For high rankings of any website, I have a 6-steps digital marketing plan that can help your website to be number – 1 on the internet. These steps are integral parts of your digital media marketing strategy to create awareness among the netizens and the whole online world.
Step 1: – Know your audience closely
It is extremely important to know your audience very closely. You must know who are they, what are they doing and where do they hang out, what newspapers they go through, what website or search engines do they search and from where their audience basically are?
Step 2: – Spy your competitors’ movement with close attention
The world is full of competition. It is indispensible to spy and know your competitors’ movement in the online world about how they reach their customers using the digital media channel. Make a thorough research on the competitors’ activity online. Be a private detective, make some mystery shopping, and impersonate your customers to find you and competitors online. Check who are on the top with regard to digital media? If you feel you are not ahead of them, make a spreadsheet and start noting down the deficiency. Eventually, compete with them to remain ahead of others online. Note down each strategy they have achieved on your spreadsheet. This research will help you to have phenomenal achievement to reach your customer online.
Step 3: -Prioritize Your Digital campaign & channels
Think of multiple digital channels that are important to your organization such as: Search engine optimization, pay per click, YouTube Video, Facebook, Twitter, Email marketing and others. Prioritize the digital channel that you need to put your effort first. This effort will make you sure about the web channels that create a ‘win win situation’ for you. Also, think of following aspects to make a narrow list of digital marketing.
Company Goals: Think of company’s priority for the business to achieve. Think of company’s goal and try to understand what company wants; whether, it is brand popularity, raw traffic or sales and education as well.
Budget: – The budget of the company should be taken into account while making marketing plan.
Resources: What resources (personnel or outsourced vendors) you have to achieve your marketing goals?
Step 4: – Internet Marketing Channels and Quick Wins
There are versatile digital media marketing channels available those are relevant to your business depending upon your business objectives as well as customers. For example, if you want brand popularity, social media may be the best bet for you. If you want to increase your sales and web traffic, blend of search engine marketing and email marketing could be the best fit to your business. In fact, it is wise to take a ‘pick and mix approach’ to have online achievement. Don’t forget to test the effectiveness of your marketing activities and monitor the result. The different channels have been given below in a nutshell to make a dynamic online campaign.
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
This is a process of getting rank on the search engine result pages in an organic way i.e. free listing on Google, Yahoo and Bing.
Examples: Keyword research, on-page optimization, off-page optimization and link building, etc.
- Pay – Per – Click Advertisement (PPC)
Pay-Per-Click is a process of getting visibility on the multiple ranges of search engines that bring visitors and leads on your website. Your money will get deducted from your account when the user clicks on your advertisement either on search or display network.
Examples: Google Adwords, Bing Ad Center, Business.com Advertising, Yahoo! Search Marketing etc.
- Social media marketing (SMM)
Social media marketing is one of the popular processes of leveraging social media platforms (small and large) to earn visibility and traffic.
Examples: Facebook Group pages, Twitter marketing, Video marketing, pushing content on StumbleUpon etc.
- Email marketing
Email marketing is considered to be the most dynamic form of marketing that brings immediate leads for your business. You can collect Emails from the visitors on your blog in due course of time or else you may also buy Email database.
Examples: Email newsletters, brand building emails, conversion-focused emails, etc.
- Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular business techniques prevailing these days on the internet. You can make money by means of your website. Money comes to your wallet when the users make a purchase from the advertiser on your website.
Examples: Share sales, Commission Junction and in-house affiliate programs, etc.
- Display Advertizing
This is a process of placing ads on third-party websites with the goal of creating branding awareness and/or generating traffic.
Examples: Banner ads, video ads, interactive ads, overlays, interstitials, etc.
- Blogging
Creating blog for different blogging sites and posting them. Creating a blog network is also a creative way of increasing traffic.
Example: blogger.com, wordpress.com etc.
- Viral content marketing
Viral content is a household name these days. You need to create viral content in the form of Video, Podcast, Infographics and popularize it by virtue of blogs, social media, press releases and video sites as well
Examples: Linkbait production, blog post, viral videos and social marketing, etc.
- Video marketing
Creating video on your products or services that will make your business a brand and educate people
Example: YouTube, Metacafe and Vimeo etc.
- Microblogging
Creating short messages and posting them on various microblogging sites
Example: Twitter.com
- Local search marketing
This is a process of submitting your website on different local search engines and online yellow pages
Example: Google local, Yahoo Local, Bing Local
- Forum participation
This is a process of participating online forums that are relevant to your business and discusses the topics that people want to know.
Example: Google Group
- Questions and Answers
Participating in different question and answer sites and putting questions to the people and answering the questions.
Example: Yahoo answer, AOL answer
Most Important: – Measuring results through web analytic tools
Create a performance report on monthly basis that will help you to understand your business success. You can create the report indicating below mentioned examples.
- Increased online sales by 24% from September to October
- Increased organic search traffic by 20%
- Increased social engagement on Facebook or twitter by 25%
Step 5: – Is your campaign result oriented
You should test if your digital marketing strategy really works with the help of Google analytics, Facebook insight and other web analytic tools. Regular monitoring and reporting helps you to know where you stand in the digital world; it gives you an opportunity to proceed for further action.
Step 6: – Monthly Review
Take the required time to have a review of your entire marketing plan on monthly basis. You should check the pros and cons of your digital marketing plan or tactics that are driving results. Keep yourself updated by going through various blogs and articles on the latest web trends.
Today’s internet marketing strategy is quite different than the yesteryears. You need to keep yourself updated with multiple channels. Making a network through Twitter can help you immensely to get all the information at one place. Google alert is also one of the ways and means to find the recent trends.
