Digital Marketing in an ever-changing landscape

Crafting a Digital Marketing Blueprint for Your Business: Platforms, Campaigns, and Beyond

Author: Nola Young Date: Updated March 22, 2023

Navigating and understanding the web and social media opportunities for marketing your business online is increasingly difficult in the ever-changing digital landscape. How do you keep up with all of the changes and how do you know which direction to go for your business? Here are some basic steps you should consider when determining your online digital presence and marketing goals.

Step one: Determine the end result(s) you want to achieve.

Online presence
Promote your brand
Present product or service information
Generate new business leads/sales
Increase website traffic
Keep top of mind with clients
Event notifications/invitations
Calls to action
Company updates, Press releases, Newsletters, Blogs
Contact info
Education resources
Calendar of events
Recruit new staff

Step two: Choose Platforms based on target market/audience

Signing up for social media accounts is free of charge but if you want to promote yourself and achieve results with specific target markets, you will have to spend time and money for paid promotions, and for creating and maintaining results-oriented online marketing campaigns. For example, some sites will let you buy followers or paid likes. The key to understanding this, is that digital media platforms will give you marketing opportunities that you would not get from traditional print advertising. The difference is in its ability to be instant, repetitive and interactive, meaning you can engage your audience, gain trust and credibility by communicating one-on-one or to groups as a whole. Online digital messages to your audience is more direct, personal and less generic than its print-media counterpart. Here are some digital platform examples and audience opportunities:

Website:

The audience opportunity for a business or e-commerce website can be quite extensive, given the vast online user base and the ever-growing popularity of online shopping. However, it’s essential to consider several factors to effectively tap into this opportunity:

- - - Global Reach: With an e-commerce website, you can potentially reach a global audience. The internet allows businesses to expand their customer base beyond local boundaries and target customers from various countries and regions.
    - Diverse Demographics: The audience opportunity for an e-commerce website is diverse in terms of age, gender, interests, and backgrounds. You can target specific segments of the population based on your products or services.
    - Mobile Users: As the use of mobile devices continues to rise, ensuring your e-commerce website is mobile-friendly is crucial. Mobile users represent a significant portion of online shoppers, and optimizing for their experience is essential.
    - Personalization: E-commerce websites can leverage data and analytics to offer personalized product recommendations, promotions, and content to enhance the user experience and increase conversion rates.
    - Social Media Integration: Integrating your e-commerce website with social media platforms allows you to leverage social media audiences, engage with potential customers, and promote products through various channels.
    - Search Engine Optimization (SEO): By optimizing your website for search engines, you can attract organic traffic and improve visibility to potential customers who are actively searching for products or services you offer.
    - Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Positive reviews and testimonials can significantly impact your e-commerce website’s reputation and attract more customers.
    - Content Marketing: Creating valuable content such as blog posts, videos, and product guides can help establish your e-commerce website as an authority in your niche and attract a loyal audience.
    - Customer Support: Providing excellent customer support and clear communication channels on your website can instill trust in potential customers and encourage repeat business.
    - Loyalty Programs: Implementing loyalty programs and incentives can encourage repeat purchases and foster a loyal customer base.

Facebook:
Facebook remains one of the largest and most diverse social media platforms, with a wide age range of users. It caters to a broad audience, including individuals, businesses, and organizations. However, it is particularly popular among older demographics (30-65+ years old). Facebook’s advertising platform offers robust targeting options, making it attractive for businesses looking to reach specific audiences based on interests, demographics, and behaviors.

Instagram:
Instagram, owned by Facebook, has a predominantly younger audience compared to its parent platform. It is especially popular among users aged 18 to 34, and its user base is heavily skewed toward a female audience. Instagram’s focus on visual content, stories, and influencers makes it a great platform for businesses targeting younger, fashion-conscious, and lifestyle-oriented demographics.

TikTok:
TikTok is a rapidly growing platform, particularly popular among Gen Z (aged 16-24) and younger Millennials. It is known for short-form videos and has gained significant traction due to its entertaining and engaging content. TikTok provides a unique opportunity for brands and businesses to create viral content and reach a younger, more mobile-focused audience.

Twitter:
Twitter is a microblogging platform that caters to a diverse audience, with a mix of age groups, interests, and professions. It is well-suited for real-time updates, news, and trending topics. Twitter’s audience tends to be more tech-savvy, and the platform is often used for customer service interactions, breaking news, and discussions around various topics. Businesses can leverage Twitter to connect with their audience, provide customer support, and share timely information.

LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform primarily used for business-related activities, networking, job hunting, and B2B interactions. Its audience consists of professionals from various industries and is particularly valuable for B2B marketing, recruiting, and thought leadership. The platform allows businesses to showcase their expertise and connect with other professionals in their industry.

Step three: Create your online digital marketing campaign(s) strategy

After determining your objectives (end results) and platforms you intend to use to distribute your message, the next step is to develop a marketing campaign(s). A couple of strategies to follow are:

- - Know about your audience before you start or do some research to know what kind of campaigns resonates with them.
  - Determine their needs? These can be derived from a variety of sources, including blog comments and from your customer support logs.
  - Figure out what you can deliver that will give them value. Content is king when it comes to delivering messages that resonate with your audience and compel them into action.
  - Before you launch your campaign, create dedicated landing pages so that you have somewhere to take the user once you have inspired them to take action. Make sure they know what they can get here.
  - Consider adding a video to the landing page to quickly answer the question every potential customer has: “what’s in it for me?”.

KW Digital Solutions is here to assist. We can create your digital sites, your strategies, your campaigns and deliver and maintain your online digital communications. Call us for a free evaluation of your online presence and sign up for our free E-BIZ newsletter and keep up to date on the latest trends and tips for achieving and maintaining your strategic Internet marketing goals.

Step four: Deliver your online marketing campaign

There are a variety of software that make this process easier, such as Later, Hootsuite, Nimble, Mail Chimp, Constant Contact etc., but there are costs involved and a steep learning process. If you have staff on hand that are dedicated to your web and social media marketing efforts then you are off to the races, however, if you are in need of a helping hand, KW Digital Solutions is here to assist. We can create your sites, your strategies, your campaigns, and deliver and maintain your communications for you.

Step five: Maintain your communications and relationships

Marketing your business online is not a one-time event. If you look at it this way then your sites will just become stagnant, and your company will rank lower in the search engines thereby giving way to your competitors to make faster advances on your potential clients. Don’t forget to nurture your leads, and keep them coming back for more. You will need to track your audience activities and maintain a database of their contact info and interests.

Conclusion

KW Digital Solutions can help you determine digital media marketing strategies that will maximize your investment and make it easy for you to achieve your online goals.

- - Call us for a free evaluation of your online presence at 519-741-7641.