A digital marketing strategy is the foundation of a successful marketing campaign for any business. Many brands have everything laid out for a year or more to make sure that their business goals are met and this leaves little to no flexibility in their planning.

If we’re being realistic we have to accept that things don’t always go as planned and having flexibility is the best way to deal with sudden issues that no one can predict. Who knew we would be in a pandemic now? I bet many businesses had their flexibility tested.

Allow me to take you on a journey showing you why should you remain flexible with your marketing, including digital marketing strategy and planning during these uncertain times.

Customer Feedback

Customers are exactly the reason why we create digital marketing strategies in the first place in the hopes of converting them with great content. Thanks to the digital age our audience is always active and can get give us real-time feedback which is critical in decision making and can potentially change our product or service.

So with a rigid strategy, it’s hard to adjust or take advantage of the information you get from your online audience. One way to ensure flexibility is to always leave room for customers to also influence your content because after all they are the consumers and we can’t force-feed them content they don’t fancy.

Tip: Create free surveys and polls for your audience periodically to keep in touch with them

Changes to the Advertising

Every company at some point has tweaked or completely changed its online Ad or behavior. This is usually influenced by new trends and also not forgetting updates to algorithms which is probably the most important.

When making your strategy, it’s important to note that algorithm changes can come with new rules and regulations. These new rules and regulations can completely change everything and make your digital marketing strategy or even your Ad ineffective. So before you plan to go ahead of time are you also considering the future algorithm updates?

According to Brian Halligan, people shop and learn in a whole new way compared to just a few years ago, so marketers need to adapt or risk extinction.

Since changes to Ads are becoming a more common thing it’s important to always have backup plans for your original digital marketing strategy in case you feel like you need to try something different or take a totally different route. Some changes might even include the budget but not the whole Ad itself and this is something you need to have in mind when planning.

If you’re not so sure about budgets you can go ahead and read this very helpful blog, what should your digital marketing budget be?

Preparing for Potential Changes

If there is one thing that we can all agree it’s that change is inevitable. While we might not exactly know what might come in the future no matter good or bad, planning for potential changes allows our digital marketing strategy to be flexible and can reap rewards even in the toughest times.

Another important change to prepare for is the evolution of your competitors. You always want to keep a close eye on them so you always have the advantage because if they evolve and you don’t you might end up on the losing side stuck with a strategy that’s not really doing much for you. Nevertheless, be sure not to pay too much attention to your competition and end up forgetting your customers.

How Flexible?

Being too rigid can prevent you from responding to ever-changing market conditions. On the other hand, a flexible digital marketing strategy can assist you in responding to opportunities. After all, the digital technology-filled era has been nothing short of frequent changes and innovations hence why it’s important to stay adaptable.

It’s also important to note that flexibility has its own limits. You shouldn’t bend to every new trend or change that comes your way and end up betraying the brand values that you stand for. Knowing the limits as a digital marketer is crucial to the success of any campaign. Before moving on to backup plans ask yourself this;

• Have I given enough time to monitor if this works or not?
• Is it necessary to be flexible in this situation?

This will help you keep a leash on flexibility and only take advantage of it when needed.

In conclusion, for you to develop a flexible digital strategy you also have to be open-minded. Keeping an open mind is a very important attribute in today’s world and more so for marketers who always have to adjust to changes on the go.

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.

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