Remember that product launch, when you came up with some clever copy and bought some digital ads? Resulting sales came in for a while, but as the product launch and momentum faded in the distance, more ads didn’t seem warranted. Meanwhile, you’ve kept your website updated and are active with your social media accounts, but the momentum just doesn’t seem to be growing. For a moment, the digital marketing realm seemed promising, but now you might be feeling disillusioned with it all.
The truth is, digital marketing can have a long-term effect, but beyond the initial splash of an ad, growing your digital presence is a long-term strategy and something that you create rather than buy.
We’ve put together this handy guide to help you evaluate your current digital footprint and help you grow into bigger shoes.
Understanding Your Brand
In today’s competitive digital marketplace, first impressions are critical. In reviewing your digital assets, knowing that they might be someone’s first interaction with your brand, make sure they have the right message and presentation for your company. Is the messaging throughout your website current and compelling? Are people finding your site organically in search engines? The answers to both of those questions can reveal changes you can make for improvements.
Quick checklist:
- Conduct a website branding audit
- Assess your organic search visibility
Evaluate Your Reputation
Because online reputation is user-driven, people can easily vet brands through past reviews. Assessing positive, neutral, and negative reviews and comments online can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses to develop a more effective digital strategy. It’s also important to review the reputation of your competitors. Understanding how people rate them will help you understand how you can position your brand to be more effective.
You can collect online reviews from Google My Business, YouTube or Vimeo comments, social media interactions, customer blogs, and trade publications, to name a few.
Quick checklist:
- Check reviews on your Google My Business account
- Search YouTube, Vimeo, and other video platforms for content about your company
- Review Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms for any comments or customer reviews of your company
- Conduct a competitive review
- Review earned media from trade publications
Assess Organic Search and Paid Search Visibility
If you search online for topics around your brand, what comes up? Whatever you find is also what your customers are likely seeing. Reviewing search results can help you shift your content to fit what people are searching for. It can also help inform your paid digital campaigns. And, optimizing your website content to better address common searches will help you get found when people are looking for solutions.
You can also review Google Analytics to see the percentage of organic search traffic that has come to your site. A review will show what information on your website is of high interest, and you can create more content to support and build on that interest.
Quick checklist:
- Make sure video and social content is aligned with applicable search queries
- Review your organic search rankings against your competitors
- Conduct an SEO audit on your site
Know What Your Customer Experience Looks Like
Imagine walking into a store to buy some milk, and suddenly you’re in the meat department, unsure of how you got there or how to get out. You probably wouldn’t go to that store for milk again, and you’d probably tell others about your experience. A website can have a similar effect.
Making sure you have intuitive starting points, and a logical flow of information will help people find what they need and keep them on the path to purchase. Use Google Analytics to see how your on-site engagement is performing and conduct technical audits to make sure every area within your site is accessible.
Due to COVID-19, the main way people are interacting with brands right now is online. Creating better digital experiences for your customers now will give you an advantage when business returns to normal because your brand will be more recognized and trusted.
Quick checklist:
- Conduct an analytics review of on-site behavior
- Review app and mobile performance
- Review landing page content
- Review your form content and the number of submissions against the number of visits
- Check your site’s compliance with GDPR, ADA, and search engine technical best practices
Take Action Based on Your Research
Once you conduct your digital audit, use that data to start implementing the right tactics. If you need more expertise, we can help you develop the right strategy and put it into action.
Quick checklist:
- Regularly review organic search results and develop an SEO strategy based on your findings
- Create a content marketing strategy based on any content gaps you see
- Implement review acquisitions to achieve positive results about your brand
- Make sure all of your online platforms, from your website to social media accounts, have consistent branding and messaging based on what you now know people are looking for when it comes to your offerings
Feel Your Shoes Getting Bigger?
Now that you’ve thoroughly reviewed a lot of information, and have made some improvements based on that review, you’ll want to regularly analyze those results. As your digital marketing efforts continue, keep a scheduled review process in place so that you can build on performance and eliminate tactics that aren’t showing the results you want. As stated earlier, it’s not about making a big marketing splash that dissipates, but building a brand over time that people know, trust, and love.
Quick checklist
- Create an ongoing measurement strategy tracking links, Google Tag Manager (GTM), and Customer Retention Management (CRM)
- Review Google Analytics, Search Console, and keyword tracking
- Establish a benchmark based on year-one results to modify your plan for the next year
Sounds easy, right? The truth is, digital marketing is a lot of work. If you need a partner to help your digital marketing efforts, be it complete strategy and execution, or a personalized audit to give your team a plan of action, get in touch. We help companies understand how effective their digital assets and online brand presence efforts are and help them positively increase their digital footprint every day.
