fbpx

7 Tips To Build A Strong Digital Marketing Plan

Ready to build a startup marketing plan? Here are several digital marketing tips to keep in mind as you get your startup off the ground.


Nirdesh Singh | Courtesy Photo
Nirdesh Singh | Courtesy Photo

Marketing is an integral part of any business. Whether it is an online or offline business; they all need a thorough and efficient marketing plan to help them succeed. Here are several digital marketing tips to keep in mind as you get your startup off the ground.

 

1. Set a marketing budget

Prior to launching a marketing campaign you need to set up a budget based on the strategies and tactics you want to accomplish.

Your budget is unique to the stage of your business, competitive activity, campaign costs (e.g., cost per acquisition, cost per lead, cost per click, ad rates and so on). If you are on a tight budget, as are most startups, you will have to formulate your marketing strategies in a way that allows you to start small and scale. Every penny counts. Consider testing marketing strategies, measure your results and scale what works.

 

2. Research your target market

Marketing plans for any startup are designed with the target market in mind. Make sure you have clearly identified your audience to ensure you  have a clear working knowledge of their demographics, psychographics (i.e., their attitudes, aspirations, and other psychological criteria) and buying potential.

Photo: Rawpixel.com, Pexels
Photo: Rawpixel.com, YFS Magazine

For example, a social media campaign will be useless if your ideal customers live in rural areas with spotty and limited access to the Internet; or if research shows they don’t use social media. Surveys, focus groups and analytics will give you a deeper look at a potential customer base. Ultimately, identifying your target audience will help you cut costs and avoid wasted marketing dollars. 

 

3. Pay attention to search engine optimization (SEO)

The internet has become the prime source for information. Most people turn to the internet before making a purchase. They not only check prices online before making an offline purchase, but they also check online reviews and product recommendations.

Photo: Rawpixel.com, Unsplash
Photo: Rawpixel.com, YFS Magazine

Therefore, ensuring your business can be found while people are actively searching is important. Optimize your company website with relevant content and keywords to encourage exposure in search engine results. If you’re unsure where to begin, use an SEO checklist to work your way through the basics, and develop SEO projects for you and your team to tackle our outsource to SEO freelancers or agencies.

 

4. Don’t overlook social media marketing

With more and more people using social media platforms, it makes sense to advertise your products and services on platforms that are relevant to your target audience.

However, provide regular content that is designed to grow awareness, attract interest and ultimately increase conversions. Your social media content should include a good mix of promotional, community engagement and educational information to appeal to potential customers.

 

5. Consider paid search advertising

In tip 3 I mentioned SEO, which is about driving organic growth. Many brand supplement SEO efforts with paid search advertising to increase sales.

Consider running a test campaign using Google Ads. Start with keyword research to find trending keywords. “The simple goal of keyword research is to find out what your target audience is searching and what it will take to actually rank for those keywords,” entrepreneur Neil Patel asserts.

“Without knowing what keywords you should be targeting, how will you effectively optimize your website, target phrases for link building, or know what content to develop for your audience?” Once you create paid search campaigns, measure them closely to find out what works and adjust accordingly.

 

6. Track and analyze your marketing data

Keep close track of the data that is generated from marketing campaign. How else will you know what is working?

Photo: Edho Pratama, Unsplash
Photo: Edho Pratama, YFS Magazine

Use marketing and website analytics tools to track events, conduct A/B testing, review visual behavior of website visitors and more. Keeping close tabs on analytics will help you study patterns and improve your marketing strategies.

 

7. Reach out to online marketing experts when needed

If you are not sure where to start with your marketing plans, its’ okay to ask for help. Hire a digital marketing consultant or agency to study your business and formulate plans.

 

Digital marketing can seem complex and daunting. There are proven strategies that work, however, you must find the right ones hat work for you. It’s a jungle out there and marketing is one way to establish ground and fight for survival. Infuse your plans with creativity, zeal and vision. And be prepared to take a few risks.

 

Nirdesh Singh has 10 years of experience in the IT sector. He decided to start his own development company in 2012 and founded Zedex Info Pvt Ltd. where he currently serves as the Director. He is also the co-founder of fashionbuzzer.com a fashion e-commerce portal in India. He loves to write and share technology, startups and business advice.

 

© YFS Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Copying prohibited. All material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited. Sharing of this material under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International terms, listed here, is permitted.

   

In this article