How to make the most of your digital marketing with limited resources

Digital marketing is so much more than just writing a few social media posts or popping keywords into your content here and there – it’s a complex ecosystem with lots of moving parts.

While larger agencies and operators tend to have a team of people to look after different elements, such as SEO, PPC and content creation, homeworkers or small independents have the difficult task of handling digital marketing alone.

Here are eight different strategies to help you become the ultimate one-man band, without biting off more than you can chew.

1. Set out clear goals and objectives

What makes digital marketing so tricky is the fact it has no beginning and no end – so it’s up to you to define your own path and goals. By mapping out a clear strategy, you’ll be able to focus your efforts and measure your progress effectively. Start by defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) objectives. These could range from gaining a certain number of followers on social media to increasing your rankings on Google. Whatever they are, you should ensure they are linked to commercial outcomes. Followers on social media who don’t contact you or rankings that don’t lead to enquiries won’t help your business or keep your sales team happy. Once these objectives are in place, they will not only guide your marketing strategy but also help you manage your time and budget effectively.

2. Use the right marketing tools

Having the right tools and resources can make the world of difference in terms of how you manage your digital marketing tasks. Whether it’s finding the right keywords, measuring performance, scheduling social media posts or creating email marketing campaigns, ensuring you have the best tools at your disposal can save a lot of time.

Here are some of the tools you can use:

●      Keyword research: Semrush, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs

●      Data analytics: GA4, Piwik Pro, Matamo, Google Tag Manager

●      Paid advertising: Google Ads, Bing Ads, Meta Ads

●      Email Marketing: Force 24, Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor

●      SEO: Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, CRM: HubSpot, Pipedrive, Active Campaign

●      Customer Insights: Social media analytics, GA4, SparkToro, Hotjar

3. Don’t spread your social media too thinly

Just because you can be present on every social media platform doesn’t necessarily mean you should. This is why so many marketing teams have a dedicated social media manager – it’s a full-time role that requires careful planning and constant monitoring, not to mention all the hours clocked up creating fresh, engaging content. Start by identifying the main social media channels your target audience uses and build a presence by posting regularly and responding to reviews and queries.

4. Create evergreen content

Some content has to be seasonal in nature relevant to peak booking periods or say winter sun offers, but creating evergreen content – i.e. content that is timeless and not specific to a particular event, date or season – means you can get more longevity out of your work without having to constantly pump out fresh content. The odd tweak may be needed here and there, but make some of your content the gift that keeps on giving.