Digital Marketing Inbound Marketing Marketing Tactics Marketing tips

Where to Start When Creating Your Marketing Strategy for 2016

In our digital world, it’s easy to get mixed advice about the best marketing tactics for your business. And while it’s great to use general advice from industry experts, it’s possible that the advice you’re getting actually isn’t the best. Why? Because unless you’re getting tailored advice from a marketing professional who has looked at your analytics data or has in-depth knowledge of what works in your specific industry, they can’t actually give you any advice on your business.

Let’s break that down.

Are You Taking Everyone’s Marketing Advice?

Let’s say you read on a well-known marketing blog that social media is where it’s at, and you decide to create campaigns for Facebook and Twitter because you’re familiar with both platforms.

Now let’s also say that a colleague in a related industry suggested that you use an inbound marketing strategy to gain brand awareness and build a relationship with potential customers. They suggest testing the waters with five pieces of content per month from a freelance writer of your choosing because the cost is low and you don’t have to make a commitment.

 

So on top of traditional marketing techniques, you’re trying out Twitter, Facebook, and a blog. But how do you know what’s right for your business?

Stop Listening to Everyone Else and Trust the Experts

When you work with a marketing firm, you’ll see that we use a variety of metrics and tons of research to determine what will generate the most leads for your company to help you hit your business goals. Everything from Google Analytics to HubSpot marketing software to years of expertise and an understanding of your industry goes into creating an effective marketing strategy. You wouldn’t take home remodeling advice from your dentist, so don’t take marketing advice from anyone other than an expert marketer.

Now that you know what to look for in an expert marketer, where should you start when creating your digital marketing strategy?

Start with Your Metrics

By understanding how the various parts of your marketing program perform, your marketing team can use scientific data to continue building your strategy. They make look at how many leads you’re getting from your blog posts or how many clicks you’re getting from each post on social media. All of this information helps them to understand buyer behavior to create your customized strategic plan.

This year, get a handle on your marketing program and start asking the question that matters: Is my marketing program performing or am I wasting money on tactics that just aren’t working?

If you’re ready to start the conversation about what digital marketing tactics you need in your program, let’s talk!

Learn more about how to use digital marketing in your business, including through SEO, social media, PPC, and content marketing with Stream Companies’ digital directors in our FREE webinar.

—Ashley Bailey is an Inbound Marketing Copywriter at Stream Companies, a full-service Philadelphia-area advertising agency.{{cta(‘b86debdb-a1cb-412f-8ca2-530f36f66bd3’)}}