Where do we start if we want to develop a digital strategy? This is still the most important question of all our clients, who understand the importance of digital marketing in connecting with potential customers, but still do not have an integrated plan on how to effectively connect with the target group. If your company does not have a communication plan on digital channels, then you will have problems in business, because you will not communicate with customers via the channels on which they are most often found. In the following text, we share 10 challenges you may face in business, which can only be solved in one way – by creating and implementing a digital strategy.
Challenges in creating a digital strategy
From our experience, the very beginning of strategy development is always a challenge for clients. Where and how to start? They think tons of reports, multi-hour meetings, presentations on dozens of pages, etc. are needed.
In reality, a company’s strategy documents can have a large number of pages simply because each segment is elaborated in detail, but the presentations that show the most important ideas and the essence of the strategy are never too large, but concise and clear.
The most important thing is that clients understand in which direction they should move, how the goals are set, and what is the path to their realization. Goals should always be set using the SMART method, and the strategy itself at the beginning should be created for a period of 90 days. This is the best way to check its effectiveness and later make adjustments according to the results.
Question: Do you have a digital strategy?
In the last few years, when talking to our clients, we always ask them a question – do you have a communication strategy on digital channels? The results show that an increasing number of clients opt for a strategic approach to planning this business segment, as opposed to simply posting content that has no value and does not bring results.
Of the two-thirds of clients who did not have digital strategies a few years ago, now that number is significantly lower and we can say that it is around 40%. That’s still quite a large number of people who haven’t realized how important digital channels are.
If you are among this 40%, keep reading, because we will share 10 reasons why you need a digital strategy.
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You don’t have a clear direction
Companies that don’t have a digital strategy (like many that do) don’t have a strategically defined main goal and don’t know exactly how to attract new customers or build a deeper relationship with existing ones. Posting content without relying on analytics can only be characteristic of those companies that do not have a carefully planned digital strategy. That’s why planning based on analytics is the only possible way to achieve real growth in social networks and other digital channels.
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You don’t know and won’t know what your online audience and market share is
The customer’s need to communicate with the company via digital channels can be completely underestimated or unrecognized if there is no research on the online audience. Something much more important is market share and what research shows – is your target group present online and in what numbers? It also determines how, to what extent, and how often you will communicate with them.
If all this sounds too complicated, you can always use certain tools for planning and posting content on social networks, which will make the whole process easier for you.
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Existing and new competitors in the market will take your place
If you don’t commit enough money, time, and resources to digital marketing, or you use an ad-hoc approach without defining your long-term strategy and goals, your competitors will overtake you and take away your customers.
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You don’t have a suitable online presence that offers some value
Content must be created precisely for each target group, in order to tailor the message sent to each customer. This will then allow you to make a clear distinction in relation to the type of content, the target group, and the online services or products you offer. In this way, new customers will recognize the content, which is intended for them, and over time will become loyal consumers.
The development of a competitive content strategy is the key, to solving this problem by attracting new potential customers using various forms, such as blogs, social networks, search engines, email, etc.
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You don’t know your online audience well enough
We think that even the birds on the branch know that digital is the most measurable channel ever. Google Analytics gives us data on the number of visitors to the site, but not what the visitors think or feel. We have to ask them and interact with them. You need to use other methods to identify your weak points and talk about them.
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You are not integrated
An integrated marketing campaign is the most important framework of activities that should be paid attention to. Integration with traditional media (TV, radio, print) and channels where we can observe a high level of interaction with the content – are an excellent combination that achieves enviable results. However, it will take some time before digital activities become part of a regular marketing plan, as it remains to be seen what kind of results digital brings.
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Digital marketing does not get enough help, as it should be based on its important role
Unfortunately, there are not enough resources, and people are involved in the creation and implementation of campaigns today. If we take email marketing as an example, there are not many experts in this field, especially those who deal with it at a higher level. This immediately reduces the number of channels on which one could potentially communicate, although email marketing is important for integrated campaigns, without experts it is simply impossible to carry out these activities.
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You waste money and time by duplicating some processes
Even if you have enough employees, who deal with digital marketing in different ways, sometimes it happens that all those resources are busy. This is especially the case with large companies, where one marketing employee is working on creating visuals for the next campaign, while another is doing the same, not knowing the colleague is already working on it. Agencies can be helpful in this, because they always have a sufficient number of people, creativity that is nurtured daily, and organizational skills to keep complicated processes under control, without duplicating content production or any other part of the process.
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You are not agile enough to stay on top and beat the competition
If we look at some of the biggest brands in the world, Amazon, Google, or Dell, they invest time and resources in trying new methods and trends. Frequent change allows them to always stay on top and win the competition.
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Optimization is everything, and are you applying it?
All large but also small companies have websites and monitor the analytics of visits on them. Unfortunately, few create content or strategy based on it. Everything from SEO strategy, to user experience or social media marketing, can be perfected down to the smallest single item if you have a digital strategy.
If after this text you think it is time for a new digital strategy or revision of the existing one, contact us and schedule a meeting.
Share this text with your colleagues and friends, because every entrepreneur or small business owner should know this.
