I have been working in digital marketing and studying its ins and outs for over 5 years.

In the beginning, things seemed overwhelming. I remember very well thinking “This is too much” or “I`m never going to get it right”. But it was not the world of Digital Marketing that scared me. It was this faulty mindset: believing it’s complicated. And yeah, it’s not as simple as 1+1, do this and that and you will get it right immediately.

One of the most important things to remember when doing anything is that: knowledge and results take time. Especially in the fast-changing world of digital marketing, consumer behaviour and online habits: we are all constantly learning and adapting.

As an eager student of the digital world, I am excited to share my knowledge with you. So, let us start by looking at the basics.

What are the top 3 things you need to consider before doing anything digital?

1. Set realistic goals

Your goals are your guiding posts. Knowing what you want to achieve is the very first thing you should understand. Nothing comes before that.

Whatever other actions you want to take: build an advertising campaign, research keywords, optimise your web page — all of those will not matter if you do not understand why you are doing it.

As the famous author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek says: You always need to start with your WHY.

It is also important that those goals are realistic. Don’t aim too high! That hurts! Especially if you are just starting out (or not). Set small, achievable goals. Set even smaller milestones — KPIs (key performance indicators). This way, you will be able to steadfastly measure your success and make adjustments where necessary.

2. Use analytics to understand user behaviour

Once you are clear on your objectives and you`ve set your plan in motion, you should be able to measure them.

There is no point in doing something if you are not able to estimate whether the chosen actions are bringing you closer to your desired goal. Tools such as Google Analytics and Bing Webmaster Tools are excellent for understanding user behaviour and conversion tracking.

Make sure to keep an eye on your numbers regularly. Leaving any campaign stale for too long will most likely lead to a decline in numbers or usability.

3. Be flexible on your goals and approaches

Flexibility is key. Not only in gymnastics. 🙂 Being able to pivot when things are not working is an essential skill.

Learn to recognize your limits and flaws instead of ignoring them. Aim to understand well what is working and even better what is not.

Also, try to remain on top of the trends in your field. Sometimes, even if a campaign has performed well for a long time, a change in trends might require you to pivot in a new direction. And that’s okay.

Similar to Game of Thrones writer — R.R. Martin’s policy: “You need to kill your darlings” (sometimes this is the key to a fascinating story).

A Pro Tip:

Try not to be dependent on a single technology or a platform. Aim to mix and match your content and your digital presence across different platforms. This way, your survival rate will increase, in case of an internet disaster.

To sum it up:

To set your project up for success: get clear on your why and set realistic goals. Your next step is the ability to measure your success. Once you have the data, make an informed decision and pivot where necessary.

Hope this was fun and easy enough!

See you in the next one.