Components of a Brand Strategy
October 3, 2017
In today’s business landscape, having a targeted customer-centric online experience is no longer a novelty idea but rather a necessary strategy for attracting new customers and keeping current customers. Companies that are investing in digital strategies are creating a substantial competitive edge in finding new customers, gaining insights into customer behavior, creating a unified online brand experience, and engaging in the way consumers want to be engaged. This is not an all-inclusive list of marketing strategies a brand should have, but these are principles I start with to advise companies on their digital marketing strategies. Before these are implemented, a business should understand who their customers are, what their value proposition(s) is/are, and have well thought-out branding, among other components. So, without further ado, here are my top 8 internet marketing strategies businesses should implement:
Internet Marketing Strategies For Your Business
Internet Marketing Strategy #1: Establishing Your Brand
Your internet marketing strategies all starts with establishing your brand. Although technically it’s not “digital”, I cant’ exclude branding from the list when I advise a business owner how to create a digital marketing strategy. If you skip this step, you’re doing yourself a major disservice and will most likely be all over the map in your efforts and approach. Establishing your brand identity is a critical step in connecting with your target audience and positioning your business effectively in the market. But what is a brand? Read the components of branding.
Internet Marketing Strategy #2: Building a Strong Website Strategy
The second internet marketing strategy every business should invest in is building a strong website strategy. I cannot understate the importance of having a great website for your organization and/or brand. In marketing, perception is reality. A flat, static online presence that only communicates in one direction without segmentation does not reflect well for a brand. I have seen so many organizations with no website or a TERRIBLE website, even organizations with thousands of employees making hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue! A website is the anchor for your digital marketing efforts. For this reason, one of the first steps I always take with a potential client is to assess their website. A strong website is a key component to all other internet marketing strategies listed in this post.
Internet Marketing Strategy #3: Data Analytics Strategy
The third internet marketing strategy every business should invest in is a web analytics strategy. Ask yourself these questions:
- Can I track all my digital marketing campaigns?
- Do I know where my leads came from?
- Do I know which digital marketing strategies attributed to someone making a purchase on my website?
- Do I have strategic goals set up on my website?
- Do I know which digital marketing strategies to invest more money in and which ones to retool?
If you said no to any (or all) of these questions, I’d recommend either doing research on setting up and using an analytics platform (Google Analytics is free and effective) or hiring an employee/consultant who can assist you.
Internet Marketing Strategy #4: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The fourth internet marketing strategy every business should invest in is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I have spoken to companies large and small who put a lot of effort into writing their website copy and blog copy, but do not have an on-page SEO strategy. Even if the content is amazing and you are the best writer in the world, not optimizing your content is a timely mistake. It’s like writing a book and keeping it hidden in your house. There are many strategies companies can incorporate to get better search engine rankings, both on-page and off-page. I will touch on some of these in future articles.
Internet Marketing Strategy #5: Content Mapping Strategy
The fifth internet marketing strategy every business should invest in is having a well-thought out, timely content strategy across all touch points. The goal is to deliver the right content to the right people at the right time. But content creation shouldn’t stop here. After creating a content mapping strategy, I typically incorporate high level goals for each product/service to build out a high level yearlong content plan. To accomplish goals, custom campaigns are typically needed throughout the year. After establishing campaigns that I think will accomplish the goals, it’s very important to define all the channels that your campaign will be on, the types of content that needs to be created, and the tone of that content. This content plan can also include relevant industry events, seasonal activities, and much more. During the planning stage, it’s vital to make sure technology, content creation, and labor resources are accounted for to stay under budget.
Internet Marketing Strategy #6: Social Media Strategy
The sixth internet marketing strategy every business should invest in is a social media strategy. Where your customers are, you should be too. Social media is no exception. Determining which channels to be on is important, you don’t have the resources to be everywhere and do everything. In general, the essential channels I recommend my clients to be on are:
- Facebook: 2 billion monthly users, 79% of all American internet users use Facebook
- Twitter: 328 million monthly users
- Instagram: 700 million monthly users
- LinkedIn: 500 million monthly users
- YouTube: 1.5 billion monthly users
- And sometimes Pinterest: 175 million monthly users
For more information, check out some amazing social media usage and demographic statistics that can help you determine which platform your business should be on.
Internet Marketing Strategy #7: Advertising Strategy
The seventh internet marketing strategy every business should invest in is an advertising strategy. Having said that, BE CAREFUL. Before you even think about advertising, your website strategy better be near flawless. I have spoken to business owners who aren’t interested in fixing their websites yet spend thousands of dollars a month advertising to a site that is not mobile responsive, has no keyword strategy on their website landing pages, and has little knowledge of copy-writing and/or non-professionally designed graphics. All of these factors, among many others, can drastically reduce an ad campaigns effectiveness, causing you to lose a lot of money. Also, make sure the landing page where traffic is being sent is highly optimized and has all necessary tracking set up.
Internet Marketing Strategy #8: Email Strategy
The eighth internet marketing strategy every business should invest in is an email marketing strategy. There are many types of email marketing campaigns and all kinds of platforms to use. Many providers offer the ability to automate emails as well so that the right email creations can be sent to the right people at the right time. There are email service providers (ESP) for all sized businesses and I recommend doing some research on which platform best fits your organization’s needs.
Unpacking This Post
The above 8 internet marketing strategies is the road map I typically follow when advising a client in building their strategy. This post only scratches the surface of what businesses can do in each respective area and is meant to show the strategic approach I take when creating a strategy. I highly recommend that you continue learning to improve your business’ internet marketing strategies or hire a firm that can help you build out your strategy.
Need some help on your internet marketing strategy? Contact us for a free consultation – we look forward to speaking with you!
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