Note: This is the fifth blog post in our series about the five stages of digital marketing maturity that most businesses fall into. If you haven’t read the first four blog posts in the series, you may want to check those out first. Here are the first, second, third, fourth and sixth blog posts in the series.
It’s no big secret that companies now have access to more data than ever. But surprisingly, very few actually drive relevant insights from that data. And of those that are able to glean some insight, many of them will be unable to translate that information into meaningful action.
This is one of the biggest hurdles that has been overcome once a business reaches the measurable stage of digital marketing maturity. They not only have the right tools and systems in place, but they also have a strategy in place for how to use, measure, and implement those tools.
Let’s pull back the curtain a bit further and look at some of the characteristics of a measurable business as well as what they need going forward.
Characteristics of a Measurable Business
Once a company has reached the measurable stage of digital marketing maturity model, they have picked up clear momentum. Their digital marketing efforts are intentional, the impact of their efforts can be measured, and this information is used to make key business decisions.
By this point in their digital transformation, both employees and executives alike recognize and appreciate the impact of the changes throughout the organization. Digital skepticism has been pushed aside which has led to the formation of a dedicated team of people who are focused on digital efforts.
Measurable companies have outlined both short-term and long-term goals and these are driven by a centralized digital marketing team. Digital marketing now plays an important role in the business strategy.
Here are some of the key characteristics of a measurable company:
- The remaining workplace silos have been broken down.
- There is a focus on digital training and employees are competent and engaged on digital channels.
- The company has solidified their analytics strategy and is actively using the insights they receive to make decisions.
- The company is active on multiple social media channels, incorporates marketing automation tools, and utilizes advanced social listening tools.
- Online engagement is driving real business results and those relationships are actively nurtured.
The company is actively involved in digital marketing efforts and improving daily with the full support of executive leadership. The results of their efforts can be measured across the board.
Challenges to Overcome
Once a business reaches the measurable stage, they have made real progress in their digital marketing transformation. And as a result, they have begun to see real results.
So how do they continue to move forward and reach the final stage of digital marketing maturity? Here are a few starting points to consider:
- Develop a better understanding of the buyer’s journey.
- Learn what your customers expect, value, and what their behaviors are.
- Re-evaluate your existing systems and look for ways to create an integrated, seamless customer experience.
- Define what digital success looks like in both the short-term and the long-term.
- Promote seamless collaboration amongst employees.
- Nurture a digital culture throughout your business.
This final point may be the biggest challenge for most businesses at this stage. See, while digital marketing has become an important aspect of the business, it’s still just a state -- it’s not yet a part of who they are.
One of the most counter-intuitive things many businesses learn is that digital transformation is about more than just digital. At its core, digital transformation is about restructuring your organization to be more adaptable, customer-focused, and innovative.
If you identified with many of the characteristics and challenges in this blog post, Inalign has a number of services that might benefit your business. Our Digital Marketing Toolbox has a number of services you might benefit from, including lifecycle marketing and paid campaigns.
And we can even help you create a content strategy, make the most of webinars, find more leads, and fully leverage your prospect information.
