What does it mean to have a successful digital marketing strategy? And just how do you go about having one?

If by now you don’t have some sort of digital marketing strategy, then you either live in a cave, or are in serious trouble. The question then, is how to create a strategy that works. And by ‘works’ I mean, gets you customers, or whatever goal you have in mind.

Step 1: Know Thy Customer

Gather as much data about your customer as you can. Anything and everything, and then mine it in order to better understand them. Know who your biggest segments are, your most profitable segments, and the segments most likely to grow. Also know which segments are costing you money to serve.

When do your customers leave (churn) and which ones are about to leave you? Which products are they using and which ones might they be interested in?

Find out what your customer lifetime value is (LTV), what messaging they respond to, and what their needs are.

This will help you when crafting your communications and campaigns. Which leads me to the next point…

Step 2: Targeted Campaigns

Why bother with all this data mining and segmentation? For one simple fact: the more relevant the message, the better the response rate (…this means more sales!) So instead of opting for the lazy approach which is to send out a mass one-email-fits-all communication, put something personalised and relevant together for your top customer segments, and watch your response rate increase.

This is the beginning of a successful Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) strategy.

Some customers will respond to Twitter, others to Facebook, some to Email, some to traditional marketing. Figure out which ones are to be found where, and what they’re looking for. And then give it to them.

Get more sales from your campaigns by customising the messaging to each segment of your market.

Test the messaging, channels and creative to find the top performing versions. By using different channels, and tiering the campaigns, you’ll find your response rates will shoot through the roof. And reaching your customers effectively doesn’t have to break the bank, either.

Step 3: Create a Top Converting Website

Once you’ve put the above together, you’ll need some place to send your customers to. Either the goal is to get them to your store, your e-commerce website or your Facebook page where they can buy your product right? Right (if you’re a retailer). And once they’re there, they’ll buy it, right?

Well, not so fast. Creating a website that converts visitors into customers isn’t as easy as it sounds, and many a company has thrown millions at a website and failed abysmally.

The first critical element is to start with wireframing. That’s drawing a skeleton of the website either in PowerPoint or a proper wireframing tool. Now the bit that everyone leaves off…test that wireframe with your users. Test it over and over again, and improve it each time until every new user understands what the site is about, what’s in it for them, and where to go first.

There’s nothing more frustrating than a website that wasn’t user tested.

Oh, and please don’t forget about mobile users? Either build them their own simple website, or code one site so that it dynamically detects which device users are browsing from. And code it so it’s Google-friendly. No guarantees it will rank on page one (as if), but give it a fighting chance by getting the basics right.

And it doesn’t end there. Once you’ve followed the above steps it’s imperative that you keep testing different calls to action, different images, headings, etc using AB testing or even Multivariate Testing (MVT).

So let’s see, Step One, easy enough, Step Two, can do…but Step Three is where it all comes crashing down, and usually because your boss (the owner whose son just graduated as a graphic designer) is in charge of the website design. Read more about five people who shouldn’t design your website in a past post.

Good luck!