Issuu

completely revised edition

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v7.indd 3

4/10/2022 14:07

D/2022/45/495 – isbn 978 94 014 9075 7 – nur 802 cover design interior design

Ines Cox Banananas.net

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced and/or made public, by means of printing, photocopying, microfilm or any other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

LannooCampus Publishers Vaartkom 41 box 01.02 3000 Leuven Belgium www.lannoocampus.com

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 4

P.O. Box 23202 1100 DS Amsterdam Netherlands

30/09/2022 08:55

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

INTRODUCTION: PREPARE, RUN, OPTIMIZE!

PART I: PREPARE

CHAPTER 1: MARKET ANALYSIS

ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL EXTERNAL FACTORS FROM MARKET RESEARCH TO MARKET REPORT

PORTER’S FIVE FORCES (1979) COMPETITOR BENCHMARKING HOW TO PERFORM A COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

COMPETITIVE SWOT ANALYSIS (1982) DEFINING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE 4N STRATEGIC MODEL NOW: CUSTOMER CENTRICITY CUSTOMER LOYALTY, SATISFACTION AND RETENTION HOW TO ANALYZE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REICHHELD’S NET PROMOTER SCORE (2003) SOME CUSTOMER FEEDBACK TOOLS CUSTOMER INTELLIGENCE AND DATA SEGMENTATION DIGITAL MARKETING APPLICATIONS FOR CUSTOMER DATA HOW TO FIND OR VERIFY EMAIL ADDRESSES HOW TO CHOOSE A CRM SYSTEM GDPR AND EPRIVACY COMPLIANCE

NEXT: MARKET GROWTH CAPITALIZE ON YOUR STRENGTHS

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 5

21 22 24 26 27 28 30 32 33 35 36 37 38 38 39 40 40 41 43 44

30/09/2022 08:55

DIGITAL MARKETING LIKE A PRO

TURN CONSUMER TRENDS INTO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TREND CLASSIFICATION GROWTH HACKING THE GROWTH HACKER METHODOLOGY GENERAL GROWTH HACKING TACTICS FAMOUS GROWTH HACKING CASES

NEW: TRYING OUT INNOVATIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES NOT: THE STRATEGIC CHOICE TO IGNORE SOME MARKETS AGUILAR’S PESTLE ANALYSIS (1967)

BUYER PERSONAS AND THEIR JOBS TO BE DONE VALUE PROPOSITION ELEVATOR PITCH CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPING HOW TO CREATE A DIGITAL MARKETING PLAN AND CUSTOMER JOURNEY

45 46 48 49 50 51 53 55 56 56 61 62 63 65

CHAPTER 2: DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY

NOT A STRATEGY: GOING VIRAL

INBOUND MARKETING STRATEGY

67 69 71 73

CHAPTER 3: ACTION PLANS

DIGITAL MARKETING OBJECTIVES

77 79 81 84 84 86 89 90 91 92 94 95 96 98 99 99 100

SALES STRATEGY AND SOCIAL SELLING CIALDINI’S 6 PRINCIPLES OF INFLUENCE (1984)

MEASURING SUCCESS WITH KPIS SMARTINSIGHT’S RACE+R FRAMEWORK (2010) ANALYTICS AND METRICS CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD METRICS

REPORTING AND DASHBOARDS CHANNEL MIX BURCHER’S PAID OWNED EARNED MEDIA (2012) ICE SCORE

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES CONTENT PLANNING AND EDITORIAL CALENDAR GOOGLE’S HERO-HUB-HELP MODEL (2014)

BUDGET ALLOCATION AND ROI HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING BUDGET CALCULATING THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT HOW TO BUILD A DIGITAL MARKETING BUDGET PLAN DEFINING YOUR MARKETING MIX

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 6

30/09/2022 08:55

table of contents

PART II: RUN

101

CHAPTER 4: DIGITAL MARKETING TACTICS

105

YOUR WEBSITE OR E-COMMERCE SITE AS A MOBILE-FIRST CONVERSION MACHINE

106 106 107 108 109 112 113 114 115 115 117 118 120 122 123 124 127 128 128 129 131 132 133 133 134 134 135 135 136 138 138 140 141 143 144 144

