The Difference Between Just Marketing Online and Having a Digital Marketing Strategy

Digital marketing is fast paced. In this industry, change moves as fast as the speed of light leaving everyone who doesn’t keep up in the dust. With so much momentum, how can you stay on track to meet your goals? Strategy.

Marketing online continues to expand. New methods for reaching potential customers via the Internet means more confusion among brands. Many marketers now suffer from “shiny object syndrome” when it comes to trying new approaches. Soon, the marketing waters get diluted and businesses miss valuable opportunities.

How can you keep up with the quick speed of the digital marketing world while maintaining a smart strategy? Here are a few tips.

 

Create a Positive Customer Experience

70% of buying experiences are based on how a customer feels the company is treating her, according to McKinsey. Customer experience has a direct impact on your bottom line. Negative interaction with your business means lost money and a damaged reputation.

Creating a strategy centered around your customer makes it easier for you to continuously improve her experience with your company online. It allows you to identify where you’re losing your customers and how you can improve the process, so that every interaction with your brand is a positive one.

 

Keep Your Customers Engaged

Once your customers have a positive experience with your brand, then what? You want to keep your prospects and customers engaged and coming back to buy from you again.

Marketing online without a strategy makes that difficult. Your brand looks confused, which makes your customers equally (if not more so) confused.

By developing a strategy for how to keep your customers engaged, you can decrease your costs. Just a 2% increase in customer retention can have the same effects as decreasing your costs by up to 10%, according to Leading on the Edge of Chaos by Emmet Murphy and Mark Murphy.

 

Maintain a Data-Driven Mindset

One of the benefits to marketing online is the wealth of data at your fingertips. No matter how you approach your digital marketing, you can see what’s working and what isn’t. The trick is to take the data, analyze it, and implement changes that’ll boost your bottom line. That’s where strategy comes into play.

Using data, develop a strategic approach to boosting your online presence. Find out where your customers are most engaged, where they’re falling out of your sales cycle, and what’s helping you get found. Then, create a strategy that supports those proven efforts.

 

The Differences

Marketing online without a strategy doesn’t let you see the big picture in your efforts. Strategy does. By focusing on the right elements in your digital marketing strategy, you keep up with the constant forward movement while making smarter choices for your brand’s digital efforts.

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