Strategic Digital Marketing – Don’t Just Set it and Forget It
The digital marketing landscape is dynamic. Is your digital marketing strategy evolving in order to stay relevant in the always-changing environment? Even if a strategy is was working 3,6,12 months ago—or currently seems to be working—there’s always room for improvement.
Every small to mid-sized business should be regularly reevaluating and evolving their strategy to accommodate for shifting social media trends, changing algorithms, technology advances and changes in customer behavior. By scaling your digital marketing strategy and messaging, it helps your business stay relevant and be heard above the noise.
So how do you know if your strategy needs to be refreshed? It really depends on what success looks like to you. It’s important to be clear about a few key things before evolving your digital strategy to the next level:
- Your brand story
- Your company’s mission and values
- Your target audience
- Your competitors
- Your business and sales goals
- An overall strategy to drive customers into your sales funnel
- Regular performance evaluations
Strategy Has a Shelf Life
Just like laundry, a marketing strategy is never “done.” New trends, technologies, resources, business goals, customer behaviors and the economy all come into play. Change truly is the name of the game when it comes to marketing strategy. Just when you think something is working or you’ve implemented the latest marketing trend, you realize things have changed again.
Evolving your marketing strategy in response to market trends and changes needs to happen on a regular basis. If you’re in the beauty industry, you know this all too well. (When was the last time you had a client request “The Rachel”? Exactly.) Failure to evolve your digital marketing strategy could result in fewer conversions, reduced sales and a failure to connect with your target audience.
How Often Should I Review My Marketing Strategy?
Sometimes moving forward means stepping back to review and reflect on the things that are currently working for and against you. We recommend taking these steps at different times throughout the year:
Annually: It’s typical to begin a new year by taking a look back at what worked the previous year. This is a great time to ensure business goals are being met and your digital marketing and sales budget is established. A 10,000-foot overview can provide great insight into your overall digital marketing strategy.
Quarterly: Now is the time to review the big-picture goals and strategies set at the start of the year. What worked in January might not work in June. Set new benchmarks in line with sales numbers, review customer feedback and implement seasonal campaigns that are relevant to your business.
Monthly: Analytics should be reviewed every 30 days to see what’s working and what’s not. Are your emails getting customers to your website and into your sales funnel? Are followers engaging with your social media posts? Are you capturing new leads? This is the time to tweak or rework your strategy, make sure it has the right tone and messaging, and analyze your sales.
Weekly: Each week, take a look back at how your posts performed the week before. Was there one that particularly stood out? Maybe one completely tanked, maybe one went viral, or maybe they all performed around the same. Either way, it’s worth your time and consideration to make small tweaks that bring the results you want.
Constantly evolving your company’s digital marketing strategy is the only way to keep up in today’s digital landscape. Contact us for a free marketing planning session.