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Digital Marketing Strategy
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Digital Marketing Strategy
Exploiting the power of digital marketing will help MSH drive sales for its new pet food
product. Digital marketing allows the company to expand its market share and grow its
revenue. Many companies in the pet food industry continue to realign their marketing
strategies to include digital channels. This trend makes it vital for MSH to craft a solid digital
marketing strategy to promote its new pet product online to many potential customers. Today,
many digital marketing strategies can reshape the business. These include Social Media
Marketing, Email marketing, SEO, Video marketing, and Content marketing. A practical
digital marketing framework determines how these strategies can be implemented to have the
best business outcomes. It will help the company understand the required level of investment
and resources to channel to digital marketing. An effective digital marketing strategy offers a
clear roadmap to follow and achieve its corporate objectives. Below is the Digital Marketing
plan for MSH, which has been designed using the SOSTAC© model. The SOSTAC© model
identifies specific tactics and methods MSH can implement to boost their decision-making
process and refine their marketing campaigns (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2012). This
marketing planning model pioneered by PR Smith will ensure MSH creates a successful
marketing campaign for its new pet product DogiCare.
Situational Analysis
MSH has operated for five years, and during this period, it has established a loyal
customer base due to its high-quality pet food products. Many customers have families with a
strong passion for pets and have developed a close attachment with them. That is why MSH's
product promotional messages have emphasized pet welfare.
The company had recorded steady growth during the last three years, with the peak being
2019 when it generated over $100 million in revenues. That could be attributed to an
aggressive marketing campaign in the latter part of the year. The company continues to retain
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most of its customers due to natural ingredients in pet food processing (Chaffey, 2016). The
launch of DogiCare will boost the company's growth, and reputation as the new product
reflects the corporate objective of creating premium products from natural materials.
During the initial stages of operation, MSH focused on traditional marketing strategies such
as direct mail, print media like newspapers and magazines, broadcast media like television
and radio, Outdoor advertising such as posters and billboards to promote their products.
However, MSH has embraced digital solutions in the last two years since they offer an
excellent opportunity to establish a large online following. The new pet food product,
DogiCare, will help the company increase market share since it fills the demand for premium
pet food at cost-friendly rates (Chaffey, 2016). It is also an innovative product made from
natural and fresh ingredients to ensure better long-term health outcomes for pets.
An internal customer review by management revealed that 80% of MSH clients were
active social media users. Another market survey showed that more than 60% of pet owners
post their pets multiple times weekly. More than half of pet owners use social media or
internet sources to find new products for their pets. About 20% have even created a social
media profile for their pets. This emerging social trend of pet humanization allows MSH to
conduct aggressive digital marketing campaigns as more people embrace pets as part of their
life. It also reveals the popularity of social media for many pet owners (Schleicher, Cash &
Freeman, 2019). This means MSH can take advantage of these platforms to advertise their
newly launched product DogiCare.
An analysis of MSH’s competitors brings out some key insights. First, most
competitors have embraced social media marketing on popular platforms like Facebook,
YouTube, and Instagram. They have a large following on these sites and engage with their
clients and promote their products. Having an expansive social media presence has helped
MSH’s rivals expand their customer base and redesign their products to suit their needs. It
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has also helped them build and manage their reputation. MSH needs a similar strategy or
risks falling behind its rivals on digital platforms (Lorette, 2017). This situation makes it
critical for MSH to embrace social media as the core focus of its digital marketing strategy.
MSH already has a competitive edge in web presence as its site has continued to
generate consistent traffic. However, the rivals are gradually improving and have recently
rebranded their websites to create an attractive and informative design that has improved
customer experience. One weakness in its marketing plans is the lack of partnerships or
collaborations with reputable digital firms and online retailers who can help it streamline its
digital marketing campaigns. The increased use of digital platforms for marketing by rivals
means MSH will continue to experience stiff competition in the online space (Lorette, 2017).
Undertaking a robust digital marketing solution will help the company manage this
competition.
Objectives
Clear objectives are critical for the success of the digital marketing plan. These success
outcomes provide a platform for setting key performance indicators that will track and
monitor the progress of the digital marketing strategy. Setting business objectives provides
direction and guidance that helps MSH implement its digital marketing strategy. Based on the
approach of Kingsnorth (2019), the following are the objectives for MSH’s digital marketing
strategy.
1. Build MSH brand: the digital marketing strategy aims to grow the brand and
reputation of the company. The company will use platforms like Twitter, Facebook,
and YouTube which are popular among many social media users to improve brand
awareness and customer engagements.
