4 Simple Steps That All Successful Digital Marketers Take

When it comes to planning an effective marketing budget, there’s one thing that all successful digital marketers do to guarantee the biggest return.

It’s actually very simple. The answer to long-term positive results in digital marketing budgets is goal-setting. Goal-setting is absolutely essential for anyone looking to execute campaigns in a productive and cost-effective manner.

This blog will walk through the 4 steps every savvy digital marketer takes to make sure they reach their marketing targets. Want your best ROI yet? Keep reading!

 

Step #1: Plan your long-term goals

The first step to seeing a successful return on your marketing spend is to clearly identify your company goals. Think about the bigger picture before you get too specific.

Do you want to drive brand awareness in the next year? Are you wanting to establish a strong influencer network that can promote your new products? Interested in increasing your reach across social media?

List all of the broad goals you want to achieve in your next budget period. Be realistic, but don’t make the goals too easy. If you invest strategically into the right avenues, you’ll see the results you’re after.

 

Step #2: Get more specific

Now that you’ve got a list of long-term targets, it’s time to get more specific. Narrowing down your goals will help you understand exactly what you’re working towards, as well as breaking down each step in reaching the goal.

A practical method of determining whether your goals are feasible is by making use of the SMART mnemonic. For example, say you want to increase the average order value of online sales to $90 per customer over 6 months. Applying the SMART framework to this idea can help you determine whether the timeline for this goal is achievable.
 

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Step #3: Understand your target market

The next step in the budget planning process is to research channels and customer touchpoints that will help you reach your targets. At this point, you need to do research into your target market. Which channels appeal to them the most? How do they communicate? How do they interact with brands?

You can determine which channels are most relevant to your brand by asking yourself these questions:

  • Does the channel reach my intended audience?
  • Is the channel sustainable and affordable within my company’s marketing budget?
  • Will I be able to measure the success of the channel?
  • Does the channel allow me to express my brand’s intended message?
  • Do the channels I’m considering work together to convey my message?

Remember that it’s essential to consider that even if the channel you want to invest in may seem like it’s perfect for your target market right now, it may not be the best solution in the future. Always make informed decisions that directly relate to your company. Otherwise, your message won’t be delivered to your target market, and you’ll see little success from your efforts.
 

Step #4: Always remember your goals

Having a solid vision for the growth of your company is the first step to planning your digital marketing budget. As you progress through your planning and implementation, remember to keep your goals in sight.

When establishing the next step to take in your budget, refer back to your initial goals. How will the decision contribute to achieving them? Asking yourself this question will help you stay on track and prevent you from spending on anything that won’t help your company progress.

Naturally, your goals will evolve. Review them and compare to your SMART objectives from Step #2 so you can refine the process for next time.

Remember to stay focussed, stay motivated and stay smart, and you’ll soon be planning budgets like the most successful digital marketers out there.