This document provides an overview of digital marketing and how to plan and execute a digital marketing strategy. It discusses common digital marketing models and the stages of discovery, definition, design, development, and delivery. It also covers analyzing website analytics, defining target audiences, creating user personas, understanding user goals, information architecture, content strategy, copywriting, and considerations for mobile. The overall document provides guidance on conceptualizing and implementing an effective digital marketing approach.

1. A Practitioner's Guide to Digital
Marketing
BMC 319-001
Downtown Campus 906, 8th Ave SW, Calgary,
Room: 222
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2. Digital Marketing
2 Questions:
How do we frame our Plan?
How do execute on that Plan?
2

3. Digital Marketing Models
This is what we use to execute the plan…
Based on industry best practices that ensure end-to-end project integrity. Its methodology is designed to
specifically accommodate the needs of digital marketing. Under normal circumstances, this process
allows ample room for the creative process to unfold while preserving the discipline of technology-based
project management.
Discovery: Opportunity, initiation, audits, primary
and secondary research and interviews, analysis and
strategy, personas, creative and technical briefing.
Definition: Concept and strategic development,
design concepts, wireframes, site maps, business
and functional requirements, solution architecture,
production plan.
Design: Experience validation, creative and
technical solutions, and functional prototyping.
Development: Creative and technical production,
documentation, backend support and integration,
quality assurance and testing.
Delivery: Launch, end-to-end system testing,
localization of languages, deployment, optimization
and maintenance.
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4. Digital Marketing Models
This is what we use to execute the plan…
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5. Upon successful completion of this course, you will be
able to:
• Apply Digital and Integrated marketing models as described in this
course
• Conduct a competitive audit of your Website using best-practice tools
• Understand the fundamentals of target audience
definition, including user goals and persona creation
• Understand the importance of User Experience Design and Website
usability
• Understand the importance of Information
Architecture
• Conduct a content audit and understand the basics
of copywriting for the Web
• Understand technology considerations that affect the success of Digital
marketing
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6. Analytics
How are people using our website?
What insights can we gather?
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7. Analytics 101
Visitors Content Traffic Sources
1. Is traffic to my website growing, 4. What pages of my site are most 7. What traffic sources —
declining or stagnating? What are useful to visitors? direct (typing a URL), referral,
the trends? search engine or paid ads — are
Stats to focus on: Top content, driving visits to my site?
Stats to focus on: Visits per period content by title, bounce rate
vs last period; absolute unique Stat to focus on: Traffic Sources
visitors per period vs. last 5. Where do visitors first land, Overview percentages
and how do they proceed through
2. How useful are visitors finding the site? 8. What other websites are
the site? What are the trends? In referring visitors to my site?
essence, are users engaged? Stats to focus on: Top landing
pages, click patterns Stat to focus on: Referring sites
Stats to focus on: Average
pageviews, time on site 6. From what pages do visitors 9. What keywords are driving
exit the site? traffic?
3. Who are my visitors? Where do
they live? Are they new visitors or Stat to focus on: Top exit pages Stats to focus on: Keywords and
returning? phrases
Stats to focus on: Map
overlay and new vs returning
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8. Target Audience
How do we know who we are talking to?
How do we use this information to inform our thinking?
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9. Target Audience Definition
Are your target
customers male or
female?
How old are they?
Where do they
live? Is geography
a limiting factor
for any reason?
What do they do
for a living? How
much money do they
make? This is most
significant if
you're selling
relatively
expensive or
luxury items. Most
people can afford
a cup of coffee.
You can't say the
same of a car.
What other aspects
of their lives
matter?
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10. “Design for somebody,
alienate nobody”.
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11. Customer Ecosystem
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12. User goals
One of the keys to success for an online property is that it aligns itself with user goals.
The ideal state is to know and understand the user’s goal when visiting the site in order to facilitate their experience and
assist them in accomplishing their tasks.
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13. Organizational vs. User
Organization User
• Organizational Effectiveness • Ease of Use
• Convert sales and transactions to • Clarity around how I can
lower cost channels (cost per accomplish my goals.
interaction) • “I just want to the buy the darn
• Lead Generation and thing”
Qualification • Don’t make me use more than
• Deeper Customer Insight one channel (or experience) to
• One-to-one Marketing accomplish my goals.
• Customer Delight
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14. User Goals
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15. Personas
A user persona is a representation of the goals and behavior of a real group of users, based on their
demographics. We use them to determine how to align organizational goals with those of end users.
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16. Persona
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17. Customer Journey
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18. Content Strategy
How do we organize and write our content for the digital context?
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19. Why is Content Important?
Content is a Strategic Brand Asset, and should be treated as such
Content is a large part of the user/customer experience
Content is often overlooked and left until the last minute
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20. Content Strategy
1. Conduct a Content Inventory
2. Weed out the ROT (Redundant, Outdated,
Trivial)
3. Content Quality Checklist
4. Look for overall Trends
5. Establish an Content Plan
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21. Content Quality Checklist
Characteristics
Usefulness & Relevance:
Does the content meet user needs, goals, and interests?
Does the content meet business goals?
For how long will the content be useful? When should it expire? Has its usefulness already expired?
Is the content timely and relevant?
Clarity & Accuracy:
Is the content understandable to customers?
Is the content organized logically & coherently?
Is the content correct?
Does the content contain factual errors, typos, or grammatical errors?
Do images, video, and audio meet technical standards, so they are clear?
Influence & Engagement:
Does the content use the most appropriate techniques to influence or engage customers?
Does the content execute those techniques effectively?
Does the content use too many or too few techniques for the context?
Completeness:
Does the content include all of the information customers need or might want about a topic?
Does the content include too much or too little information about a topic for the context?
http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/04/toward-content-quality.php
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22. Content Quality Checklist
Characteristics
Voice & Style:
Does the content consistently reflect the editorial or brand voice?
Does its tone adjust appropriately to the context—for example, sales versus customer service?
Does the content convey the appropriate editorial and brand qualities?
Does the content seem to have a style? If so, does the content adhere to it consistently?
Does the content read, look, or sound as though it’s professionally crafted
Usability & Findability:
Is the content easy to scan or read?
Is the content in a usable format, including headings, bulleted lists, tables, white space, or similar techniques, as
appropriate to the content?
Does the content have the appropriate metadata?
Does the content follow search engine optimization (SEO) guidelines—such as using keywords—without sacrificing
quality in other areas?
Can customers find the content when searching using relevant keywords?
Format:
Text, PDF, image, outside link, etc.
Audience:
For which target audience is the content intended?
Is the content aligned with business or user goals?
http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/04/toward-content-quality.php
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23. Establish a Content Plan
• Testing content with users: Incorporate questions about content in your user
interviews, focus groups, usability tests, and surveys
• Monitoring content metrics: Engagement is a metric that suits content well.
For content that’s meant to support conversions, tracking whether conversions
increase after improving content is important
• Establishing governance: Have a group of stakeholders from across the
company or organization meet regularly to oversee major content decisions
• Applying the publishing model to content For major content efforts, a
publishing structure and related tools—such as an editorial calendar—are a
natural fit
• Incorporating content guides, standards, and tips into CMS
• Maintaining the meta-data
• Hiring employees, consultants, and agencies who care about content
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24. Copywriting for the Web – Top 5 errors
Error
Error #1 : Writing Inwardly • Before you start writing, collect feedback from customers and prospects.
Ask them why they buy from you, why they don’t, and how doing business
with you has affected them.
• Start with an outline. Associate every feature with a benefit and every
benefit with an experience.
• Have a customer read a draft and then explain to you why they would want
to buy the product. If the customer “gets it,” you’re a star.
• Do the same thing with a person who knows nothing about your product
and industry.
Error #2: Burying the Lead • Before writing, ask, What is the key takeaway I want visitors to have after
they visit this page? That’s your lead.
• Highlight your lead idea in a bold font. This is especially helpful when you
can’t work it into the first sentence.
• Use plain language.
• Keep your most important points above the fold, as sub-headings, as the
first sentence of a paragraph and as bullet points.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/06/29/five-copywriting-errors-that-can-ruin-a-company-website/
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25. Copywriting for the Web – Top 5 errors
Error
Error #3: Mediocre Meta Meta Title
The meta title describes the subject matter of the page and is ideally 65
Data characters or fewer. Visitors see the meta title in their browser tab and in
search engine results; it is the most important piece of information that
Google and other engines read on a given page.
Meta Description
The meta description, ideally 155 characters or fewer, is a snippet of text that
is displayed under a link on a search engine results page (SERP). The meta
description has little if any SEO value but is important for conversions.
Error #4: Saying too Much • Brevity, brevity.
Error #5: Weak or no Calls • CTAs generally fall into one of four types, listed here in descending order
of commitment:
to Action • Place an order;
• Enroll, subscribe, enter;
• Get a quote;
• Learn more.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2011/06/29/five-copywriting-errors-that-can-ruin-a-company-website/
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26. Information Architecture
How do we structure our website?
What are the organizing principles?
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27. Information Architecture
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28. Information Architecture
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29. Site map
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30. Wireframes
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31. Global
Primary
(Header)
Secondary Spotlights
Tertiary
Global
(Footer) 31

