5.  Digital Marketing HUBs and Spokes

 


How to outline your online marketing presence

Content sits at the core of your digital marketing strategy. Your entire online presence is built around your website, maps listings, mentions on blogs, in social media channels, through ads and emails, and well, that's all content. 


But organizing and planning for the content you need can get overwhelming fast. So what you want is a blueprint of the different places where you'll be distributing content. I like to use a hub and spokes model to simplify. 






Now much like a bicycle wheel, this model has a hub in the middle, the most essential part, and spokes that extend out and support the wheel. So at the core of your digital marketing strategy is your owned media. 


It's the content that you own and host on your platforms. Blogs are great in digital marketing, they represent a cheap and easy way to control the conversation. And you can write about your company and your team, product launches, industry developments, events you're hosting, and so on. 


You control the style of your writing and you can focus on the areas that you believe will appeal to your target audience. That content in your hub is entirely under your control. 


You create it, you can edit it, and you manage it. That whole conversation in short is something that you own, but that message needs to get distributed. So you select your spokes and the spokes represent the digital channels you'll use to distribute that message. 


You'll want to select the platforms that you can actively use. Ask yourself where your target audience hangs out and the channels that they're interacting with. Also, be sure to check where your competitors are active. 


Say for example, several of your spokes are social media. While you can manage your business accounts within social media, you're going to have less control over the audience that interacts with you. 


Social networks encourage engagement and conversation, but what you lose in control, you'll gain in amplification and reach of your message. Now it can feel like the more spokes, the better, but remember, every spoke needs management. 


If you don't have the resources, it's better to stick with just a few spokes and maintain those rather than setting up your presence in many platforms and losing control over the conversation or looking as if you're no longer active. 


As you think through your digital marketing strategy, consider using a simple hub and spokes blueprint for your initial model.


How to decide on a marketing channel


It's impossible to be active in every marketing channel. So you have to select the ones that make the most sense for your business. 

And in order to do that, you'll need to understand the platforms that you have access to and how they might benefit you. Now, this is a pivotal challenge in digital marketing. There are an endless array of channels. 

Some are big and have been around for a while and some are smaller and maybe newer too. You have everything from the major social media outlets down to very niche forums and groups. 

And what's going to work for you is really highly dependent on your audience. As a marketer, you'll need to go where your customer is but also where it makes sense to be active as a brand. 

Now, as you map out potential channels, I also suggest that you consider what mindset your customer is in while they're on that channel. Let's say you sell aftermarket parts for off-roading enthusiasts. A 30-minute product demonstration on YouTube might be really effective and enjoyable for a prospect already invested in YouTube. 

But for a restaurant, well, YouTube is less likely to return on that same investment. Now, it can be tempting to pursue a channel simply because it's popular but don't let yourself or stakeholders persuade you to over-invest in any channel that isn't the right fit for your consumer or what you're selling. 

Make an investment into exploring channels that are available to you. If they're new and foreign, well, join as an observer and follow other brands. Treat it like moving to a new town. Find a few locals to help you make the transition. 

Above all, invest in channels where your message lands with the right audience, where they're most likely going to be engaging with it...


How to prioritize in marketing




Face it, there are so many channels to choose from that it can be overwhelming to know where to start, and how to narrow down the list. 

Now, marketing channels are how you distribute your message. And your goal is to identify which marketing channels should belong on your list, and which ones you just can't accommodate. 

And you can't, and shouldn't be everywhere simultaneously. So to decide which channels are worth your time, I like to use a scoring model popularized by Sean Ellis called ICE, which stands for Impact, Confidence and Ease. When you multiply these together, you'll get a score that lets you rank where to invest your time first. 

Here's how it works, you'll set up a simple table with five columns. The first column will contain the marketing idea or channel. The second a score for impact. The third, a score for confidence. The fourth, ease and the fifth will be the total score. 


                                                                    ICE Table : 

For each idea, you're going to estimate the impact, the confidence, and the ease on a scale of 1 to 10. 

For impact, you're going to be asking yourself how much of an improvement will this have? 

In other words, how significantly will it contribute to your marketing goals?

You score it 1, if it's very little impact and 10, if it's going to be a game changer. 

Next, you'll need to indicate your confidence that this impact metric is as you've guessed. So how confident are you that this will have very little impact, or be that total game changer?

I like to use a rule of thumb here. 0 means this is strictly a hunch. 1 to 2 is anecdotal, 3 to 4 means you'll have market data, 5 to 6 hard evidence, and anything over a 7 is almost a near guarantee. 

From here, indicate the ease. How much time and effort will it take? 0 is incredibly difficult, and 10 is effortless. 

And from here, it's super easy. Multiply the numbers across, and then sort the ideas from the highest score to the lowest. 

This way, you can quickly determine which of the objectives are a priority. This process can be incredibly helpful in getting you out of analysis paralysis, and helping identify where to take immediate action.


