Identify Your Targets Before Firing Your Arrows
Filed under: Internet Marketing Tips
It’s a common scenario in the digital marketing world: A business owner, antsy to lure more customers and drive up their profits, launches an online marketing campaign. But after writing a few blogs, joining Facebook, and making some LinkedIn contacts, the business owner begins to feel frustrated. It doesn’t seem as though their strategy has made much impact on sales, and they quickly give up on their marketing efforts.
Often we find that these people are doing the marketing equivalent of shooting arrows in the dark. They’re firing them off, one by one, but they don’t know what to shoot at and have no idea where their arrows have landed. It’s not a very rewarding way to practice your archery skills, and the marketing equivalent is no more effective.
If you want to launch a digital marketing campaign, your first step should be to define your goals. Yes, the end result should be an increase in profits, but how do you plan to get there? Do you want to increase your website traffic? Create brand recognition for your company? Build a large following on social media? Generate repeat sales and referrals from existing customers? Each of these goals should be matched to the appropriate strategy.
Before you start creating content, ask yourself the following questions.
What type of content should I create? Ask yourself about your target audience. What questions or concerns do they have? What type of information would they find interesting or useful?
What format should I use? You might choose to create videos, blogs, social media posts, or some other type of content. The method of delivery is just as important as the message.
How should I distribute my content? Your particular goals determine whether you distribute your content via social media, email, or some other method.
As you can see, starting an internet marketing campaign isn’t something you should do without the right planning! Take the time to assess your objectives, and then move forward by crafting a plan to reach those goals. Now that you can see your targets, you will soon find yourself hitting the bullseye.
For more insight on digital marketing, or for help identifying your goals, call Greg Preite at Online Profit Strategy (951-234-5943).
