How do you know if your digital strategy is working?

Don’t just chase numbers. Dive into that ocean of insights to understand your audience. Remember, it’s not about who can shout the loudest, it’s about who whispers the right words into the customer’s ears. In this digital era, it’s not enough to just sell a product or service, you’ve got to sell an experience. And the cornerstone of that experience? Authenticity. So let’s recalibrate that strategy compass to not only track our progress but also ensure that we are headed towards building meaningful connections and offering real value. Stay woke, stay relevant, fam.

The starting point of data collection is customer journeys. Assess the journeys customers are currently undertaking as they engage with your company and your brand. The volume and value of these journeys is important for you to prioritize your efforts on. While assessing customer journeys, move away from the product view to a customer view. You need to understand what is the job to be done by customers and not the transaction they are undertaking with your company. A customer getting a mortgage from a bank is not thinking of a mortgage as the job to be done rather is thinking about buying a home. When you think like that you can not only become more meaningful for customers but also play a bigger part in their journeys.

It’s about interpreting those numbers, finding the narrative hidden beneath the cold digits. Data is the language of your audience, so you gotta understand the dialects and accents. And those fancy visualization tools? They are your translator. But hey, let’s not just focus on ‘what is’, let’s also consider ‘what could be’. Let’s leverage predictive analytics to catch a glimpse of the future. Let’s not just play the game, let’s redefine it. So, collect, analyze, visualize, but most importantly, humanize your data. And remember, it ain’t about beating competitors, it’s about outdoing your past self. Always be leveling up, fam. Stay insightful.

And let’s not forget the dynamism of the digital landscape. It’s like trying to surf on quicksand. What worked yesterday might not work today. So, stay nimble, stay adaptable. But here’s the real gem: it’s not about being the loudest voice in the room, it’s about being the most resonant. That’s the key to cut through the cacophony of the digital market. Remember, it’s not just about fitting into the digital landscape, it’s about shaping it with your unique brand voice. Keep it savvy, keep it authentic, fam. Stay ahead of the game.

Understanding your target audience is paramount in shaping an effective digital strategy. Start by utilizing tools like Google Analytics embedded in your website. Under the reports menu, access User reports to gather insights into the geographic regions, demographic data such as gender and age, and even the main interests of your site's visitors. This information helps build the persona of your target audience. It guides you in tailoring your content and marketing strategies to resonate with them. It's a foundational step towards meaningful engagement.

The most important thing I can say is to move past vanity metrics (impressions, CTR, CPC) and focus on POST-click activity. How much content was read? Was something downloaded or contact form completed? Was there a second visit organically without a retargeting ad? Sellers want to focus on CTR and CPC. Buyers SHOULD focus on soft and hard conversions and click stream.