Digital Marketing Strategies for Business Industries

A digital marketing strategy is a well thought plan to achieve a company’s strategic marketing goals using digital marketing tools and techniques. These goals may include brand building, business development, expansion etc. The high-level strategy or long term goals should be the same in both the digital and offline worlds. The strategy is more stable and may require only small changes if any. The fundamentals usually stay the same.

 Digital marketing techniques on the other hand are the specific tactics you use to execute the plan using audience engagement. Common digital techniques include SEO, digital advertising, Content marketing, Email marketing,Social media marketing and Video marketing.

In the growing digital space, digital marketing strategy and technique are used interchangeably.

Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing

Traditional marketing refers to the tried and tested marketing techniques used before the advent of the digital age. It is pretty effective since people are already familiar with it and is built on personal interactions. They are more locally oriented and have the support of the present surroundings. However expanding outside of the current market may require huge investments like offices, staff, transportation, print marketing etc. Digital marketing has an upper hand in that scenario, since the limitations of geography do not apply to it. The whole world is your market when it comes to digital marketing. Also the return on investment can be measured and projected more accurately. The disadvantage however is that with increase in audience, so does the competition. Also it may take time to get the desired familiarity and brand value in the local market since there are no face to face interactions.

The debate of which is better, digital or traditional marketing has been going on for a long time. However the truth is that for developing a successful marketing strategy, a combination of both is needed. A good balance between the two helps in the long run. Going behind all the techniques at once may end up in failure since none of them will get across to your audience. Gradually building up on selected few techniques is always the best way to build a demanding market presence.Consider which approach is most likely to reach your target audiences faster when selecting the best technique for your situation.

Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy

• Start with your business goals: Strategic marketing, whether digital or traditional, starts with your company’s strategic goals. What are you trying to achieve? Do you want to grow the firm? Position the firm for acquisition? Are you trying to gain visibility for your brand?

Business goals are discussed and developed early and improvise with moving market conditions and growth.

• Research your target audiences: Any strategy developed revolves around the target audience. It is extremely important to identify and research your target audiences. The value of this research is understood by successful enterprises since it gives them a headstart in business against their competition who skip the step. Your target audiences are people you finally need to reach to execute your digital strategy. Examples of target audiences are:

• Potential Clients: Companies or individuals looking to invest in your brand or purchase goods and services from you.

  Referral Sources: In some circumstances, referral sources can be so influential that they are decision makers. influential thought leaders and Industry analysts may also play a pivotal role.

  Influencers: Individual and sometimes a group influencers often share their views publicly and advise the final decision maker and can be valuable targets in a digital campaign.

  Talent: Potential employees or subcontractors are important target audiences since industries have talent shortages that can severely impact a firm’s ability to deliver on its promises. They contribute to building your digital employer brand.

• Develop your digital marketing strategy: An effective digital marketing strategy framework usually has 4 key elements.

• Differentiators: What practice will set your company apart from your competitors? Often, the research you performed earlier will help you discover differentiators that give you the advantage. To cite an example, you might learn that the way you deliver the findings of your research is unusually helpful to clients as opposed to others.

• Market Positioning: The next element of your framework is the market positioning of your company. Compared to your competitors, how is your company positioned?  Is your firm the low-cost alternative? Do you command the top dollar? Your positioning is built upon your differentiators. They are the foundation that build your market positioning. Your positioning gives your audiences the cohesive and compelling story they need to prefer your company over your competitors.

• Key Messages:What information does each of your audiences need to hear? These will likely vary from audience to audience. For instance, potential employees are probably going to be interested in different things than your referral sources. However, Key messages must not contradict each other and should all be consistent with your company’s overall market positioning.

• Content Strategy: Content is the way you build trust, communicate your expertise, and demonstrate to potential clients how you can help them. This is the section of the plan where you specify what issues and topics you plan to elaborate on. This content becomes the base for blog posts,social media, webinars, emails and other digital marketing techniques.

Digital marketing is changing the way professional companies approach the market. It has made it easier for organizations of any size to compete against larger, more established players. And for startups that want to reach new markets, it practically eliminates the geographic barriers leading to a global market gain. There are many Digital marketing Companies in Kerala that specialize in market study and effective implementation. Intersmart solution Pvt Ltd is a leading Digital marketing Company in Kochi that has hands-on experience for the past 10 years in business development and effective marketing strategies.