HUB AND SPOKES MODEL YOUR WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ESSENTIAL WEBSITE PAGES OR SECTIONS HOW TO WRITE A CLEAR WEBSITE VALUE PROPOSITION WEBSITE METRICS RECOMMENDED GOOGLE ANALYTICS SETTINGS E-COMMERCE

CUSTOMER JOURNEY VS MARKETING OBJECTIVES AND TACTICS SEE (AWARENESS) PHASE OBJECTIVES AND TACTICS HOW TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND IDENTITY AND ASSETS HOW TO MAKE A VOICE AND TONE GUIDE HOW TO BUILD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MAPS FOR YOUR PERSONAS HOW TO ANALYZE BRAND SENTIMENT HOW TO INCREASE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP PERSONAL BRANDING ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL BRANDING HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOUR PERSONAL BRANDING

EMPLOYER BRANDING HOW TO ACE EMPLOYER BRANDING

MULTICHANNEL MARKETING EVENT SPONSORING THINK (CONSIDERATION) PHASE OBJECTIVES AND TACTICS SOCIAL SELLING HOW TO FIND PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

CALL-TO-ACTIONS, OFFERS AND PROMOTIONS BUY (ACTIVATION) PHASE OBJECTIVES AND TACTICS E-COMMERCE RESEARCH ONLINE, PURCHASE OFFLINE (ROPO) GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE (FORMERLY GOOGLE MY BUSINESS) LEAD MANAGEMENT/SCORING MARKETING AUTOMATION HOW TO SEGMENT YOUR EMAILING SUBSCRIBER LIST

REMARKETING BANT/CRUX SALES QUALIFICATION

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 7

30/09/2022 08:55

DIGITAL MARKETING LIKE A PRO

USE (LOYALTY) PHASE OBJECTIVES AND TACTICS EMAIL MARKETING MANUAL EMAIL DELIVERY TRIGGERED SENDS AUTOMATED SENDS CUSTOMER CARE HOW TO HANDLE DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS

COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL ONLINE COMMUNITY HOW TO KEEP YOUR COMMUNITY ENGAGED

SOCIAL LISTENING EXPERIENCE/EVENT MARKETING BEFORE THE EVENT DURING THE EVENT AFTER THE EVENT

LOVE (ADVOCACY) PHASE OBJECTIVES AND TACTICS REFERRAL MARKETING AND AFFILIATE MARKETING DIFFERENT TYPES OF AFFILIATE MARKETING

INFLUENCER MARKETING

145 146 146 147 148 149 150 150 151 152 153 153 154 154 154 155 156 157 157

CHAPTER 5: DIGITAL MARKETING CHANNELS

161

CHANNELS VERSUS TOUCH POINTS

161 163 163 165 166 168 169 169 170 170 172 173 174 175 175 176 176 177 178

WHATSAPP FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION BUSINESS APPLICATIONS FOR WHATSAPP

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING BEST PRACTICES

FACEBOOK PAGES NATIVE CONTENT ON FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK GROUPS FACEBOOK GROUP BEST PRACTICES

INSTAGRAM BUSINESS PROFILE INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES

WEB VIDEO YOUTUBE CHANNEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL BEST PRACTICES YOUTUBE VIDEO ENGAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES YOUTUBE MOVIE FORMATS FOR BUSINESS

