When it comes to Digital Marketing, there are two words that I love more than any others – “It depends.”
“What should we be measuring for our campaign?”
-It depends.
“What are the best tactics to use?”
-It depends.
“How much will I need to spend?”
-It depends.
You get the idea. In general, we’re conditioned to hate an answer like that – especially when it comes from someone in an “expert” role. We expect these experts to have all the answers. We aren’t prepared for them to question and involve us more in the process.
But, seriously…what should I do?
When starting a new Digital Marketing campaign, the first thing to do is to sit down and talk about your goals. What does success look like to you? Defining that success metric will determine strategies, tactics, and budgets.
When asked for a goal, many clients respond with, “increasing website traffic” or “growing online sales.” And while these are good goals, it’s often important to step back even further and ask, “What does your brand want to be known for online?”
- Do you want to be a household name with a recognizable brand?
- Do you want to be known as an industry expert?
- Do you want to be the top seller of specialty widgets?
That big-picture goal will establish the objective by which all campaign elements will be measured. If a tactic is not helping to accomplish that goal, it’s time to change tactics.
Lets’ look at some examples.
Everyone Will Know My Name
Becoming a well-recognized brand isn’t easy. It requires many different tactics that focus on a simple message. Brand standards across ads are essential.
What should my tactics be?
For this type of campaign goal, the focus will be on ads with a very visual element. In order for customers to know your brand when they see it, they have to see it often. Display and Social Media ads would be a primary focus.
What should I measure?
One of the main measurement standards for these campaigns will be viewable impressions. The key word here is “viewable.” Often, ads show up below the fold or in obscure places that an actual viewer would never see. By focusing on tracing impressions that were viewed by a visitor to a page, the client can ensure that the ad was actually able to be seen.
How big of a budget will I need?
It depends (sorry). That was a bit of a trick question. Budget is always dependent upon the industry, but more importantly, on the geography. Want to target the entire US? You’ll need a larger budget than if you plan to just target one state.
Industry Thought Leader
Building your company’s reputation as an expert in a particular field can require a unique approach to digital advertising. While a large focus will need to be on the website content and SEO optimizations, a well-timed campaign can have a major impact.
What should my tactics be?
To be considered the expert, you need to be visible to others that are in the same industry. Both ad creative and placement will be highly targeted to relevant groups.
What should I measure?
The goal of this campaign should be to get the right people to your website where they engage with your content. To do that, you will need to measure clicks and click-thru-rate (CTR). In addition, you’ll want to look at your web analytics for measurement tools relevant to engagement like: time on site, pages per visit, and returning users.
How big of a budget will I need?
It depends (you are probably beginning to see the pattern here). Some industries have an incredible amount of competition. Others are super niche. Both cases can cause budgets to increase in order to meet goals.
Let’s Get Started!
As you can see, embracing the “it depends” mentality can prove beneficial for more Digital Marketing campaigns. Start by identifying what you’re trying to achieve with your campaign and then take time to develop a strategy that will optimize your ads to deliver the results you want.