If you’re not sure where to start, read on to learn how a digital audit can really assist in identifying how effective your online activity is and highlight any gaps that can be improved for a better ROI.
Set priorities and goals
You probably have a general idea of what you want from your digital strategy, generate more leads, move leads further down the sales funnel, increase sales etc. which are all great but you need to dig deeper if you want to succeed! You need to identify specific goals associated with your priorities, without these, you won’t be able to accurately calculate the ROI.
There are a number of key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used:
- Increase open rate (OR) by X percent
- Increase click through (CTR) rate by X percent
- Decrease unsubscribe rate by X percent
Social Media
- Grow followers/page likes by X percent
- Increase content engagement, shares, and likes by X number
- Grow overall reach through impressions
Blog
- Increase search traffic
- Increase click through rate to other content
- Improve conversion of on-page calls-to-action
Online Advertising
- Improve click through (CTR) rate by X percent
- Lower cost-per-click (CPC) by X amount
- Reduce landing page bounce rate by X percent
Other Content
- Get X number of webinar attendees
- Increase downloads of gated content
Now you have some goals; determine a reasonable time frame to complete them.
Realistic budget
Be realistic with your budget, the more you invest in your strategy, the more potential it has to succeed, breaking your budget down by marketing channel allows for clear monitoring of activity for example:
Social Media
- Paid social platforms to promote your content?
- Do you need to invest in stock images?
- Social-specific content?
- Cost of managing your profiles?
Blogging
- How much content do you want to create?
- How much money can you budget for writers?
- Will there be visual assets you need to invest in?
Email Marketing
- Do you need to purchase CRM software?
Advertising
- What kind of cost-per-click (CPC)?
- How much money do you need to scale this strategy?
Platforms for your strategy
Understanding the marketing channels is one thing, but then knowing what platforms to use for delivery is slightly harder. You need to work out the best platform to use for achieving the KPIs set against the activity.
Social media
Identifying the correct social media platforms for your business is key to ensuring that you maintain focus on the ones that work for you and that your audience frequents.
Blogging
What is the best content for you to focus on; newsworthy content, long form, or both? Will you guest post, syndicate, or stick with attracting traffic to your site?
Other content
Would a webinar help reach your target audience, where and how will you host them? Would an eBook or report if you make it available exclusively on your site or distribute it elsewhere for profit benefit you?
Events
Do you attend trade conferences, do you exhibit or speak at these events? How can you turn these into lead-generating opportunities?
Online advertising
The platforms you choose will depend on the targeting strategy you decide on. The Google Display Network and Facebook Advertising are great for remarketing campaigns.
Emails
If you have an existing email platform is it going to be up to the job, if not are you going to need a new one? Is your data segmented yet and do you have all the correct permissions in place?
Conclusion
Mapping out your platforms clearly, against your KPIs and strategy will mean each marketing channel should perform as you expect it to. However, as with all strategies it is always a case of
Strategise > Execute > Audit > Adapt > Repeat
you should always be measuring and adapting the strategy to get the best ROI.
Smart marketers constantly monitor their approach and make adjustments along the way to improve. Take the time to establish audit guidelines and use them diligently to get more from your marketing investment in the long run.