TIKTOK CHANNEL TIKTOK CHANNEL BEST PRACTICES TIKTOK VIDEO ENGAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 8

30/09/2022 08:55

table of contents

CUSTOMER REVIEW PLATFORMS

178 180 181 182

CHAPTER 6: ONLINE ADVERTISING

185

FACEBOOK ADS AND INSTAGRAM ADS

187 188 189 190 191 191

BANNERS/DISPLAY ADVERTISING BANNER BLOCKING AND ADS STANDARDS SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

YOUTUBE ADS TIKTOK ADS GOOGLE ADS FACEBOOK MESSENGER BOTS FACEBOOK MESSENGER CHATBOT BEST PRACTICES

PART III: OPTIMIZE

193

CHAPTER 7: DIGITAL MARKETING OPTIMIZATION

197

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) OPTIMIZING YOUR WEBSITE QUICK WEBSITE AUDIT SEO AUDIT TOOLS HOW TO OPTIMIZE THE CONTENT ON YOUR WEBSITE FOR SEARCH ENGINES HOW TO PERFORM A KEYWORD ANALYSIS TECHNICAL ON-SITE SEO LOCAL SEARCH AND GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE TOP 5 FACTORS THAT MATTER TO RANK HIGH LOCALLY LINK BUILDING SOCIAL SIGNALS

CONVERSION RATE OPTIMIZATION OPTIMIZING YOUR WEBSITE FOR CONVERSIONS

A/B TESTING AND HEAT MAPS WEBSITE UX/DESIGN OPTIMIZATION HOW TO OPTIMIZE THE UX ON YOUR WEBSITE

ADVERTISING PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION HOW TO PERFORM A PAID MEDIA AUDIT

PROGRAMMATIC BUYING

AFTERWORD

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 9

197 198 198 199 200 201 201 202 202 204 205 205 205 207 208 208 209 210 212 215

30/09/2022 08:55

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

I wrote the first version of this book because, back in 2018, I was looking for an all-encompassing handbook on digital marketing but couldn’t find it. Over the years, it has been fine-tuned by the many readers, fellow marketing professionals and students who have provided me with their honest feedback. Thank you! Here is just a glimpse of who else might find this book of use… -

You are a college or university student taking a digital marketing course. Some of this handbook might be a bit advanced for your needs, but it can serve as a resource for anyone who wants to learn more about specific digital marketing subjects. You might want to jump straight to Part II, where we explain the channels and tactics you will need to learn about before getting started. You are a digital marketing trainer, using this handbook as a guideline for what you teach. You will find a lot of definitions and frameworks in here but will have to add your own cases and examples. Use the Prepare-RunOptimize model as the overall structure of your course. marketing professional with an eye for the hard metrics, such as sales numbers. To grow your customer base, you might need to Prepare and refine the existing strategy. Once you have that Running, you know the drill: Optimize, rinse, repeat. You are a new digital marketing professional for a more established company. Hit the ground Running by implementing the tried-and-trusted

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 10

30/09/2022 08:55

THANK YOU

tactics in the most relevant channels. Then dare to Optimize: if you can’t bill it, kill it! A digital marketer’s work is never done, and most of the concepts and tools outlined in this book will have changed before the (digital) ink has dried on the page. Reading this book is the first step in your digital journey. Use it to start learning – and never stop.

List Tip Framework Checklist External resources Reference to other chapters in the book Question Want to know more? Quote

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 11

30/09/2022 08:55

INTRODUCTION: PREPARE, RUN, OPTIMIZE!

Digital marketing is hard work. Nowadays it’s possible to customize and personalize advertising and messaging depending on the context. Literally every step you take in the digital marketplace can be measured and analyzed. So how do you do manage to accomplish your growth ambitions without wasting money, resources and time? Simple: by asking yourself the right questions.

optimize prepare

run

The Prepare-Run-Optimize flow

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 12

30/09/2022 08:55

INTRODUCTION

PREPARE: by designing strategies and setting objectives to feed your marketing plans. How do you align your Marketing Strategy with your organization’s business goals? How does the Digital Marketing Strategy relate to the overall marketing objectives? What types of Action Plans should I make? RUN: by implementing measurable tactics in the right channels using the right tools. Tactics that work – How will you implement your strategy? Channels and tools to select – Where and how will you be present and active on digital platforms? OPTIMIZE: and never stop improving until you get the right results. Digital marketing optimization – How can you sustainably optimize your efforts? And why digital marketing, you ask? The explosion of digital communication channels and smart devices (such as web, email, social, search, mobile, AR/VR, gaming consoles, billboards, and so on) has led us all into a brave new world of blogs, vlogs, tweets, snaps and likes. And yet, digital marketing is not about technology; it is about people. The technology is only interesting when it allows the marketer to connect with the target audience more effectively. And it will, because that same audience is already online. Another good reason to go the digital marketing route: you can measure results (and ROI) more accurately. The digital sphere is almost entirely measurable, and often data comes in real time. You can see precisely how various campaigns are performing, which channels have the most benefit, and where to best focus your efforts. Sometimes results provide painful insights, but there’s a positive side to it, too: you have the opportunity to refine and adjust your strategy. Furthermore, digital is highly useful for time-sensitive services, products and events. You can measure results more efficiently (and adjust your campaign on the fly if needed). Your marketing spend becomes super cost-effective!