32. Site map
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33. Card Sort Exercise
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34. Requirements Gathering
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35. • Business Requirements
1
• Functional Requirements
2
• Technical Requirements
3
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36. User Stories
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37. Mobile
What makes mobile different?
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38. Mobile Market
The mobile landscape is changing rapidly, particularly in Canada.
Blackberry continues its sharp decline while Android phones
continue to gain market share.
Canada U.S.
Source: StatCounter Global Stats. Q3/2011 – Q3/2012. http://gs.statcounter.com/#mobile_os-US-quarterly-201103-201203
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39. Defining Mobile Optimization
Not Functional on Functional / Mobile Optimized Mobile Specific or
Mobile Devices Viewable on Mobile App
Devices
Cannot view or interact with Site is visible and usable on Mobile-specific styling of Unique site experience and
site on mobile devices. “current” mobile devices (e.g. content and/or navigation. content for mobile devices or
Typically are flash with no iPhones, touchsceen Same content as full site. the development of a native
back-up graphics. Blackberry). Flash elements app specifically designed for
replaced with backup the device.
graphics.
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40. ‘Featured’ Mobile Content
Ideally, a website should be fully optimized for
mobile. The optimization and promotion of
‘featured’ mobile content should only be
considered if:
• The Target Audiences being considered warrants
specific and immediate attention –
• A review of Analytics supports the fact that these
audiences are accessing via mobile
• Due to the site’s size and complexity, a pilot or
phased approach is desired
• A more detailed content audit and site inventory is
necessary before optimizing the entire site
• The target audiences in question do not warrant the
development of a native mobile app (ROI)
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41. Progressive Enhancement
Progressive enhancement is the separation of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Which in turn, separates what the user can see in terms of their
mobile experience. In its essence, we let the ‘user device’ (browser)
‘decide’ what it is capable of handling .
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42. A Practitioner's Guide to Digital
Marketing
BMC 319-001
Downtown Campus 906, 8th Ave SW, Calgary,
Room: 222
42