How to Know What Digital Marketing Strategies to Use

There is nothing more daunting (for me, at least) than wondering what could be. What if I had spent more time on social media content, what if I had spent more time networking, what if I had let my ads run longer, what if I had started using a different channel earlier.

The thought of missing out on potential opportunities scares me to my core - which is why I double and triple check every possible platform for potential opportunities when working with clients. So what marketing strategies should you use and more importantly, how do you know?

There is no tell-tale guide to knowing what marketing channels to pursue, but there are things to help you decide. Here are 8 starting points to help guide your decision.

1. Where your ideal customer spends their most time.

This part is beginning to feel a bit repetitive, I know. But you can’t possibly expect to reach more potential customers on a platform they’re not (or hardly ever) using. I will say, the top social platforms to use right now are Facebook and LinkedIn. Depending on you audience, however, you can also incorporate Instagram, Pinterest (which is skyrocketing in popularity), or Twitter.

Observe how your ideal customer interacts on those platforms and use that to your benefit. Reciprocate their desired content, engagement philosophies, and schedule. Don’t focus on selling yourself, but providing a value to your audience.

2. What your product, service, and/or industry is.

Quite obvious, but this is important. If you have an online-only product, your capabilities will be much different than a brick-and-mortar product. You will also want to promote differently as well. Brick-and-mortar stores have the ability to use signs out front to flash promotional discounts or sales as people walk by, but as an online-only storefront, you will only be seen under the perfect circumstances.

That’s why as an online-only store, it is essential for you to focus on (not only, but including) social media, website content, and SEO. Paid ads are always a plus, if you know how to use them.

Another good indicating factor of what marketing channels to pursue is by analyzing where the rest of your industry is. You should be everywhere your competition is, and also try to find potential opportunities for places they are not.

3. What your budget is.

Another obvious element, but also important. It will be vital to sit down, set a hard maximum budget for yourself, and analyze channels that will be most effective and cost efficient. While multi-channel strategies are fantastic, a budget of $500 a month should not be pursuing several different platforms.

Channels such as Google run pretty expensive and will require at least $300 - $500 a month just to be effective, so you will want to consider your options very carefully before deciding. You should always research benchmark statistics for you industry before deciding on a platform or objective. Wordstream has a few blogs on performance benchmarks for Facebook and Google Ads across industries and you can always search for more data.

Knowing which platforms to pursue will also be heavily reliant on point number 1: knowing where your audience is.

Don’t spend money on LinkedIn ads if your audience isn’t heavily present on LinkedIn. Don’t spend money on Instagram ads if your audience doesn’t spend everyday on Instagram. Spend your money where your ideal customers will see it - and will be most likely to take action.

4. What has worked similar companies.

See what other companies that have a similar customer base are doing. Even if they aren’t in the same industry, other local businesses that have products/services that are complementary to yours most likely have the same or similar audience. Check in and see how they are marketing their business - you can even reach out and ask them personally.

If you search through Google for similar businesses, see which social media platforms appear in the search results. You should make a profile for at least every one of those platforms and use it to communicate valuable information to your ideal customer. You want social media profiles appearing amongst those who target the same audience as you.

5. Spend time with your ideal customer.

Interact with your ideal customers as yourself and on a personal level. Find out what they enjoy doing on social media, where they spend the most time, and if you can, where they shop online. Get to know their buying habits, their social media habits, and their interests. There is no bigger mistake a company can make than to assume the characteristics of their audience.

As a marketer, it is your number one priority to understand the ideal customer better than anyone else ever has before. Do not skimp yourself (or your client) out on a mass of potential by not doing your research. Research is vital for being able to relate to your audience on a whole different level of understanding and actively engage with them on their favorite platforms. Whether it’s developing a marketing strategy, campaign strategy, or deciding on which platforms to use, you should always understand your ideal customer first and foremost.

6. Which platforms align with your marketing goals.

This one refers more to what kind of content you are posting and how often you will post it. Be sure to outline your marketing goals before deciding on ways to reach your ideal customer with content, followed by where you will appear to them.

If you need constant communication with your audience, Facebook and Instagram will be where you want to focus on. If you are looking to sell products on social media, Facebook and Pinterest are where you will want to focus. If you are looking to actively engage and answer questions from your audience, Facebook and Twitter are most likely where you want to focus. If you are looking for professional engagement for jobs or B2B leads, LinkedIn and Facebook are where you will want to focus. (Are you seeing a trend here yet?)

7. Is your marketing plan long term or short term?

This one is important because many companies do not realize that organic content takes an extremely long time to build. It has taken marketing experts years just to rank on the first page of Google’s Search Results, and several months before seeing their first few sales.

In the long term, organic content is great to build up and use as a foundation. However, if you are looking to scale your company quicker than 6 - 12 months, you will really need to consider paid ads.

Short term marketing goals should always outline how you plan on achieving them in great detail. Not just what platforms you are going to use, but how you will use them. Outline a specific plan for how often you will use the platforms, what you will use them for, and how that will help you reach your goal. And most importantly, always have a backup plan.

8. Make sure to consider every platform.

Never underestimate a platform before skipping over it. You would be surprised at the potential each platform has to offer. That’s why you see most large companies actively pursuing every social media channel, countless advertising channels, and are constantly maintaining their website and search presence.

There are even third-party platforms for vendors, directories, and resources that you can take advantage of. Make sure your brand is absolutely everywhere that you can afford to be (if it aligns with your marketing plan, of course).

Overall, many different industries require a vast variety of platforms and marketing channels. However, if you are a business that requires customers or clients, you should at least be able to be found on Facebook and Google. Deciding on a marketing strategy can be difficult, but with enough research and advice, you will be able to figure out an effective plan in no time.