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 13

30/09/2022 08:55

DIGITAL MARKETING LIKE A PRO

And one final pro-digital argument: your audience can be segmented with precision, even down to factors like current location and recent brand interactions, which means that messages can (and must!) be personalized and tailored to them. Of course, like everything, digital marketing also has its downsides. Given the relatively new nature of digital marketing and the democratization of the internet, there is a flood of information overload as well as myths and make-believe, which can cause painful misunderstandings and disappointment. Some examples: Digital marketing is only for big business. We need to be on every imaginable social platform in order to not miss out. We need an app. – Why? – Because we need one. If we upload this TV ad to social media, it will go viral. Email marketing is dead/spam. As you will learn throughout this book, digital marketing is for everyone, even the startups with tiny marketing budgets, but it does have its own specific uses and strategies. In other words: digital marketing is the new marketing. In a digital age, you simply cannot conceive of a marketing campaign without at its core a digital strategy that connects, enables and empowers each part of the overall campaign. Are traditional marketing channels such as print, radio and TV dead? Of course not. These channels still play a significant role in your digital marketing strategy, depending on your marketing objectives and your target audience. How ever, if you take a step back, you will notice that digital marketing has become an integral and crucial part of marketing as a whole.

It is not about doing ‘digital marketing’. It is about marketing effectively in a digital world. (Ivan Menezes, CEO of Diageo) In some definitions of marketing, consumers are wholly overlooked: marketing is defined as ‘the action or business of promoting and selling products and services, including market research and advertising.’

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 14

30/09/2022 08:55

INTRODUCTION

In reality, good marketing is about reaching the right people at the right time and the right place with the appropriate message. Good marketing messages motivate people to take the appropriate action. Bad marketing is simple: it is everything considered by people as spam. In a 2018 blog post titled ‘Marketing just means being considerate’, CD Baby founder and TED speaker Derek Sivers leaves no doubt as to what marketing really is: Really, ‘marketing’ just means being considerate. Marketing means making it easy for people to notice you, relate to you, remember you, and tell their friends about you. Marketing means listening for what people need and creating something surprisingly special for them. Marketing means getting to know people, making a deeper connection, and keeping in touch. Before we continue, there’s one more misunderstanding to clear up: the difference between online marketing and digital marketing. Online marketing stands for achieving marketing objectives through web-based technology using devices like computers, tablets and smartphones, and channels like email, search engines, the (mobile) web and social media. Digital marketing is more inclusive: it is all about achieving marketing objectives through applying digital technologies, used on devices like computers, tablets, smartphones, regular cell phones, digital billboards, and even game consoles. Typical digital marketing tactics can consist of those mentioned above, as well as mobile apps, digital billboards, SMS messages, and so on.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Principles of Marketing (17th Edition), by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong (2017) This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See (2018), by Seth Godin Marketing 5.0: Technology for Humanity (2021) by Philip Kotler , Hermawan Kartajaya, et al.

