How to Build an Online Marketing Strategy By Yourself

If you are a small business or start-up company that has not yet implemented a digital marketing strategy, then now is the time. While the goal is to eventually outsource this kind of work, you can begin online marketing by yourself and still see some stellar results.

With billions of people accessing the internet every single day, having a solid digital marketing strategy from the get-go will help your business thrive.

Fun Fact: According to a study conducted by WebDAM, there was a 23% increase in online marketing from 2015 to 2020. Meanwhile, recent data from ContentPLUS and iContact shows that the average return on digital marketing investments is approximately $44.25 per dollar spent.

With that being said, you're probably now wondering what all digital marketing entails.

A digital marketing strategy is a well-thought-out plan for developing and implementing online content for your company.

7 Steps to Build a Solid Online Marketing Strategy

Step 1: Pinpoint Your Target Audience

Determine your target audience to create a digital marketing strategy.

The first thing you need to figure out is to whom you want to sell your products or services. Who is your biggest customer? Once you understand your target audience, you will be able to determine what they want to see and how they will react to various types of content. In other words, you will be able to generate leads and convert them into paying customers.

To define your customer base, start with the following:

Generate detailed customer profiles. Analyze customer cycles.

Evaluate and predict consumer responses/purchasing patterns.

Determine where your customers "hang out" online.

Step 2: Figure Out Consumer Pain Points

Find the main issues that your customers face and offer to fix them.

The best way to market a product or service is to show your customers that you can solve a problem for them. In other words, identify the main pain points and showcase how your products or services can alleviate them. To do this successfully, research what your target audience is saying about your biggest competitors. That is where you will find the most complaints.

You can also ask your current customers questions like the following:

What is the problem, and what do you need to resolve it?

When does the issue typically occur?

How can I fix it?

Step 3: Create Value

Create valuable content for your target audience.

Next, you need to start building brand trust. This can take time, but you can begin the process by creating a value proposition. This will show your potential customers why your company deserves their time and money. Offer them something that your competitors are missing by doing the following:

Be appealing

Give your business a personality

Bring in trusted social media influencers

Step 4: Set a Growth Goal

Set realistic goals for growing your business online.

You need to figure out how much growth you want to achieve during a certain timeframe. Having a goal will give you something to work towards and keep you focused. While this can be whatever you want, most businesses seek to grow at least 70% per quarter. You, too, can hit this milestone if you implement the following:

Figure out where your business currently stands

Set 1 to 2 realistic core goals

Set 3 to 5 supporting goals

Come up with a means to reach each goal

Generate a long-term plan for future goals

Step 5: Lineup Internal Growth and Lead Strategies

Merge your strategies to align with your ultimate goal.

In order to reach your growth goals, you need to generate leads that convert into sales. To do this, you need a lead strategy that aligns with your growth strategy. Use the core and supporting goals that you created to do the following:

Audit your marketing funnels

Pinpoint your target audience

Take advantage of your database

Create appealing content

Get referrals and repeat customers

Offer incentives

Deliver on your promises

Step 6: Analyze All Forms of Digital Marketing

Use multiple tactics to achieve your goals.

There are five types of digital marketing that you need to look at when creating a strategy. These are SEO, email, affiliate, inbound, and advertising. If you can hit all of these, you will be unstoppable. To fuse them all together seamlessly into the perfect digital marketing plan, you can do the following:

Build an SEO strategy through searchable/engaging content

Generate leads and conversions with catchy emails

Utilize affiliate marketing to create multiple pipelines

Attract new leads with inbound marketing

Take advantage of online advertising (including social media)

Step 7: Create a Budget

How much money are you willing to spend for online marketing?

Now it is time to set your budget. As a small business or start-up, resources can be tight. However, it is recommended that you allocate around 10% to 20% of your revenue to digital marketing. It is important to think of this as an investment instead of a cost.

Implement Your Online Marketing Strategy

Now that you know what to do, you can get started growing your online presence right now. Use analytics to monitor your site's data, and don't be afraid to experiment to figure out what works best.

If you need more help developing a solid digital marketing strategy for your company, get in touch with Clever Girl Copywriting.