How to create powerful marketing messaging



Your messaging is how a consumer comes to interact with your product or service to decide if it's right for them. Your messaging is present at every stage of the funnel, from the first visit to your website, to their decision to purchase. Even the best products or services will fail if your messaging doesn't connect with your audience. 

It's really hard to change an opinion once it's been formed. So if you misstep in creating messaging, it'll be a real challenge to unwind the damage. 

So what you need to do is first think through your messaging strategically. Now, one of the main attributes of strategic messaging is consistency. 

The best message is always simple and consistent, but also it's going to be in line with how your current customers describe what it is you do, and why you do it well. 

If you're perplexed as to whether your messaging aligns with how others present you, I have a simple exercise for you. Ask your team, close customers, and even close colleagues who understand the business you're in, to send you an email with one sentence, answering the following questions.

 What is it that we do? 

What is the problem we are solving? 

How are we different from our competitors? 

And why should customers buy from us, or why did you buy from us? 

Use this to find gaps in your messaging. Then, as you go about developing any content, I want you to be sure that your messaging follows these five best practices. 

One, tell a good, convincing story. Storytelling captures people attention and motivates them to take action, and to be convincing, well, you'll need to make sure that your product or brand comes across as trustworthy, confident, empathetic, and composed. 

Two, appeal to emotion. People buy on emotion, and then they justify with fact. So remember to focus on outcomes that are inspirational, aspirational, or would represent a significant milestone for a person or their company. 

Three, be consistent. Consistent messages are more memorable. Repeat a simple message over and over again, and don't change it all that much. 

Four, be clear, avoid fancy words, and always use more conventional language when possible. 

Five, be obvious. Don't assume that your audience understand terms that you use in your communication. Use obvious words, or define the ones that aren't obvious. 

Be sure that your message contains a flavor of your value proposition, and use the same tone and theme across all of your marketing platforms. Understand your audience, tell a great story, and be authentic. 👍


How to create lean messaging in marketing copy



If you want your messaging to be really effective and resonate with your audience, well, your marketing copy should be accessible and lean. If I were to visit your website or receive your newsletter or even see your latest LinkedIn post, I shouldn't be drowning in big words. 

Complex and verbose messages don't make you or your brand sounds smart. In fact, they might make you sound a little out of touch. Nobody likes to read complex jargon. 

Now, it's one thing to use industry terms, but it's another to string together business jargon. Instead, give visitors something that draws them in and keeps them focused on what you have to offer. 

The best messaging is short, concise, and to the point. Now, it can still be the voice of your brand, but the jargon has to go. And when it comes to accessible content, it's also important you're considering the assumptions that you're making. 

You see, we make lots of decisions daily, and rarely do we ever have every answer and every piece of information available. So we rely on our gut or our intuition to guide us. Well, our intuition is built by our experiences and associations over time. 

And this will lead us to have preconceived notions which impact every buying decision we make. And this is why as you craft marketing messages, you need to ask yourself what messaging assumptions have been made. 

For example, many people still assume that eco-friendly cleaning products are not as effective as they're synthetic competitors. And while this is likely an incorrect theory, it's actually a widely held belief. 

The reality is, regardless of what you sell your consumers are going to make assumptions, if you don't fill in the gaps for them. So it's on you to make sure that your messaging tells the complete picture. 

If you know that consumers assume eco-friendly cleaning products are weaker, then you must front load the messaging that dictates they're just as strong, if not stronger. 

Don't let your consumers trip over their own assumptions, but also, don't bog them down with too many complex words.

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6. Digital Marketing with your Website



How to optimize your website

Your website is an important piece of your digital marketing strategy and one of the most valuable assets of digital real estate that you own. Online consumers are fickle and that's because digital interactions are commonplace. 

So, users are spoiled by companies that are doing it well. They're used to things just working and they expect that the information they want will be available and accurate. 

When it's not, they're disappointed and credibility is lost for whatever brand they're interacting with. And the truth is if your website isn't good at delivering what your visitors are expecting to find, you're going to fall further and further behind. 

And if your website doesn't work on mobile, well, you're already way behind. An effective website is going to be simple, well thought out and highly functional. It should be intuitive and eliminate any and all barriers so your visitors can accomplish their goals effortlessly. 

As you evaluate your current website, take some time to ask yourself the following questions. For starters, is your site mobile-friendly? This is a non-negotiable. You should be testing all of your marketing on a mobile device. 

For example, how is the experience from clicking on a link from an email campaign through your website? Much of marketing is now what we refer to as a mobile first, meaning you design it intentionally for a mobile experience and then let the desktop experience follow. 

Okay, now from here, does it answer all of the questions visitors have? You want to identify the common questions your customers are often asking and make sure that information is easily and readily available online. 

Next, is the site reflective of your brand? Within the first couple of seconds, a user is going to decide how the site feels to them. So you need to make sure that your brand is carried through. Be sure that your logo, tagline and the color scheme all reflect your brand. It's important that things look consistent. 

It has to look to your visitor like they're in the right place and that any of the interactions they make with your website are secure. From here, consider how the visitor will achieve the objective you set out for them. 

Want them to book an appointment? 

