DIGITAL MARKETING
STRATEGY
BY JESSICA LE MERLE

Co-founder of Afundi
Digital marketing specialist
Passionate about imparting knowledge
Creative and big thinker
Survive on coffee
Dog lover in particular our puppy Charlie
Proud woman in business
Planner and strategist
Proudly South African
Love our Island
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10 THINGS ABOUT ME

fundi
/ˈFƱNDI/
an expert in a particular area.
a word from the Bantu family of African
languages, meaning a learned person,
usually used for as (master) craftsman,
expert or genius.
an enthusiast for a subject or activity.
someone who knows a lot about a subject
noun
noun: fundi; plural noun: fundis.
1.
2.
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4.

Afundi is a full-service software development and
collaborative digital agency for brands and
businesses that refuse to blend in.
In this digital era, we deliver exceptional web and
software development, strategic branding,
compelling storytelling, and note-perfect design.
We are a forward-thinking collective of data-
driven strategists, marketing specialists, and
creative technologists who combine our
individual passions and affinities to inspire digital
transformation, customising our approach to fit a
client’s needs and their brand’s DNA.

We build brands, create desire, and craft results-
based digital strategies for transformative growth.
We’re not just an agency: we’re an extension to
your internal teams, agile enough to drill down
into your brand’s philosophy and knowledgeable
enough to deliver seamless solutions with
measurable results.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do,
allowing our clients to get back to focusing on
what really matters: their business.

TODAYS
SESSION
Introduction to digital marketing
Website design & development: What should stand
out
Websites: Converting visitors into bookings
/sales/leads
Social Media: Building an engaged audience
Search Engine Optimisation: Understanding the
basics
Content Marketing: Creating and sourcing relevant
content
Email Marketing: How to send effective emails
Online advertising: Google AdWords and more
Inbound marketing: The modern-day sales funnel
How to develop a great customer experience
WHAT WILL BE COVERED

DIGITAL MARKETING
WHAT IS IT
Digital Marketing is the use of digital channels such as
search engines, social media, email, websites and more to
promote or market products and services to consumers
and businesses.
You can reach more people
You can engage with your target market
You can reach more people with less money in
comparison to traditional marketing
You can track your progress and calculate ROI
You can have a voice and be part of the conversation
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT

DIGITAL MARKETING
OWNED
This refers to the digital assets you own whether that's
your website, social media profiles, blog content, or
imagery. Essentially anything online that you have
complete control over.
PAID
This refers to anything you are spending money on
such as Google AdWords, social media advertising, 3rd
party website advertising or display advertising.
EARNED
Earned media refers to the exposure you earn through
word-of-mouth marketing or PR.

Website
Social Media
Email Marketing
SEO
Content
Marketing
Online Advertising
Traditional
Marketing
PR &
EVENTS

CREATING A STRATEGY
WHY DO I NEED IT...
To ensure you are meeting your business and
marketing objectives
To focus your activity
To understand your customers and what they
want
To make sure your customers have a
seamless customer experience
To ensure you have a strong value proposition
To increase your efficiency
To manage your budget
To help make sure you choose the right
platforms
To assist you in establishing your KPIs

CREATING A STRATEGY
Develop your customer persona
Identify your objectives and goals
Define your brand
Review your current activity
Select the right channels for you
Develop your content strategy
Set your budget (money & time)
Determine your KPIs and your tracking methods
THE 8 KEY STEPS
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This is the core belief of the business.
It's why the business exists.
WHY
HOW
WHAT
This is how the business fulfils
that core belief.
This is what the company
does to fulfill that core belief.
WHAT
HOW
WHY
“CONSUMERS DON’T BUY
WHAT YOU DO. THEY
BUY WHY YOU DO IT.”

“Websites promote you
24/7. No employee will do
that.”
PAUL COOKSON

Load speed (>2 seconds)
Mobile compatibility
Movement and animation
Safety and security including being clear about how
your manage customer data
Being search worthy from a technical point of view
Clear and easy to use navigation
What makes a website stand out from a development
point of view:
WEBSITES
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Eye catching headlines
Typography
High qaulity imagery
Videos
Approriate use of colour
Cohesive deisgn
Consistent layouts
Creativity
What makes a website stand out from a design point of
view:
WEBSITES
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Website conversion
happens when someone
completes a pre-
determined and desired
action on your website.

