The face of marketing has changed significantly in the past few decades and even more so in the past few years. People are more informed when making purchases, thanks to the overwhelming availability of information online for virtually all products, companies, and people. Now, followers are your potential customers. As a result, digital marketing has become the preferred marketing strategy for many companies that exist today.

Even so, not all companies have a solid marketing strategy from which they work. While many companies are successfully trucking along without any clear digital marketing strategy, they are not necessarily harnessing the full power of this online trend. If you are serious about making gains with your company or brand, then you must create a clear, actionable digital marketing strategy.

Not totally convinced your company needs one? Here are seven reasons why your company needs one stat:

1. A clear strategy will help you focus

Most companies want to increase their online reach by getting more Instagram followers or growing their Facebook page. This, however, does not serve as a sufficient goal. Companies must determine how many followers they want and by how much they want to increase their conversion rate. Without a clear, written strategy, it is difficult for companies to come up with an effective action plan since they aren’t quite clear on what their goals are.

2. Existing & start-up competitors will take your potential customers

Digital marketing is a very competitive industry and if you’re not actively competing then you are losing. For every hour that you are not making your brand known and accessible, you are losing potential customers to your competitors and all of your future competitors. This alone, should inspire you to get your digital marketing game strong.

3. Help you optimize and adapt

With a well-written plan, companies are able to regularly check in on their current methods and determine if they are working as effectively as planned. A plan can not only help you set goals, but it can also include built-in “check-ups” that allow you to regularly assess your methods. By regularly checking the efficacy of your methods, you can be certain that you won’t be wasting any valuable time or resources on things that simply are not working.

Iconosquare, for example, allows you to fully monitor the statistics of your Instagram page. By having access to detailed real-time stats, you can quickly adjust your strategy to follow the methods that work best.

“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.” – Theophrastus

4. Limit duplication of content or resources

Most companies have several people working in marketing and outreach. Even in small businesses, communication can get mixed and initiatives can be duplicated. By creating a clear digital marketing strategy, you are able to ensure that everyone on your team is on the same page. This will prevent not only duplicate content but also duplicate accounts, tools, and programs used. This saves both time and money.

5. Prepares responsive and efficient organization

The difference between a traditional marketing strategy and a digital one is that you are given a lot more wiggle room in your digital marketing strategy. One of the main challenges in marketing is responding to your audience, the market, and the everyday problems that come with running a business. With a solid marketing strategy, you can experiment with new approaches to gaining and keeping customers. This also means that you can eliminate methods that do not work.

6. You won’t know your online demand

You may think that you have an incredible tool, but your target audience may not agree. By crafting an online marketing strategy, you are better able to not only provide better services but also find out which services your potential customers actually want. In fact, many companies function solely through Instagram, placing all of their product and marketing efforts on the social media platform. By doing so, they are able to closely monitor customer profiles and behaviors, the behavior of competitors, and the latest trends in the market. An Instagram account can help you easily achieve each of these things.

“Engage, Enlighten, Encourage and especially…just be yourself! Social media is a community effort, everyone is an asset.” – Susan Cooper

7. Helps in the management of resources

Without a well-thought out strategy, your business can quickly overspend on resources or tools that many not be effective. By setting a budget within your plan, you are better able to allocate funds in an efficient manner. This is absolutely crucial for any business that is looking to make a profit.

A super common strategy among Instagram marketers is to use helpful tools that don’t break the bank. Many marketers pay for programs that gain Instagram followers for a minimal cost so that they can focus their main resources on ad campaigns and creative design, instead.

Creating a digital marketing strategy doesn’t need to be a high-brow project. You can simply begin by stating clear goals and experimenting with tools that fit within your budget. In fact, a good online marketing strategy will likely change several times each year as it adapts to the audience and trends. The important thing is that you make one.

How are you growing your digitial marketing strategies for 2018? Let us know through the comments below!