Where Are We Going with Our Digital Marketing Strategies?

ITSMA research has shown that budgets allocated to interactive/online/digital marketing are growing; in 2007 they stood at 15% of total marketing communications budgets versus 12% in 2006. Perhaps more importantly, digital marketing is the only category in which none of the respondents report that their investment in digital marketing will shrink over the coming year. Instead, the vast majority (69%) expect the amount they spend on digital marketing to increase in 2008.

With this as a backdrop, its clear to see why digital marketing is getting a lot of airtime right now, and at our Roundtable meeting on digital marketing in London on 27th November, Google presented a list of four useful tips to to consider when developing your digital marketing strategy:

1. Be very, very clear about your Website strategy.
2. Drive traffic by integrating online and offline activity.
3. Engage, listen, and respond.
4. Measure success with different metric strategies.

Be Clear about Your Website Strategy

The first point may seem obvious, but many organisations have seen their Web presence built under the direction of the IT department, with little if any input from marketing. If you are to achieve an online experience that addresses customer or prospect needs rather than one based on a solution that is technically easy to implement, this is the first thing that should change. You then need to decide on the content, the architecture, and the value you place on a Website visitor.

Drive Traffic by Integrating Online and Offline Activities

The second point relates to driving an audience to your site by integrating online and offline activity. Many online sources will drive traffic to your site, including blogs, email, and searches, but don’t forget that offline activities can be just as effective. Google commented that this link between offline and online activity has led some companies to put in place a ’search tax’ internally: Whenever an internal programme or campaign is run, the proponent agrees to pay a sum of money to the online search budget to cover the increased volume of traffic that they know it will generate.

Engage, Listen, and Respond

Most marketers strive to ‘engage, listen to, and respond’ to their audiences in all areas of their marketing, but this mantra is made all the more relevant with the openness and immediacy afforded by digital channels. The amazing growth in the use of online communities and blogs can provide an unrivalled insight into the behaviours and opinions of many of your prospects and customers. For example, by monitoring searches and questions that had been posted regarding its products, National Instruments (NI) found that an incredible number of people were looking to buy a circuit board with a USB port—a product that was not available at the time. By monitoring the activity and feedback, NI soon came to realise that this change to the product could net considerable results. The company acted on this insight, created a circuit board with a USB port, and has reaped great rewards.

Measure Success

And finally, everyone’s favourite topic: measurement. One of the major selling points of digital channels is the ability to track and measure almost all activity. The challenge, of course, is knowing which pieces of information are relevant, then correlating that data to business performance and offline activity.

Above all of this, one thing is clear: Before you embark on a digital marketing strategy, you have to be 100% committed to making it work and to moving it forward. As with all other areas of marketing, getting people interested and building momentum in something you cannot sustain is a definite no-no.

‘

Comments are closed.

ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. We work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA annual program clients include business leaders such as AT&T, Cisco, Deloitte, EMC, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. Our comprehensive research, consulting, and training on topics including ITSMA Account-Based Marketing℠, Brand Positioning, and Solutions Development provide the insight and experience companies need to improve business results. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.