Small businesses don’t think small. They are innovative and focused on growth and doing so in the most effective way. That’s why a small business digital strategy is so critical. Without a blueprint of how you’ll use digital marketing to acquire new customers, you’ll end up frustrated and out of budget. To prevent that from happening, crafting a strategy is key.

Here are some key elements to consider when developing a digital strategy for your company.

Assess and Audit

You’re likely engaging in digital marketing now, even if you just have a website and social media profiles. Digital encompasses many areas, but you shouldn’t treat them as silos. Before you can develop a strategy, you need to assess and audit.

• Determine the resources and expertise you have and don’t have when it comes to digital marketing.
• Evaluate any digital marketing assets you currently have, including performance metrics, costs, and processes.
• Define specific goals regarding what you expect from digital marketing (i.e., lead generation, brand awareness, better organic ranking on Google, etc.).
• Set a budget for what you can spend on digital marketing each month or annually.
• Understand your target audience and how your digital presence aligns with their needs and motivations.

After this step, you’ll start refining tactics.

Prioritize Digital Marketing Tactics

There are lots of ways to execute digital marketing. For example, you can optimize your website for keywords through content marketing. You can also use paid advertising such as PPC (pay-per-click) or social media ads. Additionally, you can connect with customers via email and SMS marketing.

Not every channel will be the right fit for your business. Some will be too expensive. Others will be irrelevant because that’s not where your audience is. In this phase, you need to define what tactics you think will be the most meaningful and provide the best approach to meeting your goals.

Set and Track Metrics

Without measuring performance, you won’t know if your digital marketing efforts are successful. In any tactic, there will be metrics that provide insight into this. It’s a good idea to set these before you begin implementing them. Some examples include:

• CTR (click-through rate): How many clicks you got from an ad or email
• CPC (cost-per-click): How much a click cost in a paid channel
• Website traffic
• Social media engagement (i.e., likes, shares, comments)
• Conversion rates: How many people completed a conversion event (i.e., making a purchase, requesting a consultation, etc.)

Metrics are a critical part of a digital strategy. You’ll want to monitor and learn from them.

Determine What You Can Do and Where You Need Help

Most small businesses don’t have the resources to manage every tactic on their own. Some can be tedious and complex. Designing and updating a website that’s optimized and responsive, for example, requires people with skills. Social media marketing management can be time-intensive and also only works with immediacy. However, writing content may be something only your team can do because your product or service is very niche.

Once you determine what digital marketing aspects you should outsource, it’s time to find a partner that caters to small businesses. At AQ Marketing, we’ve been helping small businesses with their digital strategies for years and offer support for any tactic. Contact our team of experts today to get started.