Did you know that following a written business plan gives your company a 30% better chance of success? Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing, too many business owners find themselves winging it online. You can’t afford to not create digital marketing plans for the growth of your organization.
Don’t worry if you’re not sure what a digital marketing plan is or how to create one because you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know including a step-by-step process to follow.
What Is a Digital Marketing Plan?
Your digital marketing plan is a written document that outlines your company’s marketing goals and how they help reach your overall business goals. It also details the timeline in which these goals should be met as well as the resources available to accomplish your goals.
Today’s digital landscape offers more marketing avenues than ever before. And if you don’t start with a detailed plan you run the risk of creating marketing content that doesn’t move the needle forward for your business. This will lead to wasted time and money, neither of which you can afford as a business owner.
Why You Need a Digital Marketing Plan
Today’s consumers are online and they expect you to be also. If you want to stay competitive in today’s market then your business needs to be engaged on social media, email, and have an active website. Don’t miss the boat when it comes to digital marketing, the benefits are clear:
- Increased engagement with your customers
- Improved ROI for your marketing budget
- Increased customer loyalty over time
- Consistent lead generation
Digital marketing isn’t the wave of the future. It’s a business necessity today and you need to ensure that you have a plan to reach your customers and grow your business online.
Steps to Create Digital Marketing Plans
Each marketing plan needs to include certain components. And you need to follow the right steps so you’re not making ill-informed decisions or wasting time on the wrong content. Follow these six simple steps to create the right plan for your next digital marketing campaign.
1. Set Your Goals
As mentioned you must first start your digital marketing plan with your goals. There are too many options when it comes to digital marketing and if you don’t know what you want to achieve through your efforts then you risk wasting your time on the wrong activities.
If your goal is to increase brand awareness you can create a campaign on social media with an influencer to help bring awareness to your company. However, if your goal is to increase return customers and build repeat buyers then you’ll want to focus on nurturing your current customers through email.
As you can see, this first step is crucial before you can move on to finish creating your plan.
2. Identify Your Ideal Customers
There are billions of people on the planet and millions of people online. You can’t market your business to all of them. You need to narrow down your specific ideal buyer so you can create content that is tailored to their needs.
Your ideal audience is a specific group of people with similar interests and demographics that are most likely to purchase your products. You can easily identify them through market research, talking with your current customers, and analyzing your competition.
The beauty of digital marketing is that you have direct access to your ideal customer once you identify who they are. Now that you know who your ideal audience is it’s time to establish your social media marketing plan.
3. Choose Your Platforms
Now that you know who your target audience is you need to decide where they spend their most time online. If you’re in the B2B field you probably can avoid Instagram and TikTok in favor of YouTube and LinkedIn. If you’re in the home decor business you can’t afford to not be on Instagram.
This is why it’s so important to know who your audience is before you start posting on every social media platform available. You’ll waste too much time and spread yourself too thin which won’t allow any time for engagement and building customer relationships that last.
4. Determine Your Resources
While it might be nice to have unlimited resources, the fact is that you need to know what you have to work with before you create your plan. Do you have expertise in-house to create your content or will you need to outsource it? How much money have you budgeted for your overall marketing plan and what percentage of that is available for your digital marketing?
You need to know this information so you can make informed decisions regarding which tactics make the most sense for your business. If you have a bootstrap budget then social media advertising might need to wait in favor of search optimized content on your website.
5. Work With an Expert
To ensure you get the most from your marketing plan, you need to work with an expert. The healthcare field is very competitive and you need to stand out in your field. To grow your business you need to invest in proper healthcare digital marketing rather than trying to do it yourself and risk missing the mark.
Unfortunately, too many business owners waste too much of their precious time trying to do everything themselves. The truth is you’ll save time and money in the long run when you find a trusted expert to help you with your marketing plan.
6. Track Your Metrics
Of all the digital marketing tools in your toolbox, the most important is your data. You must track your metrics to ensure that you’re spending the right time on the right tasks. Before you begin your next marketing campaign determine the metrics you’ll track so you know if it was a success or where you need to improve.
As you look at your metrics be sure to focus on those that indicate true ROI such as click-through rates and conversions over likes and follows. The data you track is crucial so you know exactly what needs to be improved and where. Don’t waste your time fixing an email with a great click-through rate while your ad spending is out of control, take the time to know your metrics so you can make informed decisions.
Follow a Roadmap to Success
Marketing businesses online can become overwhelming when you don’t have a plan. That’s why it’s so important to create digital marketing plans for each campaign. When you have a clear roadmap to follow you’re sure to reach all your business goals.
For more great information on this and other topics check out the rest of our blog.
___________________________________________________
Some other articles you might find of interest:
Make your business rock with these business plan writing skills:
Startup’s Guide to Write a Business Plan
Would you like to know how investors value a startup?
How Do Investors Value a Startup?