Buy Now
Download
Start your journey today
Share
Sign Up
Submit
Contact Us
In marketing, a call to action (CTA) is an instruction to the
audience to provoke an immediate response, usually
using an imperative verb such as "call now", "find out
more" or "visit a store today". CTAs should be visually
attractive, action-oriented, and easy to spot on a page.
WEBSITES
USE THE PERFECT CALLS TO ACTION

These can be copy based, video or images. You can
also bring through reviews or testimonials from 3rd
party websites such as Facebook or Trip Advisor.
Make sure your testimonials are relevant and
positioned appropriately.
Longer testimonials with links to the source are
most effective.
Eg. Bobby Jones, of Watts Accounts (link to the
company website or the persons LinkedIn profile).
This will also have an SEO benefit.
WEBSITES
INCLUDE TESTIMONIALS

Well written relevant copy
Sales driven copy (not pushy)
Good quality imagery
Videos
Non technical copy
Users are much more inclined to give their details,
purchase or interact with your website if the content is
engaging. What is engaging quality content?
WEBSITES
CREATE ENGAGING QUALITY CONTENT

Ensure the design of the menu is well thought out, menu
tabs should be easily read and the menu should be visually
consistent with your brand’s themes and colours. Consider a
sticky menu as it assists users to quickly navigate to key
pages. Name your pages clearly and do not over complicate
it.
TIP: Do a test to find certain content on your site. For
example, how easy is it to find your contact number? How
many clicks does it take to get to your services page?
WEBSITES
IMPROVE YOUR SITE NAVIGATION

Simply your forms by only including necessary fields
Make your checkout process is easy by reducing steps
Ensure your payment integration is trusted
Make downloads or gated content easily accessible
within the website (IE. not hidden 5 clicks away)
Ensure that it is easy for your users to check
out/book/submit a form or complete the task you need
them to complete.
Things to consider:
Remember, more fields = more effort = more drop offs
and abandoned carts/forms.
WEBSITES
SIMPLIFY YOUR USER JOURNEY

SOCIAL MEDIA
On average people spend 153 minutes on social
networks a DAY (Omnicore)
The number of global social media users is expected
to reach almost 3.43 billion in 2023. (Statista)
There are over 3,000 social media channels however
the top channels include Facebook, LinkedIn,
Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
"Social media is the ultimate equaliser. It gives a voice
and a platform to anyone willing to engage." - A. Martin
THE KEY FACTS

First you need to understand
what engagement is in the
context of social media:
Social media engagement is the
measurement of comments, likes
and shares but more importantly
it's about meaningful and
valuable connections.
Think quality over quantity.
SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO BUILD AN ENGAGED AUDIENCE

Create a better understanding of your
product.
Develop new customer relationships.
Educate your customers.
Gather feedback and gain insight into
what your customers want.
Give a 'human' feel to the brand.
Create new leads or sales.
Think about your strategy and your goals....
Every time you post check it is inline with
your goals.
SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO BUILD AN ENGAGED AUDIENCE

It is so important to develop a voice that suits your
brand and appeals to your target audience.
SOCIAL MEDIA
DEVELOP YOUR VOICE
COOL
COOL
PROFESSIONAL
PROFESSIONAL QUIRKY
QUIRKY
PLAYFUL
PLAYFUL
CONFIDENT
CONFIDENT AUTHORITATIVE
AUTHORITATIVE
BOLD
BOLD

INNOCENT

Ask questions
Run polls
Post user generated content
Go live
Use videos or gifs
Show behind the scenes
Social media takeovers
Post topical content
Run a competition
Run an AMA (ask me anything)
Partner with another brand
Run social media exclusive deals
Produce REALLY great content:
SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO BUILD AN ENGAGED AUDIENCE

Respond to comments good or bad
Keep your response times speedy
Listen for opportunities and act quickly
Be agile in your approach - do not flog a dead
horse
Be consistent
Make it easy for people to get in touch
(messenger, groups etc)
Provide value with every post
Follow these top tips:
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SOCIAL MEDIA
HOW TO BUILD AN ENGAGED AUDIENCE

