Eight digital marketing tips to take your marketing strategy to the next level

Eight digital marketing tips to take your marketing strategy to the next level by Amber Rolfe Looking to level up your digital marketing strategy? Digital marketing is a key part of any company’s success, helping to not only boost your brand and build a loyal consumer base, but also to promote and sell your products and services in a smart and effective way.To help take your marketing strategy to the next level, Business Consort have created a 30 day digital challenge, providing you with a new digital marketing tip every day. Here are just eight of the top tips:  Use chat bots With over one billion people on Facebook Messenger each month, it could be a key place to communicate with your customers.By creating a messenger bot, you’ll be able to provide users with excellent customer service, in an interactive and personalised way.In addition to selecting your tool, deciding its purpose, and designing a welcome message that explains what the bot does, it’s also key to ensure it speaks in your brand’s tone of voice.They’re also a great place to ans wer your FAQs. Whether it’s through instant replies, or by directing customers to the FAQ or ‘contact us’ sections of your website.  Create a sales funnel When it comes to converting leads, creating an effective sales funnel is key.Firstly, concentrate on lead generation. Potential lead magnet tools include everything from content marketing and social media, to advertising and SEO.Once you’ve boosted your brand awareness and built a pool of data, it’s time to make the people who simply know about you, care about you too.Sending a short and snappy welcome email that incorporates what your brand offers is a great place to start. With this carefully developed captive audience, you’ll be more likely to convert them into customers.Develop an effective social strategy It’s important to be active on social media as much as possible (ideally posting daily). Facebook’s algorithm in particular rewards consistency and frequency, making those who post often most likely to get vi ews.And when it comes to what you post â€" focus on telling, not selling.Social media is designed to educate and entertain, so think of it as a networking event, instead of a sales platform.Try developing themes and campaigns for the long-term, as well as making use of available products in a way that best promotes your brand whether it’s lead gen tools or sponsored posts.Use a range of media Creating different types of media â€" both for your website and to be shared on social media â€" is vital if you want to keep your customers engaged.Whilst sharing blog posts is a great way to broadcast information, users are 87% more likely to engage with video content. Facebook also provide a blogging platform, which when utilised, allows users to read articles without leaving the site.Other examples of mixed media include whitepapers, ebooks, infographics, checklists, templates, and more.Focus on SEO Embedding videos on your site also means you’re four times more likely to appear on pag e one of Google searches.This, in addition to posting (and updating) high quality written content on a regular basis, is a vital part of boosting your website’s SEO. Mobile optimised sites are also well-favoured when it comes to dominating the top spots on search engine results pages.Lastly, make the most of ‘backlinks’. By directing users to all areas of your site from other websites (and by including links to other sections of the site in your own content), you’ll prove to search engines that your website is relevant and reliable.  Create content that converts The first step to creating content that converts is figuring out what you want to achieve â€" whether it’s leads, sales, sign-ups, or shares.Then, you need to know your audience. Once you’ve understood what their values and interests are, you can base content around them, as well as target effectively on social media. Tools like Google Analytics provide a great opportunity to paint this picture.Other key things t o consider when creating content include taking advantage of seasons and trends, centring on what makes you unique, using paid promotion, and measuring your success regularly.  Make effective email campaignsIn addition to using a range of metrics to measure success, it’s also important to personalise your emails.Examples include giving a user the ability to reply, sending emails from a person (rather than the company), or ensuring your audiences are split into groups based on their interests and activity.And when it comes to what you include, make sure your subject lines aren’t too sales focused, and the content is helpful, short, and snappy. Mixed media such as gifs, videos, and countdown tools also work particularly well.Lastly, avoid using the same template for everything you send. To be effective, your creative should always be as specific as possible to each campaign.  Develop a marketing strategy Firstly, it’s vital to set clear goals and realistic KPIs.Ask yourself, wha t are your business objectives, and how can an effective marketing strategy support them? This can also be informed by analysing your past performance, in order to figure out what worked and what didn’t.Secondly, get into the mindset of your customers. Creating a core set of personas â€" four to five, for example â€" is a great way to segment your audience and target your content accordingly.Once your goals and personas are set, you’ll be in a good position to think about who will lead the campaigns, what channels you’ll use, what your budget is, and how it’ll be segmented across various platforms and products.  Why study with Business Consort?Business Consort are  a CIM Accredited Digital Marketing Course Qualification Provider, partnered with the  Digital Marketing Institute  of Marketing Education.They train over 3,500 students a year, offering over 150 certified  face-to-face  and online digital marketing courses in London and Manchester, including the worldwide recogni sed CIM Accredited Digital Marketing Diploma and DMI Digital Marketing Diploma.In addition to an outstanding satisfaction record, their courses are also accredited under the Chartered Institute of Marketing CPD Programme.Other benefits of studying with Business Consort include:Accredited digital marketing training  courses geared for business99% pass rate, with an average grade of B10 commendations from The CIM for achieving outstanding resultsStudy buddy groups enabling you to network with other studentsExcellent customer service team and unlimited course supportFind out moreReady to take your marketing strategy to the next level? Find out more now.  Business Consort are an accredited provider of classroom based and online marketing courses, offering a range of globally recognised and specialist digital marketing and social media qualifications.