To do digital well you will need to make a plan & develop your strategy, then spend time and resources to implementing this strategy. This includes defining your brand messaging, planning & creating your content, research your competitors and defining your target audiences. You will also spend time on your digital channels driving brand awareness and communicating effectively with your audiences. Before you seriously think about starting your strategy, need to think about and answer these questions. This post talks through important questions in detail, and provides helpful tips and tools to aid you on the journey.
So lets get started… There are a few concepts that you need to be familiar with before you start out on your digital journey. To demystify this process a little, I will compare the journey you are about to take with a journey in real life.
Starting the journey: The Starting Point
Before starting any journey, in order to track your progress, you will need to know where you are setting out from. To begin you need to measure existing metrics: website traffic, social follows & engagement. Where are you now and what will success look like?
Where are you headed? The Destination
What are your goals and what do you hope to achieve? Set your targets in terms of % increases to the metrics above: increase website traffic by X% in 12 months, increase social follows by X%. Your activities will drive brand awareness, customer engagement & consideration, grow queries, leads and sales.
Route = Strategy
When you plug these two pieces of information into a route planner, you will be presented with a number of options for your journey. You will then chose the option to take based on your needs and resources. Your strategy will be the steps (tactics) that you take to cover the journey between your starting point and your destination. What channels will you prioritise
Milestones: Tracking your progress
On any journey the milestones that you mark are a way for you to assess your progress towards your destination. For your digital strategy, you will take time throughout the journey to mark your progress by setting you milestones in much the same way. Are your tactics working, if not what can you adjust to improve success.
Congestion Ahead: Eyes on your competitors
Congestion on your route when applied to digital strategy indicates the presence of your competitors. Individuals using the same channels, who’s presence will hinder your progress towards your destination. You need to know who your competitors are, where they are and what tactics they are using as part of their digital strategy. You can then tweak your strategy to avoid this congestion.
Tolls Ahead: paid promotion
Tolls present on your route usually signify a payment made to speed progress toward your destination. Paid advertising is the equivalent on your digital journey. You have the option to pay a little more in a number of ways (on social media or as part of SEO) and this will speed your progress in reaching your audiences and making your destination.
These are the major concepts to be aware of when developing your strategy. You would never set out on a journey without considering about these factors, and your digital journey is no different. If you would like some advice or guidance on developing your strategy and beginning your journey, why not call us today, or request a consultation below.