If you’ve been following this series of articles, you’re familiar with our fictional business owner, Amy. Amy launched a digital marketing campaign without clearly defining her goals, and she measured her success using the wrong key performance indicators (KPIs). Confused and dismayed, Amy gave up on what could have been a very successful marketing campaign.
We have analyzed the ways in which Amy’s strategy went off course, and you have learned that different goals demand different types of content. You also know that you should measure the results of your efforts according to the KPIs that are appropriate to your objectives. You have also learned that marketing works like a funnel, and that you start by creating brand awareness, then you drive traffic to your website, and so on.
Now, we have finally reached the bottom of that funnel. You have successfully created plenty of leads, and it’s time to use your marketing strategy to turn those leads into customers!
As you’re creating content with this goal in mind, ask yourself these questions:
- Does this content inform the lead about my company?
- Are my salespeople armed with the content they need to make a sale?
- Is this content truly valuable to my potential customers, or does it transparently push for a sale?
Your content should be aimed at educating your leads, and informing them why your company is different from others. You will want to highlight your products or services with content such as:
- case studies
- videos
- eye-catching graphics
- infographics comparing your success rate with that of your competitors
Now that you have created the right content, how do you know it’s working? This is the part of the marketing funnel that would have made Amy happy! At this point, you should notice an uptick in business. However, that can often be difficult to pinpoint, so we suggest you use the following KPIs to track the success rate of your digital marketing strategy:
- average time to close new customers/clients
- conversion rates (from lead to client) for each piece of nurturing content.
This is indeed the exciting point in the digital marketing funnel: You should see an increase in your business traffic and revenue! But that doesn’t mean you’re “done” with marketing. In fact, the fifth step in the marketing process is just as important as the others: Now that you have gained valuable clients, you should craft content to improve your retention rates and drive up sell.
If you continually reach out to your clients with relevant, valuable content that they appreciate, this will drive feelings of loyalty to your company. The following types of content will keep your customers informed and engaged with you:
- blog on industry trends
- video tutorials on new products or services
- exclusive deals
- free eBooks or other content for existing customer
Ask yourself whether this content makes your clients feel special, and if it informs them on important updates or other information that they need to know. As you produce content aimed at retaining clients, use these KPIs to track your success rates:
- retention rate
- revenue from up sell to new products or services
- percentage of customers who return
Now that you’ve learned about each step in the digital marketing funnel, hopefully you feel prepared to launch your own campaign. Remember to ask yourself about your specific goals, create the right content to address those goals, and then measure your success rate by the correct KPIs for each goal. Continue to adjust your strategy according to that feedback, and you will find that digital marketing is a valuable tool for growing your business.
