Work smart, not hard - as the saying goes.
Planning ahead can make all the difference in seeing success.
Creating a smart digital marketing plan can easily be done with the right resources.
Watch and learn
The first point I’d like to touch on, is how much power there is in observation. Observation is a free tool that can be used for researching competitors and prospective customers. If you want to get a better understanding of how to reach your target audience, pay attention to who is reaching them already. Get on your competitors’ websites and social media pages and start taking notes.
Let me go a little more into detail about this. First of all, figure out who your competitors are and how they’re marketing.
What tone do they use when talking to their customers?
What do you like and dislike about their marketing style?
What kind of questions does their audience bring up? Does their audience ask for something they don’t have?
Does your product offer any features theirs doesn’t?
What topics/products seem to be getting their audience most excited?
The more you can learn from your observations, the better idea you’ll have on how to best market your product.
But don’t stop there. Get involved in social groups on platforms like Facebook. Let’s say your business sells snowboarding gear online. Do you know how many Facebook groups you can find, teeming with snowboarding enthusiasts? Probably too many to count. For your business, these groups are like goldmines.
Get involved. Read what they’re sharing, what products they like, what their lingo is like. Get on their level. These people are your audience and they’ll tell you exactly what they want from your business if you pay attention. It’s the most honest form of feedback you’ll get regarding your niche.
Cut down on costs
You can’t say you have a smart digital marketing strategy if you’re throwing money down the drain. It’s wise to know where and when there’s opportunity to cut down on advertising expenses. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain things that are just worth the investment. But knowing where you can save can really add up at the end of the day. For example, consider all of the costs that can go into your business’s design projects. There’s your website, business cards, advertisements, logo… the list goes on.
With so many free and easy to use resources online, it’s a wonder how graphic designers even have jobs anymore (sorry to my graphic designer friends!). All jokes aside, graphic design is a job that requires a heavy set of skills and creativity. Which is why they get paid the big bucks. But if your business doesn’t require anything flashy at this point, you can probably save a few bucks and use some of the free design tools out there to create what you need. Here are a few free tools to check out!
Canva.com - a versatile design tool for creating anything from business cards to e-books.
GraphicSprings – you guessed it, a tool for creating your logo! It’s a very straight-forward way to create your logo in just a few minutes.
Wix.com- a super easy to use website design tool. Free templates, images and design features for getting your website looking great!
Create better content
Now this is a broad subject that covers a wide range of marketing strategies. But to take the smart approach in content marketing, there are some general rules to follow. Whether it’s e-mail marketing, blogs, videos or social media posts- the smart marketer will integrate the following in their content:
SEO- keywords and key phrases, backlinks, website accessibility
Useful, interesting, quality content- this is key to building trust and likability with your audience. Make sure the content benefits the reader.
Customer service-oriented approach- you can show your customers how much they’re valued through your content.
Authority- show that your business is boss in your niche. Put out content that displays in-depth knowledge on the topic.
Brand voice- here’s your chance to give off an impression of who you are as a business. What you stand for and your company’s ethics. This will help your audience connect with you on a more personal level.
In Conclusion
Being smart when it comes to digital marketing doesn’t mean being an expert at everything. All it takes is an open mind and an eye for opportunity. There will always be things that can be tweaked to better optimise your business strategy. Good luck and happy marketing!