If your company has not (fully)\u00a0embraced the web\u00a0yet and decided to do so today, it isn\u2019t as simple as flicking a switch. Nor should it be. Digital marketing is a journey, one in which both team members and organizations should embark on rather than simply taking a \u201ccheck the box\u201d mentality.<\/p>\n
Rushing is a mistake, sets the wrong expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n It is naive of any consultant, agency or client-side marketer to think you can simply throw money at digital marketing and achieve success. Just the opposite, it\u2019s not really about your pocketbook. It\u2019s actually more about philosophy, devotion of time and, well,\u00a0passion. All balanced with a\u00a0culture of analytics\u00a0and\u00a0holistic thinking. And an embrace and comprehension\u00a0of intersections. Not all of those things happen at once.\u00a0In any\u00a0<\/em>organization.<\/p>\n But we need something social, now<\/strong><\/p>\n No, you don\u2019t. Relax.\u00a0You\u2019re not first.\u00a0Not even close. In fact you\u2019re late, and that\u2019s okay. The ship on being an early adopter in social media has sailed so far ahead you can\u2019t be a part of it anymore. But that shouldn\u2019t stop you from finding your own path. Maybe in time you\u2019ll be the best. But you\u2019ve lost the race to be first \u2013 so\u00a0develop a strategy\u00a0and focus on being great. Nurture a culture of\u00a0experimenting\u00a0and you\u2019ll be better than an early adopter, you\u2019ll discover what delivers returns.<\/p>\n Create a long-term roadmap and follow it<\/strong><\/p>\n If you are thinking about the web in short term spurts, you\u2019re doing it wrong. You need to\u00a0build your community\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0you need them. Only then can you activate them for directed outcomes: whether that is to connect with fans and give them a reason to buy (CwF + RtB), build a megaphone for your company, or attract inbound leads. Experienced digital marketing pros have enough projects under their belt by now to have confidence in long term planning.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got a strategy, structure your team around execution<\/strong><\/p>\n Likely you have teams with pockets of expertise in different areas of digital marketing and all at different levels of fluency. Get them talking and working together so they can share skills in all directions. Further, structure the whole team around execution. After the planning phase is done trust your plans and\u00a0don\u2019t overthink\u00a0it or you\u2019ll forever be lapped by agile competitors.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t measure everything, measure the critical few (but learn what everything means)<\/strong><\/p>\n I like what Avinash\u00a0says when he encourages us to focus on\u00a0the critical few. Indeed, smart marketers aren\u2019t thrown off track simply because someone put a new influence\u00a0measurement\u00a0tool together. How silly. Question\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0when every new metric gets thrown your way just because someone read a story in a marketing trade. Think critically about how it is meaningful in a results dashboard and how it even helps you make better decisions. Relentlessly kill the fluff. With that said, become savvy about digital measurement so you actually know when a new social media measurement or web analytics company is trying to sell you noise (or pretty graphs) vs. meaningful tools. There\u2019s a huge difference.<\/p>\n Learn where to\u00a0be consistent with content, create efficiencies elsewhere<\/strong><\/p>\n After you\u2019ve got a strategy and are executing on it, commit to the long haul. Especially in terms of content creation \u2013 it is analogous to writing a book (actually, a library of books). But most still think in terms of an article or two. Wrong.\u00a0Content marketing\u00a0is not a one time event, so manage expectation so you actually have the time necessary to move the needle.<\/p>\n Project your returns after you\u2019ve got some historic data and an understanding of what content impacts your outcome metrics and\u00a0how<\/em>. Focus on the channels and tactics that contribute to a\u00a0steady trend up. Syndicate elsewhere and create funnels, hooks and\u00a0viral loops\u00a0where they makes sense.<\/p>\n There\u2019s so much you\u00a0could<\/em>\u00a0do with content it\u2019s actually what you\u00a0don\u2019t create\u00a0<\/em>or the networks you don\u2019t actively participate on\u00a0that defines success. It forces you to be remarkable when you do execute and build a hub. Unless you truly do have the resources to be everywhere, focus\u00a0opt in at the source.<\/p>\n \u2026and that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg<\/strong><\/p>\n A lot, right? And this is just off the top of my head.\u00a0Digital marketing is a journey and sophistication by every individual and company happens\u00a0incrementally. As a consultant I see organizations and marketers take strides forward every day. I am too. And that\u2019s half the point (and half the fun). A constant of the web is change, so no matter where you are in your journey it doesn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t like change? Marketing, media or PR are not for you. It\u2019s probably time to try something else. Enjoy it? You\u2019ll thrive, but patience is the secret ingredient while the world (and budgets) play catch-up to the reality of how modern communication takes place.<\/p>\n You should be the one to\u00a0lead them\u00a0forward on their journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If your company has not (fully)\u00a0embraced the web\u00a0yet and decided to do so today, it isn\u2019t as simple as flicking … <\/p>\n