7 Foundational Steps for your Christian Digital Marketing Solutions
First published June 1, 2023. Revised October 11, 2023
Whether you’ve decided to outsource your content to a marketing agency or tackle it yourself as the business owner, good Christian digital marketing starts away from the keyboard.
It’s natural to want quick results, but if you don’t work on a strategy for your digital marketing solutions, your internet marketing will have more problems than solutions.
And you need to make ethical marketing choices, which includes good user experience for your website visitor, clean web design, and honesty about your work.
Thankfully, these habits are good not just for your audience but also for search engine optimization.
Between your competitors and the rise of AI content, there’s more than enough noise on the internet. If your content marketing isn’t reliable, relatable, well-researched, AND optimized for your audience to find it, they won't.
So before going near “Add Blog Post,” take a few foundational steps to solve your customers’ problems – and in turn, solve your own digital marketing needs.
It’s natural to want quick results, but if you don’t work on a strategy for your digital marketing solutions, your internet marketing will have more problems than solutions.
And you need to make ethical marketing choices, which includes good user experience for your website visitor, clean web design, and honesty about your work.
Thankfully, these habits are good not just for your audience but also for search engine optimization.
Between your competitors and the rise of AI content, there’s more than enough noise on the internet. If your content marketing isn’t reliable, relatable, well-researched, AND optimized for your audience to find it, they won't.
So before going near “Add Blog Post,” take a few foundational steps to solve your customers’ problems – and in turn, solve your own digital marketing needs.
Step 1: The Target Audience of Your Christian Digital Marketing
The most important step for success for all business owners is knowing your audience.
You can have the best product in the world, but if you can’t explain why it helps people, they won’t buy it.
You’ve probably created a persona already, but take the time to reassess it.
Who is actually buying your product? What’s their personality and interests? If your website traffic matching your intention, or does every discovery call go awry?
Consider the teen boy playing with his friends, or the young mom trying to manage 5 children under 5, or the grandparents retiring to the cabin.
Even more important for planning your digital marketing strategy is knowing where they spend time online and how they like companies to communicate with them.
Do they like Facebook (Meta)? Twitter (X)? What will convince them to sign up for your newsletter for email marketing? What sort of research do they do before buying from you? Do they listen to a lot of podcasts? Read articles? Are they eager for print marketing?
Pay close attention to their generation - data analysis by StackAdapt explains why.
No profiling category is 100% accurate to any person, but there are useful trends in how people interact with the internet, advertising, and companies. Being alert to those differences will help you plan the best use of your time.
You can have the best product in the world, but if you can’t explain why it helps people, they won’t buy it.
You’ve probably created a persona already, but take the time to reassess it.
Who is actually buying your product? What’s their personality and interests? If your website traffic matching your intention, or does every discovery call go awry?
Consider the teen boy playing with his friends, or the young mom trying to manage 5 children under 5, or the grandparents retiring to the cabin.
Even more important for planning your digital marketing strategy is knowing where they spend time online and how they like companies to communicate with them.
Do they like Facebook (Meta)? Twitter (X)? What will convince them to sign up for your newsletter for email marketing? What sort of research do they do before buying from you? Do they listen to a lot of podcasts? Read articles? Are they eager for print marketing?
Pay close attention to their generation - data analysis by StackAdapt explains why.
No profiling category is 100% accurate to any person, but there are useful trends in how people interact with the internet, advertising, and companies. Being alert to those differences will help you plan the best use of your time.
Step 2: Get a View of the Competitive Digital Marketing Landscape
Know your clients, and know your industry, too.
Are there expectations for your industry–either in terms of compliance you have to follow, or general best practices that your audience probably expects?
Also look for opportunities. What haven’t other business owners published or discussed? What market segment isn't being served?
Compare your ideas here with the summary of your target audience, and pay attention to the overlap.
Save this list of ideas for later.
Are there expectations for your industry–either in terms of compliance you have to follow, or general best practices that your audience probably expects?
Also look for opportunities. What haven’t other business owners published or discussed? What market segment isn't being served?
Compare your ideas here with the summary of your target audience, and pay attention to the overlap.
Save this list of ideas for later.
Step 3: Set Clear Goals for your Digital Marketing
If you can't measure it, it didn't happen.
Thanks to technology like Google Analytics and tracking for email marketing, you can see engagement.
Some business owners put out social media posts and emails to get it off their to do list. If they get a few replies, they count it as a success.
But measurable goals can lead you to measurable results.
Do you want more awareness? More leads? More conversions? More referrals?
Not everything can be done with one piece. You’ll have to pick the right tool for the right job.
The more goals you have, the bigger your overall plan will have to be -- no wonder people do outsource pieces of it to social media management, a digital marketing agency, a Google ads manager, and/or an SEO marketing company.
Your content has to be designed and written with particular goals in mind. And those goals unite to help your customers find your product.
Your goals will also help you determine which metrics you need to track.
There can be a lot of pieces, so be aware of what your limits are. If you have to sacrifice one channel in order to be consistent with another, choose consistency.
Thanks to technology like Google Analytics and tracking for email marketing, you can see engagement.
Some business owners put out social media posts and emails to get it off their to do list. If they get a few replies, they count it as a success.
But measurable goals can lead you to measurable results.
