Picking the Destination: Where Does My Brand Need to Be? - Levelwing

In our new series, re:Adventure, we will be working with you on the steps to build a roadmap for your business’s digital strategy. Along the way, we’ll be exploring the best ways to improve business intelligence with data from your marketing campaigns + beyond, preparing for any speed bumps you may encounter, and making sure we keep the best company (tools, technology + more). Owning a business is quite the adventure, and keeping up in the digital landscape can be tough without the proper plan in place. So if you’re up for it, come along for the ride.

Much like picking a vacation spot, you have to be aware of your unique opportunities and needs in the digital space. If you want to relax, then chances are, you shouldn’t go to a loud, crowded tourist destination. If you’re really active, you should choose a place with more to do than sit on the beach. Similarly, choosing where you want to be in the digital space relies a lot upon your business goals and where you want to be found. Sure, there are search engines. But where else will your audience be looking for your brand? Doing your research is important because there is almost an endless amount of choices: Google, Bing, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, forums, blogs, Quora, Google+, Vine, Vimeo, YouTube… you get the idea.

Where Should I Be?

Although there are tons of platforms to be on, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should be on all of them. Our recommendation is usually to do a few things–and do them well. Instead of trying to be on every single social platform, for example, choose two or three that are the most practical for your business goals and target audience. If you’re a B2B company with an affluent target consumer, LinkedIn is probably a safe bet. If you’re a B2C with a young audience, Facebook might be the place for you. Taking the time to learn where you need to be–as opposed to simply where you want to be–will pay off in your roadmap planning.

Specify Strategies

Once you’ve decided where you need to be, it’s time to consider how you’re going to present your brand once you’re there. Remember how I said to pick a few things and execute your initiatives well? What I mean is that you’ll need to create a specific strategy for each digital initiative you undertake. Your paid search ads will not utilize the same copy as your social updates; your consumer response and Pinterest strategies will be completely different. The reason this is important is because each initiative has its own unique audience and its own unique form of engagement to connect with that audience.

Measuring Impact

How can you tell if your digital initiatives are a success? It’s easy: measurement. When deciding where in the digital sphere you want your brand to be, you have to implement a measurement system for each. Establish key performance indicators and a way to monitor them. Measuring success is what will propel you into the future and make your journey a fruitful one. Effective measurement essentially guarantees that you will have insights + trends to capitalize on. You will be able to optimize your re:Adventure for efficiency + effectiveness.

Once you have answered these questions, you will be ready to start packing for your journey of growing your business.

This article was syndicated with permission by Asking Smarter Questions .

Steve Parker, Jr. is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Levelwing, a digital advertising agency that provides data-driven marketing solutions. Steve can be reached at sparker@levelwing.com. Follow me on Twitter at @sparkerjr.

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