2. Generate traffic: MSH’s strategy targets to boost visitors to their social media pages
and websites. Higher traffic means more people will see the company’s new and
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existing products. The digital marketing strategy will use various digital tools such as
SEO, visuals, and content to increase social media traffic.
3. Improve conversation rate: The digital marketing strategy aims to boost conversion
rates which align with the business objective of increasing customers and growing
sales. This new product will help the company raise the conversion rate to 25% in the
1st year, which will boost sales.
4. Uncover deeper market insights: The digital marketing plan aims to enable the
company to discover new and relevant market information. By gaining valuable
feedback through the digital marketing campaign, the company can improve its brand
value and market share.
5. Generate Revenue: The ultimate goal of digital marketing is enhancing business
performance. The marketing campaign has the purpose of attracting pet owners to the
new product and grow company revenue.
These core objectives will ensure the long-term success of MSH as the business will integrate
the latest digital solutions to edge the competition and promote its products. It will also have
a solid online reputation for creating premium products. In this way, MSH can attract many
clients to its business and capture a more significant market share that will enable it to fulfill
the vision of being a market leader in pet food products.
Strategy
A solid strategy is critical for MSH brands to help their new product to achieve the business
objectives. Below are the plans to be implemented in this digital marketing campaign.
Short-term (< 1 year)
Segment the market to cater to the diversity of pet owners. A psychographic segmentation
offers the best strategy for pet owners and adapting to the recent pet humanization trend.
Using the attachment of pet owners to segment the market enables MSH to create emotional
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connections with them in their digital marketing messages. Embrace digital channels in
disseminating information about the product (Ryan, 2016). Social media ads will be the
primary tool to generate quick traffic and drive sales within the first year.
Medium-term (1 to 3 years)
MSH will expand its position on digital platforms. The priority will be to strengthen its social
media presence by creating a large social following to build the brand. It will also use a
content marketing strategy through creating high-quality content that will increase leads and
conversion rates (Ryan, 2016). The content marketing strategy will enable MSH to rank
highly in Search Engines boosting brand visibility and recognition.
Long-term (> 3 years)
MSH's strategy is to build social media partnerships with large online retailers such as
Amazon and Walmart. These online retailers have a massive social following with millions of
subscribers on their platforms. MSH will promote its brands on these social media platforms
to increase its brand visibility further and grow its sales. Investing in a more attractive
website will be crucial in staying ahead of the competition and generating leads and
conversions (Ryan, 2016). Combining an appealing web design and compelling content will
be essential in staying ahead of the competition.
Tactics
MSH will use several tactics for its digital marketing campaign for the next five years
to attain its strategies. In the short term, it will use the tactic of paid advertisements. Since the
company is launching a new product, paid ads are a quick way to generate sales within a
short period. The most viable tool is social media ads on popular platforms like Twitter,
Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. These paid ads help in increasing traffic to the
company's sites and boost brand visibility online. They also help create greater awareness for
DogiCare to millions of pet owners who are frequent users of social media platforms. The
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social media ads can be customized to reflect the diversity of pet owners who come from
different ages, lifestyles, demography, and geography. Further, data generated from social
media platforms help the company craft personalized messages that target these different
market segments (Tiago & Verissimo, 2014). Promoting the new product on these popular
platforms will help MSH's brand gain a large social following and grow the company's sales
in the first year.
In addition to social media, MSH can focus its attention on SEO which involves
optimizing its sites using specific keywords that target the audience. This will help generate
traffic for the new product and increase its recognition. SEO is a cost-effective tool that will
help MSH minimize the cost of new customer acquisition. The company can continue to
grow its social media presence by regularly posting quality content in the medium term. This
strategy will help the company gain valuable feedback from its audience (Parkin, 2016).
These consumers’ insights can help the company to improve their new and existing products.
Another tactic MSH can employ is investing in web design by creating an attractive
website that appeals to visitors. It involves including aspects such as a mobile-friendly
design, sitemap, easy navigation, high-quality multimedia, and fast page speed. After
building the website, the most critical element is creating informational content for the
audience. This aligns with the content marketing strategy where the company publishes
original, informative and optimized content that helps the brand rank high in search engine
results. In this context, the company can link social media platforms with their website to
increase leads and conversions. Posting compelling content will also ensure MSH edges their
competition due to higher rankings that boost brand recognition (Baltes, 2015). In this way,
MSH can consistently attract new customers and increase its revenue growth.
