The latest Sensis eBusiness Report has just been released and one of the most interesting contradictions it exposed is around how many Australian small and medium businesses are connected to the internet (93%), yet so few have a digital marketing plan (19%).
Perhaps, part of the reason for the discrepancy lies in the fact that writing a digital marketing plan sounds more complicated or intimidating than it actually is.
Why do you even need to create a digital marketing plan? Think of it as second to your business plan as a vitally important document for setting the direction of your business. Your digital marketing plan outlines your policies and priorities for the management of your digital assets – including everything from desktop and mobile websites, to apps, social media campaigns, web banners and email marketing.
Here are the first half of six easy steps to putting together a sound digital marketing plan:
1. What is your objective when using digital media?
Are you trying to get people to notice your new brand, trying to drive sales, or are you looking for a better way to start a conversation with your customers? Are you trying to attract staff or find efficiencies and cost savings? This is what you need to decide first so you can define exactly how your digital marketing plan can help you achieve those objectives. The Sensis report found the most common elements of a digital business strategy were an internet strategy (89%), website strategy (87%), social media strategy (77%) and mobile strategy (65%).
2. Know your industry
The internet is a wonderful thing for checking out what your competitors are doing. Yet, in the survey, we found that only 40% of businesses currently use the web to monitor their competition. The best place to start is to have a look at their digital assets – what does their site look like? How often are they updating their content? How many social media followers do they have? You can’t stand out if you don’t know what the rest of the marketplace is already doing.
3. Understand your audience
Who are you trying to reach? How do they use digital media? Are they looking at the web on their phone? These questions are important in determining the right channels to reach your audience. Mobile is now the most important channel for most businesses, with 78% of Aussies owning a smartphone, and 73% of those using it to search the internet. This rises to 91% in the important 18- to 29-year-old age bracket.
Next week, we’ll look at four more steps that will, together with the above, give you a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
Rob Tolliday, Commercial Director, www.sensis.com.au
