strategy helps you improve your website’s search engine ranking and make it more visible to people who are looking for products or services like the ones you offer. When this happens, more people will click on your website link and learn about your brand.
Not only do you get more website engagement when you make your digital marketing strategy a priority, but you also get more engagement on other channels. For example, you may see an increase in the number of people interacting with your posts on social media, Google My Business, as well as an increase in the number of people following your accounts.
In the case of ecommerce stores, for example, 41 percent of the revenue comes from just 8 percent of the business’s customers.
Repeat customers are highly profitable, and a well-planned digital marketing strategy helps to encourage repeat customers. For example, digital marketing allows you to stay in touch with those who have visited your website previously and win them over with discount offers or alerts about current sales.
Speaking of your target audience, a digital marketing strategy helps you to reach very specific subsections of your audience. With tools like Facebook marketing, for example, you can reach people in a specific age range or those who live in a particular location with just a few clicks.
Your digital marketing strategy should help you to develop a more consistent and effective marketing funnel, too. With tactics like email campaigns and paid social media ads, you can more efficiently identify, attract, and transform people into prospective customers or clients.
These days, the majority of shoppers (at least 81 percent) search online before they go to a store. If someone looks online and can’t find anything about your business because you lack a digital marketing strategy, they’re going to question whether or not it’s worth it to look further into your brand.
You might have an online presence and be using some digital marketing techniques. However, if you don’t have a clear strategy in place, you’re going to have a harder time setting goals and giving your team a direction for the year (or the quarter or the month).
To see continuous progress, you need to regularly set goals. A digital strategy helps you to do this.
A digital marketing strategy ensures you’re diversifying your approach and utilizing as many different channels and techniques as possible. Instead of pigeonholing your business with just one or two tactics, carefully plan a strategy and check lots of different boxes at once.
Many digital marketing techniques produce impressive returns on investment (or ROIs).
For example, email marketing has an average ROI of 4,200 percent (for every $1 you spend, you earn $42), and Google Ads has an average ROI of 200 percent (for every $1 you spend, you earn $2). Including these kinds of tactics in your strategy will help you enjoy better returns.
One of the reasons a digital marketing strategy helps you see a better ROI is because it provides you with valuable audience insights.
Most digital marketing channels reveal valuable data you can use to analyze your audience. You can then use this information to create more targeted and detailed plans in the future.
You can also use the data you gather from your digital marketing channels to monitor results and make sure you’re progressing toward your goals. Taking the time to create a digital marketing strategy keeps your company moving in the right direction.
Finally, all of these benefits lead to one very important thing: increased conversion rates.
When people regularly engage with your business, trust your products and services, and consistently receive targeted ads, they’re going to be more inclined to buy what you’re selling (and continue buying).
Perhaps you have a digital marketing strategy in place but it’s not particularly refined. If this is the case for you, here are a few bonus tips to help you take your plan to the next level:
If you want to experience all the benefits that a well-planned digital marketing strategy can provide, start by implementing the strategic marketing techniques discussed above. They’ll help you promote and grow your business online and set your company up for long-term success.