A digital marketing plan can be as long as 30 pages or as short as 1 page and it really outlines the goals of the company and how they plan to market themselves. If the company has decided to use digital marketing, it outlines what type of digital marketing they want to use and how they plan to do it.
Brands need to realise that they do not need to spend a lot of money to make an impact on social media. They just need to come up with a strategy that brings them most value.
Involve your employees
If you are a startup, my guess is that you have some great employees who are all rounded. The best thing about startups is that employees will sometimes be working on other departments. Ask them for suggestions on what they think can make the social media profiles better. Ask them to engage with the brand online and be ambassadors of the company. You will be surprised that employees who are outside the marketing department can have great ideas about marketing campaigns. Every week in the team meeting, discuss social media for that week.
Tell your Story and be Consistent
People want to hear your story. People are more likely to engage with a brand that is real and relatable. That means talking about the micro wins, the journey and activities that the company is doing. Going for a tem lunch or team building exercise? Post it on the page. Be consistent with your brand message. Don’t be on fire one week and then the next you go without posting. Have a social media manager or team who ensures that the brand is constantly communicating with people online.
Try Content marketing and Offer value
Give people something. Ask yourself, why should people follow you or your brand? Give them some value. Offer some content in form of blogposts or videos. Show them how to do something. Give them a freebie sometimes. Give them so much value consistently so that when you ask, they will buy. So many brands approach this the wrong way and they start with ‘the ask’. Let your clients trust you. Try email marketing and talk to your community once in a while. Show them aw to do something in your emails.
Measure/ Track and Set Goals
Have a gal for our company so that you know what working and what is not is. Most social media platforms have an inbuilt analytics system that helps you see how your posts are performing. Gave key performance indicators that show you what is working and what is not. Tests test test! Replicate what works and stop what does not. Use the same testing ethos for your email marketing and blog posts.
Have your ear on the ground and be part of the conversation
Know what is happening around you so that you can be part of the conversation. Be part of events that are in your niche and recap these events. Look at trending topics on twitter and know how you can be part of this without compromising your brand because this can be a hit or miss. Employees can be a great source of information and trends. All you have to do is create an open door policy with the social media team such that the other teams can speak to them freely and tell them what is happening.
Know your consumer
Know your consumer, their habits, trends and what they want. Is this person on their phone most of the time? Which social media channel o they engage in most. What do they like doing. Do they read their emails? Are they on Facebook? This will help you know what language and social media channels to use and it will cut your learning curve in half.
Don’t Ignore Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is one of the biggest ways for a brand to grow. Take a hint from Fashionova and how they managed to build an entire company solely on Instagram influencer marketing
Collaborate / Liaise with other brands
Collaborate with people and brands in your field. Look at events and activities happening in your field and find a ways to be part of them.
Respond & Engage With your Audience
Respond to people’s questions or comments on social media. Know that the likes and followers you have on your page are your community. Find a way to reel them in and keep them having a conversation. Don’t always posts salesy things but offer value and find a way to strike a balance.
