This post will provide some simple steps to help you outline what needs to be done when developing a digital marketing strategy. Sure, there is a heck of a lot more to go with this, but this should help you create the foundation.
Social/Digital Media Assessment
The first step will be to become more familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of your existing digital communication process. This will help define how to move forward with each existing process and which we develop from scratch.
Content Audit
Immediately after the assessment the content audit begins. A thorough review of existing content will be conducted. Agreed upon content should be considered as digital assets that can be used within the overall strategy.
Competitor Analysis
A competitor review will also be conducted. Data will be gathered to study and compare performance across competitive media channels. For example, study competitor websites, social media channels and audience reach. This data will be used to shape entry into competitor-occupied, digital media channels.
Trend Research
Research into the consumption habits of digital media amongst stakeholders. Key findings will help identify who, where and when to communicate with the various types of stakeholders. This will also help define a publishing schedule.
Persona Development
Identify key stakeholder personalities and assign them a persona. The criteria used to form the persona will consist of media consumption habits, demographic, needs and location. The persona will be used to determine the digital voice and communication strategy.
Audience Development
The primary focus of this stage will be finding the audience that you want to speak with. This stage will also be used to identify the where and when of audience engagement. A gentle entry into the digital media channel will be necessary to develop this stage.
Publishing
Begin to leverage the digital content assets that were identified in the content audit stage. Use this content to create blog posts, white papers, case studies, tweets, email campaigns and anything else that is needed to communicate your voice. Develop an editorial calendar and stick to it. Treat your business like a publishing company.
Monitoring
Analytics software and digital media monitoring tools make it possible to track when people engage with SHP. The data gained in this stage can be measured against industry benchmarks and used to help us define a success metric.
