Today we will dive deep into the topic of why your online marketing strategy is not working.
I recently had the opportunity to talk to a group of entrepreneurs and the burning question that many of them were asking themselves is why their online marketing efforts are note producing results.
It is possible that this is one of the questions that keeps many awake at night and not being able to get the answer generates a lot of anxiety.
A few days ago, I was talking to a friend and she was telling me how she had just had a conversation with one of her web design clients.
Apparently the client was too focused on the visual aspect of the website and my friend was doing everything possible to explain to her client that there are certain visual details that really have little impact on the results of online strategy, which means that is not good idea to invest too much time in them.
Neither of us were very surprised by her recent conversation.
Of course she was a little frustrated, because although for us it is obvious, it is not for many entrepreneurs.
How to integrate your online strategy with your offline strategy
My suggestion for her was to write a post a blog post on there website that escribes the disadvantages of only focusing on the visual component of the website, so that the next time this happens, she could use that post as a reference and can invite her clients to read it.
She thought it was a very good idea and for both of us it was an excellent opportunity to realize how we should write more content about the problems that our potential client has.
During the last few weeks, I have realized how sometimes, it’s difficult for us to integrate our online strategy with our offline strategy.
Sometimes we see it as 2 totally different things and we forget that they are closely related.
The content that helps our existing clients, also helps the person who comes to your website for the first time.
How a visual map can help you
I guess you’re wondering: What does this story have to do with using a visual map to get clarity in your online marketing strategy?
If you know me, you that know when I write, I’m always thinking of ways to use visual content to communicate my ideas.
Recently I discovered that I can use the same thing inside my business and the truth is that I don’t know why I did not think about his before or how it took me so long to discover this.
The tool I use to create the visual map
Well the first thing you need to know is that it’s free.
The truth is that I just use pencil and paper, yes, t’s that simple.
I’m saving all the visual maps, so I can reuse them again whenever I need them.
Let’s put this into practice using an example
In the past, when I was facing a new project, my natural inclination was to list my ideas and organize them in steps or tasks,
But the end result was always a list.
I’m going to use my friend’s example, so we can see this in a real example.
If you have a website or are considering doing it, this is a perfect situation to demonstrate the power of a visual map in our strategy.
Why My Online Marketing Strategy Does not Work: The 7 Steps to Making a Successful Website
why your online marketing strategy is not working: The 7 Steps to Making a Successful Website
The reality is that at a glance this list looks good, I really do not think there is any problem with it.
- Planning and talking with professionals
- Decide which technology platform you will use
- Consider the number of pages your web page will have
- Design your website
- Create content
- Define your online marketing strategy
- Measure your results
The problem with this list is that it only allows us to see the process from a single point of view and is assuming a sequence, which is not always the best.
What am I doing differently now?
I now work on translating this list to a diagram, the diagram allows me to play around with the order of the steps and allows me to find the best sequence of steps to follow.
The most important advantage
Being able to see the steps visually helps me to have a clear vision of what I have to do.
Where do I start?
The sequence of steps that I must follow
The process of making the diagram is not automatic, it requires some iterations until I am satisfied.
How does using a visual map makes my strategy successful
The diagram allows me to realize which activities that depend on each other and which don’t.
Being clear about this is super important because it makes your strategy more effective and allows you to focus on the right actions at the right time.
Otherwise, we waste our time dedicating ourselves to actions that really will not bring us the best results.
A good example of this is my friend’s client, who at this moment is devoting all their energy making aesthetic improvements to their website, which really will be of zero benefit and will not help him to achieve his goals which are: increase traffic, communicate more effectively their message and convert visitors into customers.
I have created an infographic that illustrates the diagram I drew.
Please attribute the infographics to Netklik.com
Use the embed code I’ve included.
Gaining clarity in in each step
After working a few minutes on the visual map and played a bit with order of the step, I am satisfied with the result.
Now I can clearly see that there are three critical stages: planning, strategy and message.
In a way everything else is irrelevant, until we work on those 3 stages.
In the diagram I have illustrated in different colors the critical steps within each stage.
The truth is that neither the design of the website nor the platform you use to develop the page is important or critical if you have not gone through the stages that I just mentioned and this is the message that my friend and myself must communicate in these kinds of situations.
Advantages of using a visual map
- It reduces the feeling of anxiety, the process is simple when you have a visual map of what I have to do.
- You can see it during all stages of the project and it allows you to see how the project will evolve.
- Everyone understands what they should do, no matter how much experience they have, a visual map is easy to understand by everyone.
Conclusion
This example is perfect to understand why sometimes our efforts do not produce the the results we expect.
In most cases, we have almost all the pieces of the puzzle, but we just not putting them together the right way.
This visualization process can be used to solve any problem in your business.
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