Surviving in today’s ultra-competitive market means targeting prospects and consumers strategically, no matter what industry your company may fall into. As a business owner, the pressure to perform is high. Employees, and you, are depending on the survival of your company. In 2020, that means focusing on digital marketing strategy. While there are a lot of pieces that lead to a thriving business, digital marketing has become a piece impossible to ignore.
With that in mind, companies today are no longer asking if they should implement a digital marketing strategy, but rather how best to do so. With so many options at your fingertips and the internet offering a sense of transparency to your competitors’ actions, it’s easy to want to do it all. Launch the Google ads, establish a content marketing plan, optimize everything for search, hire social media experts, redesign your website, start an email marketing campaign, and the list goes on and on. Sure, these are all important aspects to consider, but there is a critical thing to remember here: digital marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.
When inundated with information online, it is tempting to fall into the trap of “we have to be first”. It feels like the movers and shakers are the ones who got there before anyone else. The reality, however, is that those who got there with a plan typically outlast those who got there first. At its core, successful digital marketing is for those who play the “long game”. The businesses who not only understand that but act accordingly will win in the end.
Today, we spend some time taking a look at the ins and outs of the marathon that is digital marketing.
Digital Marketing That Works Long-Term
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great place to start to fully understand digital marketing as a marathon. “SEO experts” who promise 1st-page rankings in a week are not getting you there in an above-board manner. Black hat methods refer to efforts like keyword stuffing and buying links. Sure, these efforts will boost your Google rankings temporarily, but then it will all come crashing down. Unethical marketing practices will not serve your business in the long-run and will likely lead to a penalty from Google.
Successful SEO is all about consistency and commitment. No one just wakes up and decides to run a marathon. You train steadily, commit to a plan, and eventually work your way up to 26.22 miles. Much like a runner, a digital marketing plan must lay the groundwork for success and then progressively grind towards the ultimate goal.
Now that we understand the “long game” of digital marketing strategy. It’s important to remember the following tips to avoid falling into the “do it all now” trap that inevitably leads to failure:
- Be patient – most new digital marketing efforts take time to become successful. Stopping an initiative too early often means making a decision based on too little data.
- Accuracy is more important than speed – take your time and do it right, it will pay dividends in the long-run.
- Set long-term objectives 1-5 years out and then backtrack from there to smaller, more attainable goals.
- Don’t be a copycat – just because something worked for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. Digital trends come and go extremely fast, so don’t invest if it isn’t a great match for your industry and company.
- Think about timeliness – the best digital campaigns are those relevant today and Try to avoid building a campaign around a super timely topic.
- Don’t settle on past successes – it’s easy to declare yourself the master of digital marketing when a campaign goes right. But don’t fall into the trap of ceasing your efforts after a big win.
From paid ads to content creation and from social media to email campaigns, digital marketing can be overwhelming. If it seems like your competitors are running by, let them go. The real winners in the digital marketing race are those running the marathon, not the sprint.
Is your company looking to get ahead of your competition with digital marketing efforts? Big Customer Network is here to help. Our digital marketing experts are awaiting your call. Let’s make something happen today!