OREO

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach
focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and
consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined
audience and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer
action.
CONTENT MARKETING

It matters to your customers
It is backed by expertise
It is not too sales driven
It is relevant to your target
audience
It is easy to understand
It is regular
It is well written (plus no spelling
errors)
It is comical, touching, thought
provoking, educational …
therefore SHARABLE.
CONTENT MARKETING
WHAT MAKES CONTENT GREAT

Create a content calendar and
ensure that you stick to it.
Make sure your content is in line
with you marketing objectives or
campaigns.
Use lists or easy to consume
styles of content.
Invite guests to create content
so there is a change in voice.
Have variety in your content.
Use 3rd party content so that
the pressure is not always on
you.
CONTENT MARKETING
TOP TIPS

Infographics
Videos
Podcasts
Guides
White papers
Case studies
Blogs (long and short)
Q & A's
Don't be afraid to use 3rd
party content if relevant to
your audience
CONTENT MARKETING
IDEAS

What is it and why is it important ?
Search Engine Optimisation is the process of
affecting the visibility of a website or a web
page in a search engine's unpaid results.
While paid advertising, social media, and
other online platforms can generate traffic to
websites, the majority of online traffic is driven
by search engines.
SEARCH ENGINE
OPTIMISATION
THE BASICS

SEARCH

A key component of SEO is your keywords.
These are essentially the terms people are
searching for.
Begin with a list of search terms you believe
your customers are using. If you want to go
a step further use a keyword planner which
will show relevance, competition and
volume in relation to current searches.
The idea is to create a list of keywords you
can use when creating content and setting
up your pages on your website.
SEO
KEYWORDS

Posting regular content can
dramatically improve your search
ranking. You need dynamic
content in other words a blog,
news or resources section.
Remember to use your keywords
and to follow the basic principles of
what makes content great.
Another tip is to make sure your
onsite content is up to date.
SEO
CONTENT IS KING

In 2020 Google announced that it will be ranking website
mobile first. Therefore it is critical that your website is
MOBILE OPTIMISED if not you could be penalised.
If you are unsure you can test it here:
https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
SEO
MOBILE OPTIMISED WEBSITE

Appropriate page title
Keyword/key search term
SEO Title
Meta-description
Each page on your website should
have the following:
Using a WordPress plugin like YOAST
is useful as it guides you on your
success.
SEO
WEBSITE SET UP

Ensure you have no broken links on your
website.
Ensure your website loads quickly.
List your company on Google Business Places.
Encourage your customers to leave Google
Reviews.
Name your images by setting an 'alt tag'
when adding them to your website.
Stay active on social media.
Create and share content regularly.
Link to other websites and get your site
linked on sites so you can take advantage of
back links.
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SEO
USEFUL TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR RANKING

Goal: Determine the reason for sending your email that
should then drive the content.
Timing: Sending your email out at the right time is key. If
you’re hoping to get a high open rate, your best bet is to
send emails on a Tuesday.
Select your Email Software: Decide on which email
software program is best for you. I would recommend
Campaign Monitor or MailChimp.
Target your campaign: Make sure you segment your
audience. Either by need, interest or customer persona.
The average business professional is sending and
receiving 121 emails a day! So how can you stand out...
EMAIL MARKETING
EFFECTIVE EMAILS

Call to Action: Ensure you have a clear and easy call
to action. IE. Email us, click here.
Responsive Design: Make sure your email can be
viewed on mobile as most opens occur on mobile
devices. This should come standard with popular
email software tools.
Email layout: Ensure your emails are laid out well,
and the design is clean and crisp.
Subject Lines: Ensure your subject lines are strong,
short and worded well.
Personalise: Personalisation of emails is key. This
includes using the word 'you' in the copy.
EMAIL MARKETING
EFFECTIVE EMAILS

Unsubscribe: Make it easy
for users to unsubscribe.
Exclusive: Occasionally give
deals to your subscribers
ahead of anyone else or
give them info before the
'public'.
Cliff hanger: Include a cliff
hanger so subscribers look
out for your next email. Eg.
Next week we will do part 2
of how to send effective
emails.
EMAIL MARKETING
EFFECTIVE EMAILS

