If you have ever sat down and looked at the tools available for digital marketing without prior training, the seemingly endless plethora of options can be overwhelming.
Even as a professional there can sometimes be a moment as I start to develop strategies for a client where finding the right path to reach the desired outcome can be hard to pinpoint. There is the challenge of choosing platforms, doing-it-yourself or paid design considerations, online advertising, the list goes on. And you must partake, with digital media platforms providing cutting edge technology to enhance business,1 leaving small organizations vulnerable to obsoletion if they don’t get on board.2
The solution in many cases is simplification.
One of the fundamental lessons we are taught in business is the importance of a rational decision-making process,3 in which situations and objectives are analyzed intelligently, informed options are presented, and a course of action taken.
Digital marketing can be approached in the same way.
One of the recurring themes of the initial consultations with my clients is something I have come to call toolbox marketing, where we break down all the available options into their general purpose and capabilities, defining their use as ‘tools’. Then we establish the desired outcomes and objectives before looking at what aspects of digital media could be used to reach these targets.
Define the job that needs doing and you’ve found the tool you are going to use; looking for rapid networking with flexible eCommerce options Facebook is your answer,4 if you’re growing an online brand presence and product engagement use Instagram.5
Now this isn’t to say that you can’t use these same tools in different ways, quite the opposite in fact. Digital social platforms are increasingly interchangeable and feature much of the same functionality as they compete for popularity and user proliferation. The fact is the right platform to drive your business forward could be all of them.
Keep it simple using the toolbox approach and it will help streamline your content generation and put you back in control of your brand presence and growth.
Further Reading
1. Kaplan AM, Haenlein M. Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media
2. Yamine M, Ellis N, Pedic DF, Tan B. SMEs and digital communication technologies: A qualitative market research report prepared for the ACMA by GfK Australia
3. Al-Tarawneh HA. The Main Factors beyond Decision Making
4. Singh M, Gobindbir S. Impact of social media on e-commerce
5. Haufe, Helfried; Muschter, Kerstin; Siegert, Joachim; Böttcher H. Digital visual engagement: influencing purchase intentions on Instagram