I get asked by businesses all the time what are areas that they need to focus on to grow sales? It’s a great question that can foster a plethora of answers, but I always answer the question the same way - “How’s your marketing core”?

My answer always gets a puzzled look, and I explain that I’m speaking from a Pilates perspective. I’m currently studying Pilates to help strengthen my core to overcome a serious back injury.
Pilates has been teaching me that a strong, stable core is the key to overall balance in the body.  If you relate that to business, strong sales and digital marketing strategy become the core to overall balance for the company.

To build that solid core strategy, we need to examine what I consider the 6 critical factors to digital marketing success in today’s marketplace.  It does not matter that your company sells discrete IO devices, or herbal tea, the 6 critical factors still apply.

Before we get into the 6 critical factors, let's look at the current trends in business today.  We know that businesses today need to have a solid online presence to remain competitive.  Ranking in search engines is no longer optional; it can make or break companies.

Brick and mortar stores are being overtaken by online shopping services like Amazon and Shopify.  Individuals are making money reselling products via Amazon and Shopify as a service to their customers. Many customers would rather just shop online when it is convenient for them, and have someone else worry about shipping the products to them.

Now that we have presented some of the trends that are happening online let’s look at how we strengthen our digital marketing strategy by working on our 6 pack.

Digital 6 Pack – The 6 Critical Digital Marketing Strategies to consider for growth:

1. SEO - Search Engine Optimization is my top pick for factors that will affect your business.  The digital landscape is becoming more and more competitive, and companies need to continually refine their SEO to remain in the top ten for searches.  Don’t get me wrong, SEO can be scary and sometimes cost several thousands of dollars.  We teach businesses to start small and really identify the key words and phrases that describe their business; set up periodic audits to see analytics and determine what is working and not working. There is no point in pouring money into a strategy that is ineffective.
   

2. Google Analytics – I have always lived by the motto “If you can’t measure it then why are you doing it.” Properly setting up Google Analytics on your website provides you with so much useful data. Used properly, I can tell where my traffic comes from, who my traffic is, and what time of week they hit my site. I will admit that Google Analytics can be overwhelming without a little training but where it shines, is telling a business what activities to invest marketing dollars in.  Why invest marketing budget in activities that are proven not to be driving traffic to your website.
   

3. Google AdWords - This is an area that most companies farm out as it can be a full-time job to manage.  Agencies who provide these services often charge a premium.  If done properly the data that can be gained from AdWords’ campaigns can tell you a lot about the buying trends of your customers.  If you can determine where your customers come from and what their buying patterns are, you can target your marketing to hit them earlier in the sales cycle and shorten the time between awareness and closing.
   

4. [an error occurred while processing this directive]Email Marketing - Email marketing gets a bad rap these days as companies are concerned with being considered “spammers.” Email marketing is still the best way for salespeople to communicate with their customers. Now there has to be more creativity with subject lines and offers, but when push comes to shove email marketing is a tried and true method of selling to existing clients.
   

5. Content Creation and Strategy - Google always said that “Content is King on the Internet.”  That statement could not be truer today.  With millennials now in management and decision-making positions, content marketing is a powerful tool in creating new relationships and sales.  Millennials have been taught in school not to memorize information but rather how to search for it on the internet.   Where do they find the answers to their questions, in blogs, posts, forums, and message boards?  Essentially, they find their answers in places that post relevant content.  Blogs and YouTube videos are the places where millennials go for answers.  Type “What type of control system is best for energy efficiency,” and see what type of videos come up http://tinyurl.com/y8p3gj44. People will watch a video before they read a blog post or website, so do not rule out video marketing and video SEO.
   

6. Social Selling - Social selling is one of the most effective ways to engage with clients that you do not know.  By definition, it is the act of engaging prospective clients through social media where you build a relationship with people before you pitch a sale.  I have tried this technique for the past four weeks for Q Academy, and I have closed four clients through Facebook conversations.  These conversations have all taken place between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm.  I asked all four clients why they chose to work with me, and the collective answer was that they were too busy during the day to answer emails or phone calls, but they liked the fact that I responded to them on the medium of their choice WHEN they wanted to converse with me.  Knowing where your customers are and communicating when, and how they want, has created a huge business stream for us, and it can work for you too.
   

Hopefully, you are not too sore after reading this article and giving your digital marketing core a workout. By keeping your digital marketing core tight, you will ultimately control your marketing budget by not wasting money on activities that do not produce results.  That means that you will have more marketing dollars to spend on activities that are measurable and provide proven results.

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