Social Media Advertising
Paid Search Advertising also
known as PPC or AdWords
Display Advertising
Banner Advertising on 3rd
party websites
ONLINE ADVERTISING
TYPES OF ADVERTISING

Visually engaging (where images are
applicable).
It has a purpose or clear goal.
It has a clear call to action.
It is targeted.
It is persuasive.
It is original and creative.
It is ethical and inclusive.
It has a strong headline.
It is inline with your brand look and
feel.
It has a sense of urgency.
ONLINE ADVERTISING
WHAT MAKES A GOOD ADVERT

You can be as precise or broad as you would like with
your search terms.
You can target certain devices. Eg, if you have a mobile
app you can only target users on mobile.
You only pay for results. IE, cost per click.
You can set a budget that suits you.
Why pay for an advert when you may already be ranking?
Paid search advertising gives you the opportunity to capture
the attention of your audience in a more targeted way than
with organic search alone.
Benefits:
ONLINE ADVERTISING
LETS FOCUS ON GOOGLE ADWORDS

"Inbound marketing is a business
methodology that attracts customers by
creating valuable content and
experiences tailored to them.
While outbound marketing interrupts
your audience with content they don’t
always want, inbound marketing forms
connections they are looking for and
solves problems they already have." -
HubSpot
INBOUND MARKETING
THE MODERN DAY SALES FUNNEL

Be consistent with your content creation and posting.
Create content that is unique and value driven.
Use your lead generation tactics and CTA's as covered
at the start of this workshop.
Ensure your website meets all of your objectives.
Integrate well with your sales team and their process.
DONT forget about your existing customers by
chasing new customers only.
Always review and test the process .
If possible, automate the process through
tools such as HubSpot or Salesforce.
INBOUND MARKETING
TOP TIPS FOR SUCCES

Be committed to what ever you choose to do online.
Ensure your focus is always on your customer.
Ensure EVERY touch point is considered.
Keep up to date with the latest trends so you can lead
your customer.
Market your 'why'.
Do not focus only on new customers, delight and care for
the ones you have.
My top tip and a key take away from today... CREATE THE
BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
How can you do that?
HOW TO GET AHEAD
GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

Listen to your
customers and engage
with them.
Optimise your customer
journey ensuring it is
always easy.
Use technology to help
your customer not only
yourself.
How can you do that?
HOW TO GET AHEAD
GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

Mobile Test: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
Website Speed Test: https://tools.pingdom.com
Inbound Marketing & CRM: https://www.hubspot.com
Inbound Marketing & CRM: https://www.salesforce.com
Blog: https://neilpatel.com
SEO: https://www.semrush.com
Social: https://buffer.com/resources/
Digital Marketing:
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog
Online Advertising & digital marketing:
https://www.wordstream.com/blog
Google Adwords Guide: https://neilpatel.com/what-is-
google-adwords/
USEFUL LINKS
CHECK OUT THE BELOW

The importance of a website
Choosing between a website builder versus a website
developer (agency)
Popular platforms including WordPress, Wix and more
Design and aesthetics
Content, rich media and SEO
Understanding functionality
Usability of a website and its importance
Call to actions and lead generation/sales techniques
Maintenance and hosting
How to ensure your website stays relevant
Driving traffic to your website
Website trends in 2021
WEBSITE BASICS
MORE CHAMBER WORKSHOPS

Identifying business and marketing objectives
Engagement verse conversion metrics
Making measurement a priority
Google Analytics: How to set up your analytics to work for you
Google Analytics: Specific techniques and reports
Google Analytics: Which stats matter
Social Media Analytics: Facebook Page Insights
Social Media Analytics: LinkedIn Analytics
Social Media Analytics: Instagram & Twitter Analytics
Collecting actionable metrics
Analysis requirements and reports
Making sense of the results
Action plans
DATA ANALYTICS
MORE CHAMBER WORKSHOPS

GET IN TOUCH
jessica@afundi.im
/jessica le merle
www.afundi.im
EMAIL ADDRESS
LINKEDIN
WEBSITE ADDRESS