Improve your chances of success by knowing which channels you should use.
Digital marketing is essential in our current age of technology. Why – because more and more people are spending time online than ever before. In fact, recent statistics show that the average individual spends 143 minutes (approximately 2.38 hours) on the internet via their mobile devices alone. That doesn’t even include time spent on other devices such as tablets, desktop computers, TV, and others. In total, research has shown that the average individual spends 10+ hours a day consuming content. With such an increase in content consumption, your brand must take the necessary time to conduct proper digital marketing channel research.
Without proper research to back up your choice in channels, your digital marketing strategy could end up costing you more – with little to no benefit to you. Therefore, proper digital marketing channel research is critical when developing or remaking your digital marketing plan.
Developing Your Digital Marketing Plan
When developing your digital marketing plan, you must pay careful attention to your audience – as you would in any other aspect of your marketing strategy. If you don’t, you end up wasting valuable time and resources putting out content to the wrong market.
Once you’ve taken the time to do adequate consumer and competitor research, you’ll know several key factors necessary for creating a successful digital marketing strategy, including:
- Who your audience is
- What kind of content your audience is seeking out
- What content your audience is interacting with
- What types of content is and isn’t working for your direct competitors
- What channels your audience spends most of their time utilizing, etc.
These are all critical pieces needed to help you develop a successful digital marketing plan. These will ensure that you invest your time in the right channels and create only the best content possible – ensuring you see a return on your investment.
How to Conduct Digital Marketing Channel Research
Before diving into tips on conducting digital marketing channel research, it’s important to understand what a digital marketing channel is.
What is a Digital Marketing Channel
A digital marketing channel is defined as any digital method used to spread the word of your brand, your products/services, etc.
Where most brands go wrong is assuming that digital marketing channels refer to your social media setup. Sure, while social media does play into your digital marketing strategy, it’s only one digital channel among several others.
Most Common Digital Marketing Channels Used by Brands
Digital marketing channels, again, are any method of digital marketing. Social media is one of the most common channels brands invest in; however, it’s not the only one worth exploring.
Some of the most common digital marketing channels worth investing in include:
- Blogging/Content Creation
- A brand website
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertisements
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Voice Search
- Email Marketing
- Chatbots
- Video Marketing
It’s crucial to remember that not every digital marketing channel is necessary to achieve a successful marketing campaign. In fact, if you are using the wrong channels, you risk alienating your audience entirely.
That’s why conducting digital marketing channel research is absolutely critical to a successful digital marketing strategy.
4 Tips for Choosing the Right Digital Marketing Channels for Your Brand
Choosing the right digital marketing channel for your brand can seem like a lot of trial and error – and in some cases, it can be. However, once you’ve found the right channels for your brand, you’ll have greater access to your ideal audience and can start forming real, loyal relationships with them, ensuring that they keep coming back to you for more.
Not quite sure how to start conducting digital marketing channel research? Here are four tips to help you get started on the right foot:
1. If you haven’t already, create an ideal consumer profile: This will help you understand exactly who you are trying to reach with your content, products, and services. Without this knowledge, you could end up marketing to the wrong audience.
2. Establish your brand’s marketing goals: Once you’ve established and defined your marketing goals, you’ll be better able to choose the most relevant and beneficial digital marketing channels. This will help you not only reach your ideal audience but also communicate effectively with them.
3. Set a budget: Your marketing budget can help you define which channels will most effectively reach your audience. While some brands find great success with email marketing, others may find that investing in their social media presence is more worth their while.
4. Conduct competitor research: This will help show you where your competitors are having success and where they aren’t when it comes to their marketing channels. Identifying marketing gaps that your competitors aren’t covering is an excellent opportunity for your brand to take over and reach the audience that may have been left out by your competitors.
Remember – your digital marketing strategy’s goal is to reach your ideal target market and appeal to their needs and wants. So, finding out where they are spending their time online is crucial in understanding their wants, needs, and behaviors.
Digital Marketing Strategies Done Right with CadenceSEO Consulting
Building a digital marketing strategy can be a rather daunting task, especially if you’re just starting out. That’s why having a skilled team of professionals at your side is an absolute must.
Here at CadenceSEO, we take the time to get to know your brand and help you follow the necessary steps to build a digital marketing strategy that succeeds.
Are you ready to get started? Then our Digital Strategy Architects are ready to help. Inquire about a Free Digital Marketing Analysis today!
