Digital marketing is constantly evolving. Your strategy will inevitably develop stale components making it crucial to refresh it more often than you’d realize. It’s easy to fall into the habit of using techniques that have worked in the past. While this is valuable insight, it doesn’t mean your strategy is done and dusted for good.
Whether it’s new research or must-have tools, your business needs to adapt and adjust with ease. It doesn’t mean you have to do a complete overhaul every three months. Keep your finger on the pulse, consistently optimizing elements of your strategy as you go. A regular strategy to spring clean is crucial for growth.
What Is A Digital Marketing Roadmap?
When you create a digital marketing strategy, your objectives drive your focus. For most brands, it’s about reaching people who are most likely to purchase your product or service. Marketers are constantly striving to find the best-performing channels for customer conversion. That’s where your digital marketing roadmap comes in.
It provides a clear strategy with measurable goals, helping you decide which channels to invest in online. A thorough roadmap includes the following:
- Strategy: Your marketing and business goals, including how you plan to attract more users
- Initiatives: High-level campaigns that support your goals
- Timeline: Details on how long campaigns will run for and when tasks are due
- Activities: Define what channels and tactics you are going to focus on
- Status: How are you progressing against your original goals
Every roadmap is different. Depending on your business, it will offer varying levels of detail. Some marketers use Gantt Charts. Others plot it onto Excel or Google Sheets. Whatever format you choose, the fundamental purpose is to establish a high-level digital marketing plan, creating alignment and visibility within your team.
4 Reasons You Should Revamp Your Digital Marketing Roadmap
You may be wondering how to tell when your digital marketing roadmap needs to be updated. Implementing and managing a successful strategy is one thing; knowing what signs to look out for when it’s run its course is another. Here are four indicators that your roadmap needs some adjusting.
#1. A Drop In Rankings
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a primary avenue in most successful strategies. SEO aims to increase your website visibility, keeping your brand top of mind. While your SEO strategy may have worked seamlessly in the past, over time, it may begin to falter. Keeping an eye on your ranking, noticing when you’re dropping is a great identifier that things may need to be tweaked.
Most of the time, a drop in rankings is caused by technical aspects of your website. You may need to assess your site speed and structure as well as your usability. Scrutinize your keyword list, removing those that are no longer performing.
#2. Reduced Conversions
If your site is receiving a lot of traffic, but your conversion rate is dropping, it’s time to reconsider your strategy. Track the behavior of your visitors to site, understanding where they’re dropping off. It may mean a content refresh, an adjustment to navigation, or the introduction of a new user flow.
#3. Responsive Site Difficulties
If you’re generating qualified traffic to site, but they’re dropping off instantly on mobile, then you know you’ve got issues with your responsive site. The two most likely culprits are slow loads times and a lack of consistency across all platforms.
If your product page doesn’t load quickly enough or it’s impossible to use on mobile, you’re going to face a major drop-off. Keep an eye on these stats, adjusting your roadmap if your responsive site isn’t up to scratch.
#4. Fruitless Social Media Marketing
It’s no secret that social media is a crucial channel you need to include in your digital marketing roadmap. Engaging with customers is a fundamental pillar of today’s digital age. If you’re not giving these channels the attention or resources, they deserve your customer perception is affected.
Whether it’s online reviews, customer feedback, or content marketing, if your posts aren’t up to scratch, consumers won’t convert. Take a look at your social presence. If your engagement rates are dropping, it’s important that you rework your strategy.
5 Benefits of Updating Your Digital Marketing Strategy
#1. Understanding Your Consumer
“Digital marketing” is a broad term referring to multiple channels that could apply to your business. Today’s consumer spends close to 7 hours a day using the internet across all devices. The global effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has directly impacted this online time.
People’s reasons for using the internet have shifted, a perfect example of why your digital marketing roadmap needs to adjust and adapt to the times. The strategy you had in place for 2019 no longer speaks to today’s consumers. While 2020 is an extreme case, it demonstrates just how important a regular revamp is.
#2. Staying Up To Date With New Technologies and Platforms
The technology used in the digital marketing space is constantly evolving. What was revolutionary six months ago is old news. Not so long ago, it was exhilarating for marketers to schedule social media posts through apps and add-ons.
Today, there is an intelligent Facebook bot interacting with consumers on your behalf. You need to stay updated with the latest software and channel updates, consistently optimizing your strategy with what’s available.
New technology is one thing. You can’t forget about new platforms too. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter may still be your trusted trio, but new platforms are constantly popping up. You need to understand where your consumer is engaging online, shifting your focus if necessary. Perhaps TikTok or ClubHouse are better suited?
#3. Optimizing Your Budget
A regular revamp allows you to optimize your marketing spend consistently. Monthly reports and channel reviews will enable you to steadily move away from less effective methods, shifting your budget to channels that perform.
It makes sense to experiment, trying new platforms and ad types, but you need to cut your losses when it’s not working. Embrace the trial and error and optimize wherever possible.
#4. Using Trends To Your Advantage
Trends can be tricky. For most businesses, it’s outside their comfort zone, so they avoid it altogether. But, more often than not, trends become the new norm. If you don’t dabble in the conversation, you’ll almost certainly be left behind.
Focus your attention on trends that are pertinent to your business, feeding into your goals. Don’t be afraid of trends; learn to be selective as you adjust your roadmap.
#5. Picking Up Dead-End Strategies
Something that has worked for years will inevitably stop delivering the same results. The content you are creating online might not be attracting the same attention it used to.
Whether it’s an algorithm update or a shift in consumer behavior, a roadmap revamp allows you to halt dead-end strategies before wasting any more money.
Keeping things the same for long periods translates to a decline in performance in the digital landscape. Spot your discrepancies earlier, adapting to increase your conversion rate.
Revamp Your Digital Marketing Roadmap Today!
Digital marketing is a fundamental pillar of your growth strategy. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. You need to optimize to boost performance.
Whether it’s adapting to consumer behavior, new technologies, trends, or under-performing strategies, regularly revamping your digital marketing roadmap will take your business to new heights.
About the Author!
Emma Dittmer is the Marketing Manager at UCOOK, South Africa’s leading dinner-kit service and SEO writer from Galactic Fed, a growth marketing agency. Dedicated to sharing the knowledge she’s gathered over the years, she now writes for various publishers. Working in a start-up environment means she’s well versed in the fast-paced, exciting world of e-commerce and all things digital.
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