Four Signs It's Time to Renovate Your Digital Marketing Strategy

Now a day every online business competes daily for market share. This field also becomes more competitive as new businesses enter the online arena. One of the best aspects of an online business is that customers and clients can come from anywhere. This is also one of the worst aspects, as competitors for the same demographic can literally come from around the globe.

Digital marketing agencies must create, implement and manage successful strategies so that their clients’ online enterprises achieve their goals. This article discusses the key signs that specify a successful digital marketing strategy has run its course, and what to do about it.

1. Falling Off Google’s Radar: Where have all my rankings gone?

A primary objective of a successful search engine optimization (SEO) campaign is to increase a website’s visibility to consumers searching online for a brand's products or services. Most online businesses achieve a measure of success through SEO. Over time, however, some tactics begin to weaken and must be supplemented or revamped, otherwise, rankings may be lost permanently. Unless trends are noted and reversed, other key metrics such as traffic, conversions and revenues will also likely decline.

There are many reasons that rankings drop. Among the top reasons is the technical aspects of your website. Search engines like Google take into account site speed, structure, security and usability when deciding how well a website rank. These parameters change often and are up to each search engine’s discretion. A site could rank very well for years only to discover that Google now wants sites to have responsive designs that work on all mobile devices. Not having this could cause you to disappear from the searches.

Your site’s keyword list must also be analyzed and updated, and any that are no longer performing well must be removed and replaced with more relevant search terms. Related site pages must be updated as well. For a business to reach its potential online, a SEO campaign must be continuous. A solid, ongoing SEO campaign as part of an overall digital marketing strategy ensures an online enterprise not only stays in business but thrives.

2. Many Visitors but No Customers: I’m getting qualified traffic but not enough conversions.

When those searching for a site’s specific products and services are visiting the site but not buying, it’s time to consider your conversion rate optimization (CRO) initiatives. By tracking visitors’ on-site behaviors, you can analyze the results to discover what needs to be addressed on your site. Generally, updates to content, navigation, even the shopping cart, may be considered. The value of CRO is that it pinpoints exactly at what point in the potential sales funnel a breakdown occurs. In turn, remediation initiatives will target exactly what needs to be fixed, so you don't have to take a wild guess at the root cause of the issue.

3. Facebook Failure: We tried social media without success. What did we do wrong?

Social media is expected to total 25% of online marketing spend in 2018. According to a study, 81% of all small and medium-size businesses are projected to use multiple social media platforms, while another study found that 91% of retailers use at least two or more social media channels.

So, for online business owners who have turned their backs on these platforms, it’s time to revisit your social media channels. What can brands do to improve their presence on social media outlets? Create engagement and brand loyalty by being proactive and responsive. For example, demonstrate excellent customer service by immediately addressing negative reviews and comments, and offer a reasonable solution. There are numerous other strategies for increasing a brands’ reach via social media, such as guest posting, leveraging influence's and riposting responses. However, the primary takeaway is not to forget the person in "personal interaction" on these outlets. According to Social Media Week, rationalization is paramount because “people trust people more than they trust faceless, corporate brands.”

4. Responsive Site Letdown: Most of my mobile traffic leaves within seconds.

If qualified traffic is quickly leaving a website, that site is leaving something to be desired. There are two likely culprits: slow load times and a site that doesn't look and perform the same across all platforms such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops. Google has noted that visitors using mobile devices will leave a site within seconds, usually for a competitor’s, if the product/service page they’re seeking does not load quickly on their screen.

Remember, mobile use is only growing. According to Statista, as of February 2017, mobile devices accounted for 49.7% of webpage views worldwide, and that number is only expected to increase. Scrutinize your traffic/conversions on mobile devices and seek out ways to improve page design and the user experience overall. Ease of use is a primary goal for web designers who create responsive websites. This means that for mobile users, the desktop version adjusts so that the entire webpage fills their device’s screen. Streamline design, keep it uncluttered and reduce the number of keystrokes from the entry point to purchase to facilitate the sales funnel and increase the user experience. 

Website metrics such as traffic, pages visited, duration of visits and conversions are trackable. Therefore, all SEO, CRO and social media campaigns are reportable and accountable in a sound digital marketing strategy. This way, business owners can be fully aware of their digital marketing campaign's efficacy and ensure that it is modified as needed to yield optimal results.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/05/23/four-signs-its-time-to-revamp-your-digital-marketing-strategy/#32b296215a7c