I don’t mean to be alarming but this is an alarming topic. If you fail to strategize, any digital marketing effort you do make will amount to virtually nothing. Digital marketing is a multi-piece, complex puzzle that needs to be customized for your company and managed properly in order to be effective.

Are You a Statistic?

According to Smart Insights, approximately half (49 per cent) of companies don’t have a plan for managing their marketing efforts online. WHAT? That is rather incredulous considering the fact that the number of people who aren’t using the Internet to gather information, make buying decisions and, in fact, close the deal are dwindling in record numbers. (Who are these people?)

Let’s break that down.

“For many Americans, going online is an important way to connect with friends and family, shop, get news and search for information,” according to Pew Research Center data. “Yet, 11 per cent of U.S. adults do not use the Internet.”

In 2000, 18 years ago, 48 per cent of American adults said they didn’t use the Internet.

If you think you can do business and not be trying to connect with, inform, delight, and sell to people who use the Internet, I hope you are selling spaceships or something. If your competition doesn’t exist, you can probably get away with not having a digital marketing strategy.

For the rest of you: WAKE UP!

The same Smart Insights article mentions that some 34 per cent of companies think they are marketing on the Internet — through a general marketing plan. They aren’t able to tell you what their digital marketing efforts are though. .Again, sorry to say, not good enough.

First off, the world of marketing has evolved to the point where “digital” is an offshoot and, thus, its own entity.

Marketing companies may be focused on TV and other large media. The essence of branding and logo creation — also rooted in traditional marketing. It’s in this space where the ever-present giant Google has no say.

But web marketing is a different animal altogether. Online, if you want to be found you need to understand digital marketing strategy — backward, forward, upside down and centre. (More accurately, you at least need to partner with a company that’s at the top of the digital marketing game.)

• You need to do everything possible to stay in line with a moving target known as Search. Optimizing search (Search Engine Optimization or SEO) is a science.

• High-quality content is paramount. It’s not enough to put sentences together or to even be clever about how you market your product with words and slogans. These days, great content writers are harder to find than rocket scientists (who, by the way, probably don’t need web marketing either — different topic.) Connecting with the reader is key. What you say and how you say it are critically important. This is true of the content on your website, your blog, your social media and every other piece of communication you put out online.

As we edge closer to 2019, I urge you to take a hard look at your bottom line. Have you met your sales goals? Lead count – good or could be better? Have you closed fewer deals than predicted? If you can honestly say business is great and you don’t want more deal flow/sales, then I say “Right on! Keep on keepin’ on!”

But if you recognize there is always room for improvement, I urge you to wake up and embrace digital marketing strategy for real. You don’t need to understand how it works (though, at Harmonia Media, we would love to explain it to you!) You don’t even need to understand why it works.

You just need to know that digital marketing is here to stay and it does drive customers to your online home. Let the Internet work for you while you focus on doing what you do best.

We will help. Contact Harmonia Media today for a free phone consultation about taking your digital marketing strategy (and accounts receivable) to new heights in 2019!