Marketing is moving from analog to digital and many well established companies have not woken up to this and are still persisting with what was the “tried and true” but is now becoming the expensive and ineffective.

There are essentially 3 elements that have emerged in the last decade that have brought us to this generational shift that I mentioned in a previous post.

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/11/24/10-things-you-should-not-ignore-in-your-digital-marketing-strategy/#ou4wURA2TSzTaxUi.99

1.Social media
2.Mobile devices enabled with wireless broadband
3.Google and other search engines continual evolution

Companies will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the public foyer to their building to ensure that the few potential clients that visit every day will be wowed by the bricks and mortar grand portal edifice to their head office.

They will then baulk, bitch and complain at spending even $20,000 on a website that is their digital portal for their business to the world that will have thousands of visitors a day.

This “digital disconnect” is costing traditional companies with baby boomer management millions of dollars a year.

This digital tipping point is making the website the most important portal and front door to your customers in a world where a digital optimized presence is not a luxury but a necessity, it enables potential customers to find you, engage with your brand and then buy your goods and services.

The challenge is that once brands have the website designed and developed they need to optimize and promote their website to those potential clients to let them know that their brand exists (you need to keep in mind that nearly 90% of all buying decisions start with an online search).

I would like to list the top 10 essential activities that should be considered part of your marketing strategy roadmap that are becoming vital in a digital world and are quite often ignored by a generation of management that grew up in the age of the TV industrial complex and telemarketing.

1. Search Engine Optimization (also known as SEO)

This is an essential element that needs to be invested in so that when customers put in a phrase into the search engine that your company will be found for some essential phrases on page one of Google. (research shows that nearly 90% of all click throughs from a Google search come from being on the first page of Google). This also known as organic search which is actually 75% of all click throughs on Google when people do an online search.

2. Search Engine Marketing (Google Adwords setup and campaign)

This is advertising on Google using keywords and phrases that result in 25% of all click throughs on Google search results and can fast track clients finding your website though it does involve paying Google for the privilege.

3. Blog

This is the interactive component of your website where you can regularly publish content including videos, images, text, PDF’s, Podcasts and receive comments and start to engage with your marketplace on an interactive basis. The blog is your social media home base that can position your company as an expert and thought leader in its industry .

4. Email Marketing

Email is an essential part of your digital marketing strategies that should not be neglected and can be integrated with your other media to provide and information channel to keep your customers informed, educated and up to date with your industry. Email subscriber acquisition is the cornerstone of this essential digital building block that should be integrated into you CRM database.

5. Social Media (Publishing, Promotion & Engagement)

Social media enables you to promote and publish your content to different channels where your target audience is hanging out such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. It also allows you to listen and receive feedback from your customers so you can understand their problems and then provide solutions that can provide answers and modify your products and services to meet those needs. Social media requires you to to “Think like a Publisher”.

6. Social Media Marketing

Paid and targeted advertising can be placed on social media channels such as Facebook from as little as a $1 a day that is capped and can be geographically and demographically targeted in ways that a Google Adwords cannot and is much more cost effective .

7. Online Video

YouTube is not just about entertainment, in fact it can be and is used by companies for educating and informing your clients and potential customers. Online shops such as Zappos are publishing 2 minute online videos displaying product reviews for their online store that can increase conversion rates by up to 30%.

8. Website Optimized for Viewing on a Mobile Smartphone

Ebay recently reported that nearly 10% of its online purchases are happening from mobile platforms. This fast emerging trend needs to included in your planning.

9. Mobile Apps

iPhone, iPad and Smart Phone apps are rapidly transforming the way we read and interact online. Applications are different from just a mobile version of your website that can actually provide an experience for your customers that adds value to their online experience and position your brand as a solution for your customers challenges. Ebay’s latest figures are revealing that up to 10% of online buying is being done from a a mobile device.

10. Analytics and Tools

There are tools that allow you measure your digital performance and monitor your brands buzz online. Google Analytics along with other applications allow you to monitor your website and blogs traffic that can help you modify your web activities.

This all might seem overwhelming but you can take it one step at a time according to your business goals and budgetary limitations but don’t neglect it because your competitor isn’t and your optimized web presence is now an essential part of our digital world, not an optional extra

Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/11/24/10-things-you-should-not-ignore-in-your-digital-marketing-strategy/#ou4wURA2TSzTaxUi.99