Great managers are not born. They become great with a combination of continuous learning and commitment to improvement. They show dedication and organization, which is the key to everything else.
Knowing what to do and when to do it, are vital skills for digital marketing in an ever-changing world. There are some activities, however, that require daily attention.
These tips will keep you in top form and make sure you keep up with the latest trends. They will improve your performance and profitability. Make these vital activities part of your daily routine.
1. Check your metrics.
It is easy for a marketing manager to focus on the creative side. You love developing campaigns, art material, and writing content. Never forget the bottom line, because being in business means making a profit. You have probably already set up key metrics for your activities, so check these every day. This could be website traffic, engagement levels, or lead generation, just to name a couple of key areas.
You should also be tracking the ROI (return on investment) of all your events and campaigns, and seeing if they are improving. As well, check likes and followers on your social media activities. These are all vital numbers that you need to keep in mind as you work. Of course, the key thing is to act on what you see. Many managers record many metrics, but then do nothing with the information.
2. Build strong customer personas and review them.
Creating your ideal customer persona is an ongoing job that needs regular fine-tuning. Build a series of imaginary people who are your customers. What is each one like? Although fictional, base them on real customers. Their characteristics should come from interviews with customers or clients, and discussions with your team to include their personal experiences. Base them on demographics like age, gender, income level, education and other similar features.
Once you have made these personas, keep them up-to-date by checking that your customers still match these profiles. Remember to think hard about them as you create content, blog or tweet. This is especially important when you plan campaigns. If you are going to make special offers, or give prizes, are you sure they will appeal to your personas?
3. Brainstorm a new strategy.
Spend time every day working with your team to find new strategies for your marketing. Develop some ideas and then present them to your associates. Keep the meeting open and invite criticism. Be sure not to surround yourself with ‘yea-sayers’ who only give praise. No matter how good your ideas are, they will improve once you bounce them around and that creative energy starts to flow. With the right input, even a throwaway idea becomes a brilliant strategy.
4. Post on social media.
Followers on social media seek the constant stimulation of fresh material. They will soon move on if you stop feeding them. Put out tweets on your latest activities, no matter how small, and put up photos on Instagram. See what other people are doing. Look at random posts and tweets that may have little or nothing to do with your direct activities. Give out likes – they will come back to you multiplied and this is a great way to build a following.
5. Check your upcoming events.
Successful event planning means constant fine-tuning of all the details. If you create a general idea and then put it out for action, without following up, you are asking for problems. Keep in contact every day with everyone involved, and make sure everything is going as planned. You should have created Gantt charts or similar aids to start and finish all the stages at the right time. Now you must check these and see if everyone is reaching all the targets. If not some changes may have to be made. That will be easier if you have kept yourself up to date.
6. Communicate with your team.
Leadership and team building must be daily activities if you are to have a dynamic and successful team. Keep in touch with everyone every day. Take the conversations beyond business. Get personal and exchange personal details of your lives, family stories and your down time. Make friends, not just colleagues. Your team will become stronger than you ever thought possible.
Delegation is the key to success, so that your team does some of your worrying, like meeting deadlines. At the same time, they need to know you care. Find the right balance between micro managing, which of course is bad, and neglect of your team, which may be worse.
7. Monitor the competition.
Take time every day to see what your competition is doing. Check their websites and see what they have posted on social media. If they have upcoming events those might be good moments to match or exceed their offers. If they have not done anything new in a while, you can take the initiative and jump ahead. They are watching you, so make sure you are also watching them.
Conclusion
If you want to succeed as a manager in digital marketing, you cannot just sit back and let anything get by you. Stay on top by checking every day that you are on top of the game and in control. These tips will help you do that, so that nothing gets by you that could trip you up and ruin your plans.
What are some of your daily marketing habits?