Surviving in today’s highly competitive and disruptive market means always being at your best online. Thriving and outranking the competition is an entirely different ball game. Not only do you have to be good, but you have to keep being good. That means constantly updating your digital strategy and quickly adapting to market changes, both big and small.
As with most things, acing your digital marketing strategy is easier said than done. Any brand marketer or business owner worth his salt will know that fresh, up-to-date marketing tactics are crucial to success. But oftentimes, they’re left asking the following questions:
- What exactly do I need to do to stay relevant?
- Am I doing enough to cover at least the basics?
- Is there anything I’m missing out on?
In today’s digital climate where every marketer (and their dog) is flocking to the internet in hopes of claiming a slice of the profit pie, coming up with a sound strategy is challenging – standing out even more so. One minor slip up is enough to give your competitors an easy opportunity to swoop in.
That said, it’s important for your brand not only to be innovative but to have all your bases covered. Below, we’re listing four digital strategies that lots of online brands surprisingly miss out on.
Is your company making the same mistake? Read on to find out.
- Build a community.
Marketing trends may come and go, but one thing will always remain: the fundamental human need to belong and form authentic connections.
Surprisingly, lots of business owners and marketers fail to pursue this strategy. Most seem to hold the notion that having an active social media page and a functioning website is enough. While these things certainly help in solidifying your digital presence, they don’t necessarily help you form lasting connections with your audience.
So, how can businesses shift their strategy towards a community-building one? Trade one-way communications in favor of channels that go both ways. A good example of this is junking polished, edited videos on your feed in favor of live video sessions with your target audience. The former doesn’t really give your community much leeway to participate, while the latter supports instantaneous two-way communication.
Being receptive to the wants and needs of your community is another tactic you should employ. Whether it’s by giving them a say on who you’ll feature next on your page or by simply asking them to vote on polls, making your audience feel heard will surely go a long way.
- Establish your presence on trust websites.
Marketers who don’t take the time to fully understand their target customer’s buying journey fall into this trap. This is especially true for businesses that sell services online.
In an era where data privacy and information security are given increased emphasis, it’s important to exhaust all possible means to gain your customers’ trust. One of the easiest (but most overlooked) ways of doing this is by establishing a presence on trust websites.
Consider this: you successfully got a potential buyer to visit your site. You’ve successfully polished your web copy and made a flawless user experience possible. The customer is just a few clicks away from conversion, and then suddenly, just to be safe, they decide to check out your brand on TrustPilot… but your company isn’t there. Chances are, this will create a disruption in the buying journey and even influence the customer to abandon ship.
If your online presence on trust and review websites like TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and TripAdvisor is poor, your customers may think you’re either a fraud or not a serious player. That said, make sure to have protocols in place to ensure that your past customers are incentivized to leave reviews online.
- Embrace new trends.
Whether this means dropping more expensive, traditional advertising channels or jumping on a brand new trend wagon, embracing fresh marketing tactics will have a net positive impact in the long run.
Trying out a brand new strategy might seem scary, especially if it’s something that primarily caters to a generation you don’t belong to. After all, who wants to be labeled as someone who’s trying too hard to be cool, right?
But far worse is the prospect of not adopting a trend until it becomes the norm, at which point your brand might appear to be lagging behind the competition instead of being an industry leader.
- Get the help you need.
No one is expected to be a perfect marketer 100% of the time, especially if you’re running a one-man show. But an essential part of succeeding in digital marketing is knowing when to ask for help.
Online marketing is made up of numerous aspects like social media marketing, SEO, and content, to name a few. Naturally, it’s impossible to master all of them at once.
This is where established digital marketing companies like Rodller come in. Whether you ask for someone else’s help or not, you’ll end up spending resources to run digital campaigns anyway. So why not let an expert handle it?