Do you want more awareness? More leads? More conversions? More referrals?
Not everything can be done with one piece. You’ll have to pick the right tool for the right job.
The more goals you have, the bigger your overall plan will have to be -- no wonder people do outsource pieces of it to social media management, a digital marketing agency, a Google ads manager, and/or an SEO marketing company.
Your content has to be designed and written with particular goals in mind. And those goals unite to help your customers find your product.
Your goals will also help you determine which metrics you need to track.
There can be a lot of pieces, so be aware of what your limits are. If you have to sacrifice one channel in order to be consistent with another, choose consistency.
Step 4: Define Brand Guidelines for Your Digital Marketing
Once you have perfected your customer persona and considered your place in the industry, it’s time to finalize your voice.
Brand Guidelines include little details to build consistency and also core ideas about your business.
Make a document that covers:
Brand Guidelines include little details to build consistency and also core ideas about your business.
Make a document that covers:
- How to communicate with your target market
- Your unique selling proposition – what makes you you
- The values you want to communicate
- Font and color preferences
- Tone and voice
- Grammar and terminology standards
- Social media policies
- Rules of conduct for people who manage your accounts
- Tips for replying with good customer service
Step 5: Create a Digital Marketing Plan of Where, When, and Why
Now the prep work finally turns into something more concrete: your content calendar.
No matter the channel -- social media, search engines, or email marketing -- consistency is the most important aspect of successful digital marketing strategy.
People, search engine optimization, and social media algorithms all love consistent, new content.
Find your balance between what is current best practice and what your organization can commit to creating.
Make sure that your plan addresses where your target market wants to be reached. Everything in its place, for a reason.
A successful calendar also makes sure that content is varied. Switch between video, pictures, and text. Avoid selling and talking about yourself all the time (a hard urge to fight). Focus on being useful to your customer. Include a link building strategy where you contribute to third parties.
And I recommend making it an actual calendar. Add it as a separate calendar digitally or physically, and give yourself real, hard deadlines. Especially if you are your own copywriter, graphic designer, and internet marketer.
No matter the channel -- social media, search engines, or email marketing -- consistency is the most important aspect of successful digital marketing strategy.
People, search engine optimization, and social media algorithms all love consistent, new content.
Find your balance between what is current best practice and what your organization can commit to creating.
Make sure that your plan addresses where your target market wants to be reached. Everything in its place, for a reason.
A successful calendar also makes sure that content is varied. Switch between video, pictures, and text. Avoid selling and talking about yourself all the time (a hard urge to fight). Focus on being useful to your customer. Include a link building strategy where you contribute to third parties.
And I recommend making it an actual calendar. Add it as a separate calendar digitally or physically, and give yourself real, hard deadlines. Especially if you are your own copywriter, graphic designer, and internet marketer.
Step 6: Research Optimal Digital Marketing Keywords
Now that you have a plan of when to post, where to post it, and rough topic ideas, it’s time to start diving in with individual posts.
But it’s still not quite time to write.
For each post, you also have to fine tune the individual topic. And that means researching keywords.
You started this process when you researched your target audience and your industry analysis. Go back to the list of opportunities and your customer persona.
What are they searching for? What are search terms that would connect their desires to your content?
Couple your brainstorming with keyword research sites like Ubersuggest.
Make a list as you research and pinpoint certain keywords for certain days.
But it’s still not quite time to write.
For each post, you also have to fine tune the individual topic. And that means researching keywords.
You started this process when you researched your target audience and your industry analysis. Go back to the list of opportunities and your customer persona.
What are they searching for? What are search terms that would connect their desires to your content?
Couple your brainstorming with keyword research sites like Ubersuggest.
Make a list as you research and pinpoint certain keywords for certain days.
Step 7: Measure (and Adapt!) Your Digital Marketing Success
And — go!
After research and planning, you finally get to writing, editing, and publishing. Now it’s time to reap the rewards.
But it’s not over.
After publishing, you need to be ready to adjust.
Engage with your audience, keep track of your metrics like unsubscribe rates, audit your results, and make changes.
Update old content with new statistics, keep up with content channels, listen to your customers, and deliver the information they want.
It’s never time to rest on your laurels, but there’s always the reward of serving your audience.
If you focus on these foundational steps, you’ll be more prepared for content success.
A strategy call can also be a great place to start if you're feeling overwhelmed and ready to look into Christian copywriting and SEO company solutions. If you're ready to take your business to the next level, I might have an SEO package that fits.
After research and planning, you finally get to writing, editing, and publishing. Now it’s time to reap the rewards.
But it’s not over.
After publishing, you need to be ready to adjust.
Engage with your audience, keep track of your metrics like unsubscribe rates, audit your results, and make changes.
Update old content with new statistics, keep up with content channels, listen to your customers, and deliver the information they want.
It’s never time to rest on your laurels, but there’s always the reward of serving your audience.
If you focus on these foundational steps, you’ll be more prepared for content success.
A strategy call can also be a great place to start if you're feeling overwhelmed and ready to look into Christian copywriting and SEO company solutions. If you're ready to take your business to the next level, I might have an SEO package that fits.
Interested in more? Subscribe to my newsletter with the form below for monthly strategic tips and special announcements.