How to Succeed at Digital Marketing - Top 5 Tips

Navigating the fast-paced world of digital marketing can feel overwhelming. With new platforms, tools, and trends emerging constantly, it’s easy to wonder where to begin, what to prioritise, and where your investments will pay off.

Yet, amid this whirlwind of change, some core principles stand the test of time. In this guide, I’ll reveal my top five essentials that will I always implement into my work, no matter how the digital landscape evolves.

Tip 1 - Diagnosis, before Strategy before Tactics

Diagnosis is the research that provides clarity that paves the way forward. 

Investing time in this stage leads to stronger outcomes and a more significant impact. It enables the development of a clear strategy and the implementation of the right tactics. By thoroughly analysing market trends, consumer behaviour, and competitor strategies, you gain invaluable insights that are essential for making effective decisions. In fact, recent HubSpot studies reveal that businesses prioritising research at the start of their marketing campaigns are 75% more likely to achieve a positive ROI.

I’m often asked to jump straight into running a PPC campaign or run social media campaigns. The tactic has already been chosen, and the assumption is that it will automatically reach and influence the target audience. However, skipping straight to tactics without the foundation of a solid strategy and research is like shooting in the dark. It often results in testing ad placements, copy, and CTAs on your budget, rather than leveraging data-driven insights.

When we begin with thorough research, a clear strategy naturally follows. We can then answer the crucial questions: Which channels should we use to reach our audience? What content will resonate? What returns should we expect from each tactic? How do all the pieces fit together, and what creative hook will truly engage our audience?"

The end result is a smarter investment in your marketing that yields a higher return.

Tip 2 - Good Strategy says no

There are a lot of options available to marketers and digital channels to explore, however like most things in life, it is better to deliver quality over quantity.

Rather than dispersing efforts across a myriad of platforms, a more focused strategy identifies the select few channels that offer the greatest potential for connecting with your audience and delivers tailored, impactful content on those platforms.

This avoids spreading resources too thin across numerous channels. This in turn can dilute messaging, stretch budgets, and ultimately diminish impact.

Not all opportunities are worth the time and effort required. It is important to weigh up the risk vs return and decline ideas that would stretch the team too thin or distract from higher-priority initiatives.

I always encourage my clients to focus on their core strength.  A strategy might reject diversifying into areas where the brand lacks expertise, instead focusing on enhancing what the brand already does well.

Tip 3 - Persona focused content

Understanding your audience will help you deliver more impactful marketing that resonates with their pain points, answers their queries and builds trust in your product or service. In the age of marketing automation it is paramount that we don’t lose personalisation.

By tailoring content to cater to the specific needs and preferences of distinct buyer personas, businesses can forge deeper connections and drive higher engagement rates. Studies by Salesforce indicate that personalised email campaigns generate 18 times more revenue than generic counterparts. Leveraging personas to inform content creation not only enhances relevance but also cultivates trust and loyalty among consumers.

Tip 4 - Social - a two way conversation

Having a conversation isn’t all about talking, it is also about listening. Brands on social media should approach this conversation in the same way. If you are constantly pushing out content without any context to the conversation that your target audience is having, the impact of your posts will be limited.

As an expert in your field you have the right to have a voice, an opinion, point of view that gives you licence to add something to add to the conversation. This is often referred to as community management. I have worked with plenty of clients where the community management has driven far more engagement and follows than the perfectly crafted post that is promoting a service or product. People are interested in your opinions and points of view, you should share them and have a good conversation.

Tip 5 - Building and Prioritising Your Owned Channels

In digital marketing, owned channels are the assets you fully control and can directly manage without relying on third-party platforms. These include your website, email lists, customer databases, mobile apps, blogs, and even relationships nurtured through direct communication channels like newsletters or SMS.

Relying too heavily on external platforms, like social media or search engines, can put your business at risk. For instance, if a social media platform experiences a technical glitch, updates its terms of service, or alters its algorithm, your reach and engagement could plummet overnight. A notable example is when Facebook's algorithm changes significantly reduced organic reach for business pages, forcing companies to pay for visibility. Similarly, if Google updates its search algorithms and your website drops in rankings, your primary source of inbound leads could dry up, affecting your bottom line. 

By investing in owned channels, you safeguard your business against such vulnerabilities. For example, if your email list is well-maintained and segmented, you can consistently engage with your audience, regardless of changes on external platforms. Likewise, a well-optimised website with strong SEO can drive traffic directly, reducing your dependency on paid ads. Building and prioritising your owned channels not only enhances your control but also ensures that your marketing efforts are resilient and adaptable in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Updates and changes are out of your control and will happen. When they do, you can limit the impact by diverting investment away from the affected platform until you have time to figure out how to navigate forward. Being able to rely on your owned channels will limit any negative impact to your business.

In Summary

In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, it's easy to get lost in the sea of new tools and trends. 

However, by focusing on core principles like thorough research, strategic focus, persona-driven content, engaging in meaningful conversations, and building your owned channels, you can build a robust and adaptable marketing approach. 

These five tips serve as a foundation, ensuring your marketing efforts not only keep pace with the changing environment but also drive lasting success. 

Remember, it's not about doing everything, but about doing the right things well.