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Sales funnel
MSH will use the AIDA model (Awareness, Interest, Decision, and Action) to build its sales
funnel and attract many pet owners to the new product. The first way is to create awareness,
where MSH will use popular social media platforms to inform the new development. This
includes posting ads on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to catch the attention of
pet owners and increase traffic. The second way is to stimulate interest by creating
compelling content on the website and social media to persuade pet owners to make a
purchasing decision. This includes crafting a persuasive message that mentions the benefits
of DogiCare to the audience, like using natural and high-quality ingredients to process it.
Third, MSH will help leads convert into customers by offering incentives such as free
deliveries or discounts on the orders, which motivates them to purchase. The final part is
action, whereas a marketer's goal is to retain and attract customers (Venermo, Rantala & &
Holopainen, 2020). This includes appreciating their purchase, encouraging feedback, and
offering after-sales support.
Actions
To execute these digital marketing strategies and tactics, a robust action plan is necessary.
According to Charlesworth (2018), the following practical approaches can help MSH achieve
its objectives.
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Management must conduct regular training on digital marketing trends. New trends
and technologies continue to emerge, so staff must stay updated continually.
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Identify SEO specialists who will enable MSH to maintain and increase traffic to their
website and social media. These experts will ensure MSH brands achieves higher
search rankings and improve brand recognition.
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Hire a social media manager who will oversee the promotion of MSH brands on
popular social platforms. This will ensure the company adopts the latest tools and
techniques that will boost its social media presence.
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Embrace analytical tools that will help MSH find valuable market insights from data
found in digital platforms. Understanding this data will ensure MSH brands monitors
and tracks the progress of their digital marketing campaign and make adjustments in
their approach.
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Establish clear communication channels within the digital marketing department. This
will ensure marketing staff executes their roles and responsibilities in line with the
business objectives.
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Contract a digital marketing agency or consultant who can help MSH streamline its
systems and process to implement a digital marketing campaign successfully. For
example, they can ensure MSH builds the best website design for its pet food
products.
Controls
MSH must monitor the performance of its digital marketing strategies and tactics to
determine their effectiveness. Gaitniece(2018) offers the following Key Performance
Indicators (KPI) for digital marketing that can help MSH track progress. It will enable the
company to identify its strengths and weaknesses and tailor its approach to suit industry
trends.
1. Social Media Engagement-This metric looks at the quantity of followers on social
media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. In this way, the company can track
the growth of its social media profile.
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2. Inbound Link building- This looks at the number of people who visit the company
website—the higher the traffic, the better the search rankings, which attracts more
customers.
3. Blog Posts Visits- Monitors the content site visitors like to read and helps MSH craft
more appealing content to increase traffic.
4. Number of Leads: It enables the company to determine the sales opportunities the
digital tools are creating for its brand.
5. Conversion rates: Looks at the number of visitors who convert into customers. Higher
percentages mean that practical digital marketing tools are being used.
Digital marketing will continue to be critical for the success of every modern business. For
MSH to ensure the success of their new product, they must understand their business
environment, such as their competitors. This will enable the company to craft effective
strategies and tactics to build its brand. They will also design a clear project plan that outlines
the specific actions that MSH can implement to attain the required targets. Further, particular
metrics are necessary to track the performance and ensure the best business outcomes from
these digital marketing strategies and tactics. This digital marketing plan is a practical
guidance tool to help MSH achieve its corporate objectives.
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References
Baltes, L. P. (2015). Content marketing-the fundamental tool of digital marketing. Bulletin of the
Transilvania University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 8(2), 111.
Chaffey, D. (2016). SOSTAC® marketing planning model guide. Smart Insights.
Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2012). Digital marketing: strategy. Implementation.
Charlesworth, A. (2018). Digital marketing: A practical approach. Routledge.
Gaitniece, E. (2018, September). Digital Marketing Performance Evaluation Methods. In CBU
International Conference Proceedings (Vol. 6, pp. 135-140).
Kingsnorth, S. (2019). Digital marketing strategy: an integrated approach to online
marketing. Kogan Page Publishers.
Lorette, K. (2017). A Situational Analysis of a Strategic Marketing Plan.
Parkin, G. (2016). Digital marketing: Strategies for online success. Fox Chapel Publishing.
Ryan, D. (2016). Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital
generation. Kogan Page Publishers.
Schleicher, M., Cash, S. B., & Freeman, L. M. (2019). Determinants of pet food purchasing
decisions. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 60(6), 644.
Tiago, M. T. P. M. B., & Verissimo, J. M. C. (2014). Digital marketing and social media: Why
bother?. Business Horizons, 57(6), 703-708.
Venermo, A., Rantala, J., & Holopainen, T. (2020, July). From Sales Funnel to Customer Journey. In
International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (pp. 200-206).
Springer, Cham.
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