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 15

30/09/2022 08:55

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 16

30/09/2022 08:55

PART I

PREPARE

I P A R T P R E P A R E

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 17

30/09/2022 08:55

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 18

30/09/2022 08:55

Can you come up with a digital marketing plan? Don’t confuse marketing strategy with the adoption of fancy new digital marketing technology. The overall attitude of whoever determines the marketing strategy in your company is crucial: their most important job is to create and continuously adjust the strategic bridge between business goals and (digital) marketing objectives. Even if your task is to come up with a snappy online advertising campaign, without a plan nothing happens. And without a strategy, there’s no point in planning. Strategy is about focus: making the right choices about what to do, and what to ignore. A (Strategic) Digital Marketing Plan is not only a document, but also a process. Even though you manage to keep the eventual presentation under 15 slides, it takes a lot of time and effort to get there. What will your long-term end goal/focus be? How will the ends (objectives) be achieved by the means (channels, tactics, tools, resources)? This will probably not come as a surprise to you, but strategy was initially a military term. It refers to a long-term plan of action that consists mainly of planning and directing overall military operations and movements that help you win the battle. Professor Richard P. Rumelt of the University of California offers a crystal clear definition of what a strategy is:

Strategy is about how an organization will move forward. (Richard P. Rumelt, author of ‘Good Strategy/Bad Strategy’) According to Rumelt, the kernel of a strategy contains three elements: 1

A diagnosis that defines or explains the nature of the challenge. A proper diagnosis simplifies the often overwhelming complexity of reality by identifying certain aspects of the situation as critical.

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 19

30/09/2022 08:55

part i - prepare

2 A guiding policy for dealing with the challenge. This is an overall approach chosen to cope with or overcome the obstacles identified in the diagnosis. 3 A set of coherent actions that are designed to carry out the guiding policy. These are steps that are coordinated to work together in accomplishing that policy. Translated to your digital marketing strategy, these three elements are: Market analysis followed by a diagnosis of the internal and external factors that are critical for your company’s future. 2 A marketing strategy aligned with the business goals. 3 Planning of digital marketing actions for the next year 1

This could be the outline of your start-up’s elevator pitch to potential investors, your master’s thesis for a graduate training, or the briefing document for next advertising campaign.

If you can’t describe your strategy in twenty minutes, simply and in plain language, you haven’t got a plan. ‘But,’ people may say, ‘I’ve got a complex strategy. It can’t be reduced to a page.’ That’s nonsense. That’s not a complex strategy. It’s a complex thought about a strategy. (Larry Bossidy, chair of Honeywell)

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters, by Richard P. Rumelt (2011) Strategy: A History, by Lawrence Freedman (2013) Your Strategy Needs a Strategy: How to Choose and Execute the Right Approach, by Martin Reeves and Knut Haanaes (2015)

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 20

30/09/2022 08:55

0 1 MARKET ANALYSIS

What are the potential markets for my products and services? Market research is the quantitative and qualitative assessment of a market.

ANALYSIS OF CRITICAL EXTERNAL FACTORS Marketing without research is like driving with your eyes closed. (Dan Zarrella, social media scientist)

Deploying your digital marketing strategy without market research is like making every first date a blind date. You are bound to waste a lot of time, energy and resources! Usually, a market analysis is performed to feed a business plan, but it is also crucial when mapping your customers’ online behavior. And here’s the good news: if you want to, you can be a fly on the wall, especially when you do your market research through social media channels. This proverbial fly can also

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 21

30/09/2022 08:55

part i - prepare

spy on the competition: learn from their strategies and tactics and determine what could work for you.

Learn the language of your customers, uncover emerging trends and study your customers’ everyday online activities so you can integrate these into your digital marketing efforts.

FROM MARKET RESEARCH TO MARKET REPORT 1

Identify the business problems. Focus on the frustrations of your customers and the reasons people no longer want to buy from you – so you can have these issues fixed.

You want to be extra-rigorous about making the best possible thing you can. Find everything that’s wrong with it and fix it. Seek negative feedback. (Elon Musk, (co-)founder and CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink)

2 3 4

Define the research objectives and express them in quantitative and qualitative form. Explain what the findings will be used for (e.g. for product development). Design a framework for the way you will perform the study: what to collect (type of information), from where to collect, how to collect (methods, tools, techniques), why to collect (define an action plan). Plan the market sample: find out who should be reached as a target audience, observe the size of this population (make sure it is big enough), and discover ways to learn more about this target audience. Focus on your primary markets: where do most of your customers currently come from?

Digital_Markting_like_a_pro_2_v6.indd 22

30/09/2022 08:55