Creating a Marketing Plan with Digital Strategies

Regardless of the size of your business or the industry you are in, marketers and business owners should consider creating an annual marketing plan that includes a section on digital marketing. Such a plan helps you evaluate where you are and prompts you to think about where you want to be at the same time next year. Otherwise, you're just floating along and hoping to make progress without really being deliberate, consistent, or strategic. Some people refer to these as digital marketing strategies or models.

If you have new products coming out or services you plan to offer, you need to create a launch campaign and incorporate it into your overall plan. Keep in mind that your campaign should not be your only plan. There are some basic steps you can merge into your daily routine that will build your platform while you do day-to-day business. You can't automate all your digital marketing, but you can automate a portion of it to streamline some activities and prioritize where your time would best be spent.

No doubt you've noticed how digital technology has altered the way consumers interact with companies and brands before, during, and after purchasing a product or service. Consumers browse, research, and request info to evaluate and make buying decisions. Then they make the purchase at their own pace and on their preferred digital platform if not in person or over the phone. Once the purchase is complete, customers continue to follow and interact with brands by sharing their experience, writing reviews, and making recommendations to other potential consumers. Unlike traditional marketing and face-to-face sales when consumers had no other choice but to rely on the word of a sales person or the reputation of a well-known brand, knowledge and buying power is now in the hands of the consumer.

These new dilemmas are forcing companies to evolve and try new strategies to compete in markets and meet customer demand. In many cases, companies are forging new paths in unknown territory without a history of what works and what doesn't. There is no full proof digital marketing strategy that works for everyone, but there are some standard digital marketing processes that consistently improve a brand's platform, opportunities and access to a targeted audience.

Fortunately, some of the basic concepts of traditional marketing is still the same even though the tools and strategies might be different. You still need to understand the market, your audience, goals and objectives, and how to implement the digital tools you plan to use.

Most goals are designed to do 3 things:

• Generate More Traffic
• Improve Awareness
• Increase Sales

Digital Marketing strategies center around 4 activities:

• Content
• Connections
• Consistency
• Analysis

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