Well, odds are, they're not going to click a button at the top of the homepage, no matter how big to book that appointment if they haven't first answered their key questions. 

Think through the information you want to present in a flow that logically moves that visitor through the stages of the marketing funnel. And another important one, is your site up-to-date? 

Nothing is worse than information that's out of date. It'll create concern with your users. So be sure to keep it updated and if you have a blog, you should also be posting on a consistent cadence. 

If you can't keep it up-to-date but the content is evergreen, well consider removing the dates. Whenever I encounter a blog article from a year and a half ago, it's kind of like walking into a hotel covered in dust. It might be an exceptional place but it feels a little abandoned. 

Your website is possibly the most valuable piece of your digital marketing strategy. Take your time, conduct an honest evaluation, ask for feedback and as always continue to experiment.

 

How to use copywriting in your marketing




Here's a reality. For the most part, people don't read, they scan. 

They'll jump from a headline to an image, and then scan a few bullet points. 

And this means, when it comes to the copy on your website, less is more.

 And with less words to work with, it's really important that you make each one count.

Writing engaging web copy starts with knowing your audience, because you're writing specifically for them and no one else. So you need to deliver your information in a way that meets their needs, and you have to be mindful of the fact that for whatever reason, they're likely in a hurry to find that information. 

So the goal is to write great copy, not just provide great content, and that's different. You might think to describe your software as 

"A multi-site networking and collaboration solution", 

but copywriting,  you would instead use the line, 

"Work together even when you're apart." 

As you can see, copywriting adds to the experience, it connects your customer to your brand, your purpose, and it tugs on their emotions a little. 

Now, if you'd like more of these examples, you can find them on Tom Albrighton's website, https://www.abccopywriting.com/ 

Now, as you approach your project, I want you to start by getting rid of any long introductions and word-heavy descriptions. 

Stick to clear, concise, and punctual copy. 

Use clever headings to your advantage and break up your text with bullet points. Now, one thing that I still see often is pages that put their headline as about us, or contact us for the page that you're on. 

Save that heading space for something captivating and attention-grabbing, especially on your landing pages. Now, as you move into the content, deliver the most important points of your story first and then add the supporting details as you go. 

This way, if a user stops reading early, well, they've got a gist of what you're trying to say. Now, before we get started, look at each page of your website and answer these questions. 

Who will read this copy? 

Why are they reading this copy? 

What should they feel when they read this page? 

What am I trying to accomplish with this copy, and what benefit and feature do I really want them to understand? 

Then, use these answers to build your first draft, save it, and then I want you to write it again with half as many words. 

Now, at some point, you might decide it's a good idea to hire a professional copywriter, and I cannot stress the importance of good copy enough. 

This is a worthwhile investment if you aren't able to spend the time to refine your own copywriting skills. 

You can utilize a copywriter to write slogans, add ideas, write entire websites, or even just very focused landing page copy. 

Now, most copywriters work on a daily or half daily rate and expect to pay anywhere from 600 to $800 per day. 

Write with the approach of connecting your audience to your business, convincing them to take the next steps and then affirming that conversion.

 

How to build landing pages that convert



Every page on your site has a goal, and it could be to distribute information, capture an email address, or sell a product. 

Now, you have between two and six seconds to convince a visitor to stay once they've arrived on your site. What happens is these visitors will take a glance, and then bounce right away if they're not interested. 

So with every campaign you're running, you want to be driving traffic to a very specific landing page. Having a specific destination allows you to reinforce the messaging that inspired the visitor to click. 

If I click an ad for discount eyeglass frames shipped to my door, I don't want to land on a page to book an appointment for an eye exam. 

You want to provide an attention-grabbing visual or headline, and frame that information in a way that helps the visitor navigate towards your goal. Because you control the landing page, you get to create messaging that affirms that the visitor is in the right place, so be sure that you're talking the most important information above the fold. 

In other words, what's visible on the screen before a user has to scroll. 

Now, some visitors will inevitably arrive on your homepage, and that's okay, but it's important to avoid campaigns that drive visitors directly to that homepage. 

It's the least conversion-friendly page on your website, and it tends to be fairly broad. 

Again, the key to making your website convert is to build goal-specific landing pages, and it's important to make sure that this landing page has 

1. your logo 💢, 

2. an explanation of the offer 🙌, 

3. a very compelling headline 💬, 

4. related testimonials 💭, 

5. and links to relevant reviews 👉✉,

6. along with a very strong call to action ✅. 

Be sure you're only asking the user to input as much information as needed for you to move them to the next stage of the funnel. 

The less friction, the better. After you build your landing page, well, it's important to continuously improve it. Now, if you're looking for landing page inspiration, check out land-book.com. 

It is a great place to see how other designers and marketers are implementing best practices....( Continue )   

Chapter # 5 Link here

" Hey Guys, thanks for reading till end, i have been trying hard to put quite much information to the course as possible for the readers to  read & digest. Don't forget to subscribe for next exciting episode of Digital Marketing"

Regards

Muhammad Waqar Ali.