How Many Digital Marketing Channels is Your Organisation Using?

Is it the number of likes your page has? Is it your post engagement? Or perhaps it’s how many leads you’ve managed to close since you started marketing digitally? When it comes to inbound marketing, defining success and proving the value of their efforts is a challenge for many digital marketers. It’s not surprising that the idea of incorporating more channels into the mix can be daunting. So here's a dip into our Sales & Marketing Alignment Guide... In a world of ever-evolving markets and media, new digital marketing channels are frequently under consideration as users embrace them. To ensure your Organisation doesn’t embrace the wrong mix, it’s important you know how to evaluate a channel before and after investing in it.  To assist you with this, here are some good points on how to effectively evaluate digital marketing channels:

Clearly define your goals

Before you take on a new digital channel, clearly define the results you are looking for from your marketing initiatives, for both long and short-term objectives. These could be:

• The number of page visits
• The number of subscribers
• The number of leads generated
• The number of marketing qualified leads
• The number of sales qualified leads
• The number of social shares your posts receive
• How many likes your page receives
• The mention of your organisation's name on social media sites
• The number of positive reviews you receive on your digital channel’s home page
• The total number of conversions resulting from social traffic

Unlike many traditional media channels, digital marketing presents you with a huge advantage – the ability to get feedback and analyse from a certain course of action. If you see a certain channel is not achieving the results you are looking for, it costs very little to change your direction.

Establish your budget

Before starting, explore the costs associated with the channels you’re considering and compare the costs to alternative marketing options. Once you are happy you are getting the best deal, set your overall marketing budget and stick to it.

Examine your organisation's personas

Different demographics interact with certain channels more than others. Establish your target audience. Consider where your prospects are most likely to encounter your messaging and what are their needs and expectations from your organisation. It’s important to remember that any good digital marketing plan is founded on a series of well-constructed customer profiles that outline the specific types of people you’d like to reach through your campaigns.

So while you shouldn’t launch a new marketing campaign until you have some idea of your target customer’s demographics, interests and web activities, you’ll also want to continually develop this profile based on your newest data. If you launch a campaign targeting 18 to 25 year-old males and discover you are attracting people of 35 years and older, you’ll want to re-evaluate all aspects of your campaign and possibly the digital marketing channel you’re using.

Evaluate existing channels

Take into consideration what you’re already doing. Look at what’s working on your existing digital marketing channels. Building off your already successful campaigns provides a steady foundation for new initiatives.

Define your messaging strategies

Take a look at the specific types of messages you’re posting as part of your digital marketing campaigns. Consider:

1. Which types of messages (i.e. text-based status updates, blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc.) are performing best with your audience?
2. Do the words you’ve chosen for various messaging pieces seem to resonate with your audience?
3. How frequently are your marketing materials being shared virally amongst users?

If your digital marketing message is in line with your prospective customers’ expectations, you’ll see high levels of engagement with your organisation's content and branded materials, as well as a high number of social shares as people pass your content onto others. If you aren’t yet seeing these results, this could indicate a discord between your company’s messaging and your prospective customers’ interests.

Consider your team’s strengths and expertise

Your team is driving your campaigns. Make sure you fully understand their strengths and their pain points. If your team has very little experience with a particular channel, consider outsourcing it to an inbound marketing specialist.

Topics: Inbound Marketing, Digital Marketing Strategy, Lead Management, Content Marketing