Forbe's Six Steps To Achieve Digital Marketing Excellence

1. Start with a strategy.

Determine where you are right now and evaluate what you need in order to get to where you and your client want to be.

2. Establish ways to track (and improve) performance.

Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) is crucial for monitoring the success or failure of your digital marketing efforts

You need KPIs for each stage of your digital marketing strategy:

Stage 1: Reaching Your Audience

• Advertising: Impressions, cost per click, cost per conversion

• Trade Shows/Events: Registration, attendees, satisfaction

• Website/Blog: SEO effectiveness, user sessions, engagement rate, conversion rate

• Social Media: Connections

Stage 2: Getting Your Audience To Take Action

• Website/Blog: Subscribers, backlinks, downloads

• Social Media: Engagement, conversions

• Leads: Quality, conversions

Stage 3: Converting Your Audience 

• Website/Blog: Returning visitors, transactions (e-commerce)

• Leads: Cost per lead

Stage 4: Engaging Your Audience

• Website/Blog: Open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate

• Social Media: Customer Advocacy

• ROI: Customer lifetime value, cost per acquisition (CPA), NPS

3. Get management buy-in.

Achieving management buy-in/involvement is part of the six elements to obtain digital marketing excellence.

4. Make sure you have the right resources.

You should work to have the right balance and blend of marketing skills or outsource this mix.

5. Leverage the most effective data.

Having the right data helps us make better decisions. You should be looking to obtain integrated systems and technologies that provide a holistic view of your data.

Technology is a crucial element for marketing nowadays, and you don't need a big investment in order to have access to this key data points. Some examples of useful technologies to obtain smarter data include:

• Site Audience Comparison: Alexa, Google Analytics

• Digital Analytics Tools: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Kissmetrics

• SEO Keyword Analysis: Google AdWords, Google Trends, SEMrush

• SEO Rank Checking: Google Search Console, MOZ, SEMrush

6. Integrate customer communications and experience.

A correct integrated customer communications strategy means your multichannel communications strategy is developed for individuals who are at a different stage in their buying journey.

Excerpts are taken from Martha Madero Gonzalez's column in Forbes. She is innovation director at GROU Crecimento Digital, a consulting firm and agency.