This article focuses on how digital marketing should be seen as a long-term investment and not planned for the short term. How do you approach marketing? Do you believe in making long-term investments or do short-term goals have a better impact on your business? When it comes to ways of running a business, there are two possible things to do. Launching with a bang but fizzling out with a whimper. Or making a moderate entry (that few noticed) but sustaining over time and thus having a greater impact.
There are numerous examples in history that teach us the importance of sustainable marketing. Take the example of Kodak. When it launched, it was ahead of its time. It dominated the photographic film market for most of the 20th century. But when at the turn of the century, the world went digital, it failed to capitalize on the new technology. The result? Today Kodak barely exists.
Nokia too has a similar story. As the first company to create a cellular network, everyone expected it to stay for the long run. But when other mobile companies started concentrating on data-based phones, Nokia ignored the trend. Today, Nokia no longer dominates the mobile market. In both these cases, the companies didn’t think for the long term. They refused to innovate or go with the changing preferences of the audience. As a result, they failed.
In digital marketing too, you must think for the long-term. Unless you gauge the changing demands of your industry, you will not survive. It can be useless to launch with a bang unless you sustain over changing market dynamics. What works better than bling and bang is consistency. Instead of following the crowd and doing anything and everything, seeing the marketing strategy through the lifetime of your business is more important. The only way forward is through is to acknowledge that digital marketing is long-term.
The Importance of Having a Lasting Digital Marketing Campaign
In journalism, it is very important to report the news first. But ask the veterans and they will say that getting accurate reports is even better. In the Reuters Handbook of Journalism this very fact finds mention – “Accuracy … always takes precedence over speed” Even in digital marketing, this holds the truth. You should only stress about performing consistently if you want to play for the long term. In the digital realm, it is easy to make a big announcement or launch with lots of fanfare, but the real challenge is to continuously work hard in the background to sustain the buzz. For that, you must have a proper strategy.
In SEO, it can be easier to boost rankings by using black hat methods. Adopting such methods will surely show you immediate results, but at a cost. Search engines are known to quickly penalize companies that use black hat SEO and this will do you more harm than good. But by following the standard SEO practices, you ensure being in the game for the long term. Surely, it will take time and you must be persistent with your efforts – but the end is much sweeter and more fruitful.
Resisting the Urge to Follow Every Trend
In the digital marketing space, nothing stays stagnant for long. If today a TikTok song is viral, tomorrow another type of video content will rule the charts. Moreover, with rapidly evolving technology all around, newer trends are coming and going ever so often. Following trends aggressively is not only risky but will eventually burn out your team. You shouldn’t be following trends blindly. You must always remember your brand’s goals, vision, and values. If a trend doesn’t suit your sensibilities, ignore it.
Recalibrating Long-term Goals When Required
It is easy to be swept away by your day-to-day digital marketing programs. But you must make it a point to revisit your long-term goals to recalibrate efforts when needed. While running a digital marketing campaign, take your team back to the discussion table. Ask one another – what are our goals? What do we plan to achieve today, tomorrow, next month, or in the next quarter? Discussing these things will help you see things in perspective and you can plan better. So, instead of following all kinds of trends, leverage your resources so that they are efficiently used.
Keep Tracking All Ongoing Campaigns
It is tempting to run multiple digital marketing campaigns and consequently forget all about them. Don’t do that. Consistently test all your campaigns. This way you will know what is earning you the highest return on investment and which campaign is lagging. Testing and re-testing campaigns will tell you what is working for the audience and what’s not. But as you test the viability of a campaign, it is also necessary to not jump to conclusions based just on stats. A campaign may not have the best click-through rate or may not be generating expected leads, – it doesn’t mean it won’t work in the future. Keep the campaign running for some more time. Be patient and you will see better returns over time. But even after a few months if the campaign is still not working, you may scrap it for a better plan.
Stress on Evergreen Content
Following trends may fetch your numbers right away but leads may not convert into paying customers. Stress on developing a strategy that is evergreen. Build videos, offsite content, blog articles, etc. that remain relevant and informational over time.
By focusing on evergreen content, you work for the future which makes you smarter. Building a lasting foundation will have a long-term positive impact on your brand. A great example here is the building of content pillar pages. As a one-stop shop for all sorts of articles about your industry (with cross-linking), you get to build credibility and authority.
Working with An Efficient Digital Marketing Team
Once you realize that your digital marketing goals should be for the long-term, you need to get a team of experts on board who align with your ideas. Cyrusson Inc. is a boutique digital marketing agency that believes in delivering long-term results. Immediate returns, leads, and sales may have the bling, but we know that in the long run, a sustainable marketing plan always works. If you think this is the type of agency you want to associate with, contact us today.