According to research, the average person spends about seven hours online every day. With that being said, it’s no wonder digital marketing has become one of the most important skills to have in today’s job market. Digital marketing campaigns are a great way to promote your product or service with more specific targeting than what’s offered by traditional media.
However, digital marketing is a huge umbrella that incorporates many different strategies. There are countless ways to execute a digital marketing campaign, and it can be difficult to know where to start.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of do’s and don’ts — so you can make sure your campaign is effective from the beginning.
The Do’s of Digital Marketing
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to digital marketing. However, there are some general principles that will help you get started on the right foot.
Here are the do’s of digital marketing you must know.
1. Do Track Your Results
You should track the results of your digital marketing campaign to see what’s working and what’s not.
Website and digital ad metrics can give you better insights into the susccess of your campaign. Keep an eye on things like website traffic, landing page views, cost per click and click through rate.
To track these metrics, make sure you have Google Analytics set up properly and connected to Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, Google Search Console and any additional SEO/analytics programs you want to use, like Moz or SEMRush.
Of course, the most important metric to track is your return on investment (ROI). Is your digital marketing campaign generating high-quality leads and, ultimately, sales? And what is that value of those leads and sales compared to your marketing expenditures? Understanding this relatively simple equation will help you determine the success of our campaign.
2. Do Create Buyer Personas
If you don’t know your audience, you won’t be able to market your product or service to them effectively. That’s why it’s essential to create buyer personas — semi-fictional representations of your ideal customer.
When creating buyer personas, consider factors such as age, gender, location, interests, and pain points. The more specific you can be, the better.
Once you have a good understanding of your buyer personas, you’ll be able to create targeted content that resonates with them.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider using a tool like Google Analytics to help you gather data about your target audience. Also, most social platforms provide demographic insights on the people who visit your page and ineract with your content. With this information, you can create a more accurate profile of your ideal customer.
Don’t forget that your buyer persona is not static. As your business grows and evolves, so too will your target customer. Make sure to revisit your buyer personas regularly to ensure they are still accurate.
3. Do Understand Your Competition
To create effective digital marketing strategies, you must first understand your competition.
Knowing who your competitors are and what they are doing will help you develop a unique selling proposition (USP). Once you know what sets you apart from the rest, you can focus your efforts on promoting that USP.
There are several ways to research your competition. You can start by doing a Google search.
Look at the first few pages of results and take note of the companies that appear most often. You can also check out their websites and social media accounts to see what they are doing right (and wrong).
Another way to research your competition is to actually talk to your target audience. Ask them what they like and don’t like about the products or services they are currently using. This feedback will be invaluable as you develop your own marketing strategy.
Remember, it’s not enough to simply know who your competitors are. You must also understand what they are doing and how it compares to your own plans. This will help you make the necessary adjustments to ensure that your campaign is as effective as possible.
4. Do Set Goals and Objectives
Without knowing what you want to achieve, it will be impossible to measure your success
There are many different types of goals you can set for your digital marketing campaign. For instance, you might want to increase brand awareness, generate more leads, or boost sales.
Once you’ve decided on your goals, you need to set some objectives. The best objectives are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that will help you achieve your overall goal.
For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, an objective might be to get your brand mentioned in at least one major news outlet within the next month.
5. Do Use Pay-Per-Click Advertising
One of the most effective digital marketing tools is Pay-Per-Click advertising. PPC is an online advertising model where advertisers can display their ads on search engine result pages (SERPs). Advertisers are charged when a user clicks on their ad.
There are many different types of PPC ads, but the most common are search-based ads. These ads are displayed on SERPs when a user searches for a keyword that is relevant to your ad.
Search ads are a great way to drive traffic to your website and generate leads. However, they can be very expensive, so it’s integral to understand how they work before you invest a lot of money in them.
6. Do Use Content Marketing
Content marketing is one of the most efficient strategies in the digital marketing field as it allows you to target a wide range of audiences without spending too much money.
It can be in any form, such as blogs, articles, infographics, or videos. The content must be original and high quality to engage the reader and encourage them to revisit your website.
It’s also necessary to ensure the content is SEO-friendly so it appears on the top of the search engine results pages.
Finally, don’t forget to include a call-to-action (CTA) in your content so that your readers know what you want them to do next.
7. Do Utilize Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization is a digital marketing strategy that can be extremely beneficial for your business. It is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
The goal of SEO is to improve visibility and organic traffic to your website so you can earn more leads and conversions. SEO can be a complex and time-consuming process, but it is worth it if you want to improve your digital marketing efforts.
To get started with SEO, you should research keywords that are relevant to your business and include them in your website content. You should consider adding high-quality backlinks to your website from other websites. Adding backlinks is often a manual process that involves outreach to other content providers to encourage them to link to your content. There are also services that offer link building, but be careful of the providers you use to make sure they are linking from reputable sites.
8. Do Use Social Media
Social media is one of the most popular and effective digital marketing channels. It allows you to connect with your audience, build relationships and promote your brand.
There are many different social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and more. Each platform has unique features and demographics, so choose the right platform for your business.
It’s a good idea to pick one platform where your audience is most active, and focus there. Create engaging and original content that’s relevant to your audience. You should also post regularly and interact with other users, especially those who comment on your posts.
Once you’ve built a strong social media game on your primary platform, you can start to delve into other networks. But don’t spread yourself too thin. The key is to find your audience where they are, not try to cover every base on the Internet.
The Don’ts of Digital Marketing
There are many digital marketing strategies that can be beneficial for your business. However, there are also some digital marketing tactics that you should avoid.
9. Don’t Use Black Hat SEO Tactics
Black hat SEO tactics are those that violate search engine guidelines and are used to artificially improve rankings in SERPs. These tactics can get your website banned from search engines, so avoid them at all costs.
Some typical black hat SEO tactics include keyword stuffing, cloaking and link farms. If you want to improve your digital marketing efforts, stick to white hat SEO tactics that follow search engine guidelines.
10. Don’t Spam Your Customers
Spamming is the act of sending unsolicited messages, usually commercial in nature. This is a digital marketing tactic that you should avoid at all costs as it’ll only irritate your customers and cause them to unsubscribe from your list.
There are many different types of spam, such as email spam, social media spam and SMS spam. To avoid being labeled a spammer, only send messages to those who have opted-in to receive them.
You should also include a clear opt-out option so recipients can unsubscribe if they wish.
11. Don’t Forget Mobile Optimization
According to research, over 70% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices. This means that you must optimize your website for mobile if you want to reach your target audience.
Mobile optimization includes making sure your website loads quickly on mobile devices, has a responsive design and is easy to navigate.
13. Don’t Neglect Customer Experience
Customer experience should be a top priority for any business, regardless of the industry. In the digital age, customers are more empowered than ever before, and they have high expectations when it comes to their experience with businesses.
To create a positive customer experience, you need to focus on creating engaging and relevant content, as well as making sure your website is user-friendly.
The Ultimate Guide to an Effective Digital Marketing Campaign
Digital marketing is a powerful tool that you can use to grow any business. However, there are some digital marketing tactics that you should avoid if you want to have a successful digital marketing campaign.
Stick to white hat SEO tactics, focus on customer experience, and don’t forget about mobile optimization. And if you really want to supercharge your efforts, working with a digital marketing agency can make a tremendous difference. Curious how that process might work? Contact us with your questions, and we’ll be happy to share everything we know about the wild world of digital marketing.