We all know creating value for our customers beyond the products we sell or services we offer helps attract new customers. You have probably thought about or are actively trying new social media platforms, sending emails, and creating content in an attempt to encourage people to interact with your business. The problem is that this trial-and-error approach doesn’t scale and won't yield anything lasting because you don't have a method to consistently produce content to measure whether or not it's actually producing any results.
In this article, I'll go over how to create a winning digital marketing strategy for your business.
1. Set strategic objectives for your content.
The first thing you need to do is set strategic objectives for your content. You want to go beyond a vague objective like, "I want more people to know about my organization." Your content marketing strategy should be tied to your overall business strategy while also being specific, especially when you consider your producing content for a single post or one email.
Start by asking yourself, what are your business objectives, and how do you want to accomplish them? What does success look like?
For example, your business objective could be: "Increase the number of leads for our new product." With this simple objective stated, you now have something specific to measure as you begin constructing your content.
2. Connect your content marketing strategy to your business objectives.
Your content marketing strategy needs to be guided by both this specific objective and your overall business strategy.
In order to create great content, you need to know what problem you are solving. Ideally, your content is solving a problem that is meaningful to your customers. By identifying your customer's motivation, you can develop content that is meaningful to them.
So, if you are trying to increase leads for your new product, now you can tie your marketing to that specific objective. It seems simple because it is, but keep going through this checklist to fully flesh this approach out...
3. Define the problems your audience is struggling with.
What kinds of problems is your audience struggling with? How does that relate to the new product you are offering?
For example, if your business objective is to get more leads for your new product, you might uncover that people are struggling to figure out how to use the product and therefore your content should focus on sharing how the product works and how it will solve their problem. Again, simple, but without taking the time to be painfully specific, you run the risk of sharing broad information or features that don’t fully resonate with a potential customer.
4. Identify the gaps in your customer's knowledge that your content can fill.
What do your customers not know about this new product? What types of information are they looking for?
For example, if your business objective is to get more leads for your new product, and you’re establishing how this product will solve their needs, now is the time to show how much value you can offer beyond the product you are selling.
This post is an example of doing just that! While here at Torch we have a core focus of web strategy, website design and development, we know your entire marketing effort has to be one cohesive experience with clear messaging throughout. That’s why we are sharing knowledge about digital marketing. You may never hire us for that kind of work but by reading this, now you know that while we’re generating leads for web design, we’re sharing our broader knowledge of the strategy as a whole. Taking the approach of always sharing knowledge with no expected return often has the interesting effect of actually producing more business instead of just constantly hocking your product.
5. Determine who your customers are.
Who are the people who have these problems and need this information? How can you identify, reach, and connect with them?
For example, you might identify that your customers are a combination of people who have not yet bought your product and people who have bought your product but are struggling to use it. It might seem obvious to you but take a minute to list out who your customer is, how old are they, where do they live, what are their likes and dislikes? This can inform everything from the knowledge you share down to the colors you use in your Instagram ad.
6. Figure out how to reach your customers.
Now that you know your customer, you can be a lot smarter about where to spend your efforts in your marketing strategy.
If your product’s target audience is in business, posting on Pinterest likely won’t reach them as directly as LinkedIn and while posting it both places may increase your reach in the off chance your audience sees your Pinterest post, you’re diluting your time and attention that you could be spending on that platform that will have much higher impact.
Summary
Take control of your digital marketing strategy by implementing a checklist like the one above. Instead of wondering what to do next, you'll be able to clearly define why you are trying to reach out to your audience and how to measure if it is successful. Being specific may seem like it boxes your business in but the truth is that if that actually addresses your customer’s needs, they will convert versus offering broad “we do everything” value propositions that don’t land with anyone. You’ve got to stand out and a great way of doing that is showing your knowledge of your audience, their paint points, and how you can help them overcome them.
Like I said earlier, here at Torch, we provide consultation and planning for your entire digital experience, to help achieve your business goals. If you're looking for an online digital strategy solution, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
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