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The advent of new technologies has revolutionized our private and professional way of life. Every day, we learn, exchange, via the internet, our smartphones, our tablets, and other connected objects.

Despite this obligatory passage, still too many companies work without a real digital strategy or use digital tactically. However, by doing so, they put themselves in danger compared to their competitors.

Nowadays, having a digital strategy is no longer a luxury, but becomes a necessity. In this article, you will discover why digital marketing is essential for SMEs.

1# MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION: STRONGLY IMPACTED SECTORS

Along with communication, marketing is undoubtedly the business sector that is most affected by these upheavals. Traditional marketing is not dead, however, Digital marketing gives meaning to marketing.

It makes it possible to create a real relationship with consumers, to understand them better, and to anticipate their needs and expectations. The primary advantage of digital marketing is the possibility of more precisely measuring one's actions on the web and adapting one's strategy according to the results obtained.

For the customer, the messages left on social networks generally have more impact than those delivered by the companies themselves through their advertising. Companies thus lose their virtual monopoly of information.

They can therefore no longer ignore users of social networks and media, as they represent a growing share of their customers.

2# WHAT IS A DIGITAL STRATEGY

The definition of a digital strategy is based on the analysis of several components.

Like a "classic" marketing strategy, the digital strategy is all the elements necessary in a given time to achieve one or more objectives, taking into account the constraints of the company (financial, human, technical, legal resources, etc).

The digital strategy is part of the general strategy of the company. 

It potentially makes it possible to respond to technological innovation, a customer need, a desire to have a better organization of the company, or of course evolution of the marketing strategy towards the web.

It is a strategy that uses new information and communication technologies (the famous NTIC, that is to say, everything related to the Web), in the service of a brand, a company, a product...

The Web invites itself at all levels: objective, positioning, marketing mix, action plan. It is therefore an objective, a means, a communication channel, a specific action plan!

3# THE KEY STAGES OF A DIGITAL STRATEGY FOR SMEs

Before setting up your digital marketing for SMEs, a detour through “classic” marketing is essential. You will be better in phase with business. Let’s review together with the key stages of your digital strategy:

a. The nature of your activity: your positioning, your offer, your added value, your objectives, your budget.

b. Your targets: Who are they? What are their expectations? What are their behaviors?

c. Your market: What are the trends? Who are your competitors? How do they use digital?

Based on this analysis, we can then develop our digital strategy.

How can new Information and Communication Technologies help us achieve our goals?  Is there an application we could develop to improve our customer service or do we just want institutional support to inform our customers and partners?

4# WHAT FORM TO ADOPT FOR YOUR DIGITAL STRATEGY?

The form used must be in line with the values ​​transmitted by the company and its positioning on the market. Once the points below have been defined, all that remains is to convey them on the web:

a. The tone to be used on digital platforms (website, social platforms, forums, blogs, social networks, etc.)

b. The charter of expression on social media (ethics, the charter of use, etc.): what we are ready to accept, what terms we accept, how far we are ready to go in proximity with our customers, etc.

c. The visual identity of the brand: logos, colors, fonts, the identity of the visuals used (free of rights, dedicated photographer, etc.)

d. Advertising materials

e. The channels used: general public community sites such as Facebook or Google+ vs professional / Mobile site vs Mobile application / Participation in sponsored blogs and posts vs brand blog / Long-term partnerships vs opportunism….

5# WHICH SOCIAL NETWORKS TO USE TO REACH YOUR CUSTOMERS

Choosing the social networks where your company will speak and engage its customers is obviously strategic and requires identifying what your main objectives are beforehand, for example:

1. Work on the notoriety of your company

2. Generate traffic

3. Develop your community

4. Prospect your customers

5. Improve your after-sales service

There are two types of networks:

1. Popular social networks  (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…) allow you to reach a large audience and obtain good visibility. You can also connect with social media agency for your regular social updates.

2. New emerging social networks which give better results if adopted first.

A good choice of presence on social networks depends above all on your target audience. If we are in a B2B (business to business) field, solutions such as e-mailing or the LinkedIn professional network are the best suited. In B2C (business to consumer), Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or YouTube can be more effective. Generally, we recommend 2 to 3 strong presences on popular social networks in order to quickly reach a critical mass of subscribers with, on the side, experiments on risky social networks allowing you to invest in the future and take advantage of the given bonus to early adopters.

If you have any other questions that you would like me to answer, do not hesitate to do so in the comments of this article or on social networks.