You can teach a man to fish – but can you teach them where the fish are?

YOU CAN TEACH A MAN TO FISH – BUT CAN YOU TEACH THEM WHERE THE FISH ARE? HOW TO REACH THEM? HOW TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE THE RIGHT FISH FOR THEM? HOW TO CATCH THEM AT THE RIGHT TIME? ARE YOU REACHING THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS FOR YOUR BRAND OR ARE YOU FISHING IN AN OCEAN OF PROSPECTS?

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO DO TO ENSURE YOU’RE GETTING THE ROI ON YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING INVESTMENT:

1. DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE: Know where they are and what they’re interested in. On many occasions we see marketing plans that divest your investment onto multiple social networks and websites to get you the reach that will in theory deliver a percentage yield of customers. It’s like fishing in an ocean with a single line and bait. Instead focus on understanding why a user chooses to engage with content and craft a campaign that responds to their needs; not yours.
2. COLLECTING DATA IS COOL; USING IT IS ESSENTIAL: We often find that our clients fail to take advantage of their own first party data. They collect it for reporting purposes only and don’t capitalize on their traffic driving investments. There are many tools; some inexpensive or even free ones that help you collect data. This data has many uses, from understanding your consumer to the strategy behind reaching them when they’re not on your site.
3. BIG DATA SOUNDS SCARY; BUT A COMPETITOR USING IT BEFORE YOU IS SCARIER: Data is out there, and it’s up to you to use it to your advantage. Whether it’s third party data (data which has been collected by others), Second Party (from partners in the industry) or First Party Data. Augmenting your campaigns with knowledge of your consumer can help you reach them with the right message. A word of warning though not to go completely the other way and use only data driven campaigns. There’s a balance to everything and data is just one of the tools in the toolbox.
4. CREATE CONTENT THAT PROVIDES VALUE: The days of using interruptive ads have come to an end. With the advent of ad blockers accelerating the demise. Battling ad blockers seems inefficient, as it doesn’t address the reason why they appeared in the first place. Focus instead on creating content that provides value and that gives the user something in exchange for their attention. Make it a win-win instead of an in-your-face.
5. SPLIT YOUR MARKETING EFFORTS INTO AN 80%/20%: Where 80% of your content is value content, that helps drive a perception of your brand or create a brand association instead of just peddling your brand. Then introduce 20% brand marketing throughout the stream to capitalize on the value interest you’ve generated.
6. UNDERSTAND THE NETWORK OR MEDIA YOU’RE USING: A single campaign across two social networks is the same as trying to sell Hamburgers at a Chinese restaurant. People access social networks for different reasons. Facebook is more interpersonal and voyeuristic, Twitter is journalistic and newsy, Instagram is individualistic, SnapChat is storytelling and so onto Periscope et al. Not every social network is going to work for your brand and not every social network is going to be needed to reach your audience. Millenials use up to three social networks on average.
7. LOOK AT YOUR BRAND FROM OUTSIDE THE BUILDING: We tend to love what we do but when it comes to marketing, that love is a double-edged sword. Getting too close to your brand can lead to assumption on what people know or should know about your brand and positioning. Make sure to take time to investigate and understand how your customers perceive your brand so you can speak to them in their language and from their perspective.

Your presence on the web and on mobile devices should be an integral part of your strategy. Understanding your audience and building data rich campaigns targeted through an audience-first approach is pivotal. Having a website is not all it takes to be successful in the digital age. We’ve come a long way from that so ensuring the longevity of your business includes a key digital strategy.