Confessions Of A New Digital Marketer: 3 Tips For Gaining Clarity into Your Online Efforts

Jaclyn Robledo - August 25, 2014

Danielle Leitch’s article in the MoreVisibility July Newsletter described marketers of today as having to juggle various efforts … and she couldn’t be more right! As a marketing manager just arriving onto the digital advertising scene, I’ve come to realize that what you learn in this position can become quite powerful and even overwhelming at times. When this happens, you’re unsure of where to look for the right answers. I call this the “little brother” syndrome, a feeling of being in way over your head when it comes to all of the platforms and options available to you. Lucky for me, I’m surrounded by many “big brothers” – digital marketing experts with vast experience in this space – who I can always rely on for a quick consult.

For those marketers who don’t have experts to consult with and are interested in implementing specific digital marketing strategies, I encourage you to do the following: First, understand your company’s marketing history. Next, test, test and re-test. And, of course, evaluate all of your successes and attempts.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at how you can gain some clarity around what you can do to enhance your future marketing efforts.

Tip # 1 – History Shouldn’t Be … History

Unlike our Client Strategists who take care of and partner with our diverse clientele, MoreVisibility is my only client, so I am able to really hone in on our culture, processes and objectives. I speak from experience when I say that marketing managers are usually ready to jump in and try what they know has worked in their past. However, I urge you to focus on your current company’s historical campaigns and efforts. Read past blogs, look at creative, research prior events and become a sponge. Doing so should bring a few immediate opportunities to light and highlight others to build upon. So, don’t try to change history or overcome it, just understand each valued effort.

Tip #2 – Test, Test & Re-Test

Once you understand your history, the best thing to do next is test a few past efforts. During this testing stage, you should use a variety of channels, communicating your message via social, blogs, landing pages, and in advertising campaigns. Consult with your peers and others in the digital industry to see what platforms you can use for your messaging. I caution you to not be afraid to invest some of your marketing budget in your efforts while you are testing.  Also, consider what hasn’t worked in the past – you may be surprised with the results if the strategy is better executed in the future.

Tip #3 – What’s Worked?

In all marketing processes, including every one of ours, there is an evaluation period. It seems as though there aren’t many companies that focus on this piece because of the time involved or the fact that it may incorporate an overwhelming amount of data. But evaluating your tactics doesn’t have to be so taxing. While you’re “testing,” create a simple campaign spreadsheet to understand the data at a high-level and then add a few filters for viewing.

Maybe there was a headline in a few social media efforts that had more clicks to your landing page than another that came from display advertisements. Understanding even the smallest of traffic drivers is necessary for any effort because it may dictate how to “modify” your next tactic.