In the pandemic world, businesses are discovering the tried-and-true methods of growing a business don’t yield the same results anymore, especially for companies that traditionally relied heavily on their sales force for lead generation. Phone calls are reaching empty offices. Events and tradeshows are virtual. The networking and wine-and-dine opportunities sales teams have used for decades as a strategy staple are on hold indefinitely.

So how, then, are you supposed to sell anything? Much like everything else you’ve dealt with over the past year, it’s time to make a shift in your thinking and start relying on marketing for lead generation – specifically your digital marketing.

Did you know that digital marketing spends have grown exponentially over the last ten years? In 2015 the global digital ad spend was $156B. By 2019 that value had almost doubled to $299B and the coronavirus has only accelerated this trend.

- Visualcapitalist.com

Oodle’s goal for our clients is to show them a clear return on their digital marketing investment. We steadily increase their marketing sophistication through the integration of a fully connected digital ecosystem to drive sustainable revenue growth. Put simply: we want to deliver a wicked return on ad spend.

You Are Here

To help your company grow digitally, it helps to understand where you fall within the spectrum of digital marketing sophistication, and your bandwidth to execute on it. This is why we’ve developed our digital marketing roadmap: a tool that allows us to help you figure out where you are and the tactics you need to execute to move forward in the world of digital marketing.

First-time digital marketers usually start at a Level 1 (knowing enough to be dangerous) or even Level 0 (only knowing there is a need). And that is completely OK. That’s why we’re here.

1. Level 0: Maybe you have a website. Maybe you don’t. But the one thing you do know is that you’re missing out on opportunities online, and you’re ready to dip your toes in the water.
2. Level 1: You’ve got a website, and maybe you’re on social media. But that’s about it. You want to better engage with potential customers.

In either category, the goal of the first-time digital marketer is usually the same: quick results that turn into revenue.

Getting “Quick” Results through Digital Marketing

So what, exactly, do we mean by “quick” results? Unfortunately, there are no broad strokes, definitive answers as the speed at which your digital marketing campaign will show tangible results is dependent on the length of your industry’s consideration and sales cycles. However, as part of working with Oodle, we'll forecast how our digital marketing campaigns can turn into new revenue over time and identify leading indicators that we’ll track to make sure we are trending toward the forecasted results.

Capture Those Ready to Convert

While “quick” can vary, Oodle employs several strategies that lead to more immediate results for the first-time digital marketer – focusing on low-funnel marketing tactics that lead to higher conversions.

Paid Search: Low-funnel tactics target prospects on the verge of making a buying decision – individuals who know they have an issue and are actively solving it. As such, paid search is an ideal first-time tactic.

Landing Pages: Your website is where customers are going to convert. But sometimes a website may not be set up properly to drive leads and sales, and there may not be a budget for a full website refresh. So we start small with landing pages.

There are several reasons why we look to implement these types of tactics:

• Overhead to create a landing page is minimal
• Keywords, ad copy and landing page messaging can all be directly tied together for a cohesive experience
• Targeting based on intent. Show up for those who are raising their hands for your product or service.
• Higher conversion rates due to more concise intent signaling
• Segmentation allows you to be super specific, or super granular allowing you to be more efficient with your ad dollars

However, a strategy that focuses solely on low-funnel tactics leaves itself open for competitors to siphon off prospects before they ever reach your ads. That's why Oodle starts with low-funnel tactics that can be integrated into a part of a more sophisticated marketing strategy overall. We’ll talk more about that in the next article in the series: Increase Your Audience Reach

Digital Marketing FTW

If this is your first foray into digital marketing, it’s ok to both want and expect quick results while laying the foundation for your digital ecosystem, and ultimately long-term marketing success. Executing this strategy typically yields a three- to four-times return on ad spend and gives digital marketing professionals a fantastic story to tell their executive leadership while also making the case for the additional funds needed to grow.

Not sure how to let go and let digital take the wheel? Don't worry, we've got you covered.