Due to the vast amount of digital channels, companies often muddled over the countless platforms that they need to select to satisfy their needs. By creating a digital roadmap, a business can thoroughly analyze the different options available such as Twitter’s Promoted Tweets, AdWords advertising, Facebook ads, and content marketing to see if they fit their overall marketing strategy. Moreover, businesses can identify if they should use tools such as Visual Website Optimizer or Unbounce for on-page A/B testing, Sprout Social or SocialBro for social media monitoring, or MailChimp or AWeber for email marketing. (For tips on how to conduct a social media audit, read our article 7 Major Components to Consider in a Social Media Audit) By producing a digital roadmap, a brand can thoroughly go over the different digital tools available and carefully select the best platforms according to their budget and business goals.

Once a company has assessed their current performance, they can identify which areas they need to improve on. For example, a company can perform an on-site audit to see which keywords their visitors use in their on-page search box to find more natural, suitable key terms, use Google Analytics’ Search Engine Optimization feature to find all the keywords their visitors use to land on their page, and utilize Open Site Explorer to see which keywords their competitors use. This will allow companies to find the perfect group of keywords for their web content. Businesses can also perform other audits such as social media audit to examine their fans and followers’ engagements and come up with new ways, such as running Facebook-exclusive contests, publishing relevant content, and sending customized content through Instagram Direct to improve their consumer engagement.

A digital roadmap lays out all the digital initiatives that a company will perform in the next 19 months. It’ll showcase when a company will engage in bloggers outreach, publish press release, create white papers and newsletters, and set up remarketing advertisements. This will enable businesses to be more organized and prepared for their marketing materials ahead of time. For example, a retailer can promote their Valentine’s Day sales event ahead of schedule by starting their AdWords campaign, customizing and sending their newsletter content, creating Valentine’s Day-related articles and promoting them through social media, as well as setting up remarketing ads to target previous visitors a month before the holiday. This will help companies prepare ahead of time and come up with digital marketing strategies that will likely entice their visitors and convert them into buyers.

To being a digital roadmap, a company has to assess its current digital performance. A business has to conduct a SEO audit to determine its current search ranking, keyword selection, and website architecture. Moreover, a company can examine its social media presence to see if its brand image is consistent across all social channels, determine how engaged their audience is, and identify if they have the right social sharing buttons on its website. These audits and assessments enable a company to unveil their weaknesses and areas that need substantial improvements. Make sure you set clear goals and benchmarks, as explained in our article It’s a Shame You Don’t Know These 6 Social Media Practices.

By creating a digital roadmap, businesses can find all the digital channels they need, identify areas they need to work on, and find out the various management tools they’ll utilize. This allows them to reduce wasted costs. For instance, it allows a company to avoid creating a Facebook page and spending hours upon hours trying to bolster their user engagement and audience size only to realize that their target audience doesn’t use Facebook. Additionally, it enables a brand to budget their marketing expense more precisely as they’ll know how much they’ll spend on AdWords advertising, content creation, social media tools, and other digital approaches. This will help them allocate their company budget more wisely and ensure their cash flow is sufficient.