Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The Digital Marketing Puzzle
Digital marketing is either a beauty, a beast, or the bane of a small business’s existence (or a weird mix of the three)!
Plus, digital marketing is difficult for the risk-averse and even more of a struggle for those who think that (things like) social media networks are easy to grasp and similar across the board.
If they were all the same, they’d merge into one platform! YouTwinstagoopinteresnapcebookedin, for example. (Can you imagine?)
Anyway, digital marketing can be less of a struggle if we believe in the product(s) or brand(s) we sell! Also, the other bonus of digital marketing comes in data, research, various tactics, inbound marketing strategies, planning, trial, and error (not necessarily in that order).
However, it’s hard to stay focused with so many different things on a marketer’s plate at one time. Furthermore, we need to be continually learning and staying up-to-date. If we don’t, we can fall behind, and with so many moving pieces, we sometimes forget to take a step back.
“Newbies,” take note!
A common question from small business owners:
If you aren’t a digital marketing strategist or an online marketing manager by trade, how can you eventually become a “master” in digital or social media marketing?
Not an easy question, but you’ll pick it up piece by piece when you start doing it.
Ultimately, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can still figure it out and even thrive!
But first, some things need clarifying and removed from that ever-growing digital marketing list!
Onward!
What Digital Marketing ISN’T:
A means to an end
Digital Marketing has been a godsend, but it won’t solve 100% of our business woes! Instead, it’s there to help us reach an overall goal. A great internet marketing strategy can help a company see where its messaging or content falls short and where it can improve.
If you’re battling not to fall out of love with your company’s marketing campaigns, it’s time to take a step back to change your mindset!
Hey, we all get there at some point, and we feel your pain!
The next big marketing idea is on the tip of your tongue (or fingertips), but you can’t get it to where you want it to go.
Then, take a step back! You can’t get it all done in one day!
Why taking a step back is important
When you step back, focus on a SINGLE piece of your overall marketing campaign. Like, your social media marketing strategy or a brand marketing goal. The trick is not to let your mind wander and fester over all of the things you need to accomplish or learn.
Plus, without taking a breather every so often to visualize your plan, you could miss out on noticing a trend that’s developing amongst your competitors or a piece of content that could help connect the dots between two ongoing projects, etc.
Every single piece of your strategy is in addition to the overall goal and what’s already in place. So you’re building, not starting entirely from scratch!
All of our puzzles have a different number of pieces. Plus, each “puzzle” takes different amounts of time to put together. Every business is unique and different from one another! Use the building blocks to your advantage!
“Going viral.”
So how many times have you sat in a marketing meeting, and the person talking is going in circles about “VIRAL messaging” and how it needs to turn into the next new focal point of EVERYTHING?!
Yeah, viral marketing is “easy”…if you already know your marketing techniques and have a plan! And if you’re great at trendspotting, have tons of advertising money to fork out (like infinite amounts), access to an ENTIRE content marketing team, AND TONS of followers!
Oh, and impeccable timing AND, and LUCK!
If you don’t have all of the above things readily available, then you’re lying to yourself if you expect every piece of content to go viral (it’s literally impossible!)
Why would you do that to yourself?!
Instead, focus on building all digital marketing assets by showing your business’s value and being yourself. Yep, be “authentic”!
Vanity metrics
If you’re only tracking vanity metrics, your digital marketing is at a disadvantage!
Not familiar with vanity metrics? They’re the “surface numbers” that don’t offer a more in-depth insight into why something is the way it is.
For example, do you know the post impressions on Twitter or Facebook? They allow you to see how many people skimmed past your post in their feed, if they like or share a post, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, that sort of data is helpful when trying to see if you’re posting something at the right time or if a minor (content adjustment, etc.) change made a difference based on how many likes you got. Unfortunately, however, those insights are minimal.
Next, the numbers and stats that offer A LOT more useful/helpful insights are called actionable metrics. Again, you need to use a tool like Google Analytics for marketing data to find this kind of data.
In general, actionable metrics can tell you which posts lead the most traffic back to your site, what your visitor’s journey looks like from page to page, which blog posts resonate the most, etc.
Google can help with SEO tracking too!
The other benefit of using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console is not only for SEO tracking, but you’ll be able to show colleagues demonstratable data! If they ever ask how you decided based on specific numbers, how a post impacts another, how a page affects visibility online, and so much more!
A secret formula
Lastly, there isn’t a secret formula for this stuff! Your marketing efforts take time to plan, build and grow!
If you’re stuck on how to crunch numbers once you have the metrics, here is a process to start utilizing — Conversion Rate Optimization tactics!
P.S. If you have a “secret” social media formula that you use, let us know below!
Final Words
So there you have it, a few quick ways to help change your approach to digital marketing and how to overcome some of those pesky hurdles we all encounter at one time or another! If you’re looking for more tips on social media marketing strategy, content creation, or website optimization, check out these posts!:
