According to Forbes Magazine, in 2017 “Digital Marketing has Taken the Marketing Industry by Storm.” There is a wide array of options for digital marketing: content marketing, big data, email marketing, live streaming video, mobile marketing, search engine marketing and more. With all of these digital marketing options available now, where should you start?

Start with a Solid Foundation for your Digital Marketing Platform

Similar to building a house, you need a solid platform as foundation of your digital marketing programs. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly way to interact with your customers, prospects and community networks, then all the traffic you receive will flow like water through a leaky drain. Make sure your website is responsive to mobile platforms to ensure all your visitors get the most from their experience. Your site should tell your story and use imagery that reflects how you add value to your customers. What’s more, your website should also have strong calls to action, and the ability to manage your email subscriber base. Without these essential elements, you may be wasting time, money and effort.

Integrate your Blog, Social Media and Email Marketing Activities

If you feel you have a solid, mobile-responsive web presence, move on to adding in high-value content. This should include a blog and video content that establishes you as an expert in your field. Your blog content should appear on your website as well as on your social networks including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. To get the most value from your blogging and content marketing efforts, include your blog content in your email marketing campaigns. Many email marketing campaign managers and marketing automation platforms allow you to automatically feed your blog content into a monthly newsletter template. Leveraging automation as much as possible allows you to focus on creating high-value content versus low-value arts and crafts that you may not be good at anyway.

Track Your Digital Marketing Performance

Reporting and analytics is one of the primary reasons the marketing industry has adopted digital marketing in 2017. Tracking site visitors, email open rates, and referral sources is a great way to start. Analyzing your leads to calculate a return on investment (ROI) is critical when spending hard dollars on search engine marketing including Adwords and advanced SEO services. Collecting digital marketing information over time provides valuable insights you can use to improve your digital marketing programs.

Digital Marketing is heating up in 2017, so resist the urge to drive traffic to a digital marketing platform that won’t convert visitors into customers. Start by building a solid foundation for your digital marketing programs, and you will see a dramatic increase in results. Feel free to contact us for a diagnosis of your digital marketing health.