What's the best way to find gaps in your digital marketing strategy?

A digital marketing strategy is a plan that outlines how you use online channels to achieve your business goals. It covers aspects such as your target audience, value proposition, content, SEO, social media, email, ads, analytics, and more. But how do you know if your strategy is working well or if there are gaps that need to be addressed? In this article, we'll show you some ways to find and fix the gaps in your digital marketing strategy.

1 Audit your current situation

The first step to finding gaps in your digital marketing strategy is to audit your current situation. This means reviewing your existing online presence, performance, and resources. You can use tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Moz, or HubSpot to collect and analyze data on your website traffic, conversions, keywords, rankings, backlinks, content, and more. You can also conduct a SWOT analysis to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to your competitors and your industry.

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Nishit Gururani

Brand Strategist for Architects, Designers & Luxury Design Brands | Digital Marketing & AI Enthusiast | Founder @onedigital - Leading Full-Service Agency | Self-Taught Creative Visualizer
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To audit your situation, it is important to identify TOP competitors. Then review your existing online presence, performance, and budgets. You can use tools such as Answer the Public, UberSuggerst, SEMrush, or Moz to audit your current conversions, keywords, rankings, backlinks, content, and more. Further, a subjective analysis based on your marketing budget vs expectation is an important step in auditing the current situation.

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2 Define your goals and KPIs

The next step to finding gaps in your digital marketing strategy is to define your goals and KPIs. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). They should align with your overall business objectives and vision. Your KPIs should be indicators that measure your progress and success towards your goals. They should be relevant, quantifiable, and actionable. For example, if your goal is to increase your website conversions by 10% in the next quarter, your KPIs could be conversion rate, bounce rate, average order value, etc.

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Alex Graziano

Marketing & Branding
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I would modify this example. If your goal is to increase website conversions, conversion rate, time spent on the site, and bounce rate are relevant. Average order value is not relevant. I would also consider exit rates. You may be losing customers on your homepage, sales page, or any page on your website. It's critical to know which page is most problematic, because this can help to focus your efforts.

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3 Identify your target audience and personas

The third step to finding gaps in your digital marketing strategy is to identify your target audience and personas. Your target audience is the group of people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services. Your personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers based on their demographics, psychographics, behaviors, needs, and pain points. You can use tools such as Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, surveys, interviews, or focus groups to gather data and insights on your target audience and personas. You can also use tools such as HubSpot, Xtensio, or MakeMyPersona to create and visualize your personas.

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Alex Graziano

Marketing & Branding
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I agree with this step, but do think it's missing the most critical aspect of your analysis: existing customers. To determine your target audience, you should identify who is already buying and advocating for your product. Companies can lose by failing to acknowledge who is actually buying their product versus who they want to be buying their product. A great example of this is Timberland boots, who were adopted by an unintended audience (work wear vs urban wear) and eventually leaned into it with success.

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4 Evaluate your content and channels

The fourth step to finding gaps in your digital marketing strategy is to evaluate your content and channels. Your content is the information and messages that you create and share with your audience. Your channels are the platforms and mediums that you use to distribute your content. You can use tools such as Google Analytics, BuzzSumo, or Content Audit to assess the quality, relevance, and performance of your content. You can also use tools such as Google Analytics, Sprout Social, or Mailchimp to measure the effectiveness, reach, and engagement of your channels.

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5 Implement and optimize your strategy

The fifth step to finding gaps in your digital marketing strategy is to implement and optimize your strategy. This means taking action on the findings and insights from the previous steps and applying them to your digital marketing plan. You can use tools such as Asana, Trello, or CoSchedule to organize and manage your tasks, projects, and campaigns. You can also use tools such as Google Optimize, Hotjar, or Crazy Egg to test and improve your website design, layout, and user experience.

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6 Monitor and measure your results

The final step to finding gaps in your digital marketing strategy is to monitor and measure your results. This means tracking and analyzing your data and metrics on a regular basis and comparing them to your goals and KPIs. You can use tools such as Google Analytics, Google Data Studio, or DashThis to create and visualize your reports and dashboards. You can also use tools such as Google Alerts, Mention, or Brandwatch to monitor your online reputation, sentiment, and feedback.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What's the best way to find gaps in your digital marketing strategy?

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1 Audit your current situation

2 Define your goals and KPIs

3 Identify your target audience and personas

4 Evaluate your content and channels

5 Implement and optimize your strategy

6 Monitor and measure your results

7 Here’s what else to consider

Digital Strategy

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What's the best way to find gaps in your digital marketing strategy?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Audit your current situation

2 Define your goals and KPIs

3 Identify your target audience and personas

4 Evaluate your content and channels

5 Implement and optimize your strategy

6 Monitor and measure your results

7 Here’s what else to consider

Digital Strategy

Rate this article

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