Day 1: Digital Marketing Strategy & Audience Persona

 

Concepts

1. What is Digital Marketing?

• Definition: Using digital tools (websites, social media, search engines) to reach customers, sell products, and build relationships.
• Key Goal: Being active where your target customers spend their time.
• Example:
  • A local shoe shop in Kathmandu puts a paper poster outside their shop \rightarrow Traditional Marketing.
  • That same shoe shop creates a Facebook page and runs ads \rightarrow Digital Marketing.

2. Situation Analysis

• Definition: Assessing where your business stands right now before starting any digital marketing activities.
• 3 Main Areas to Review:
  • Customer Analysis: Who are your buyers, and what devices do they use?
  • Competitor Analysis: What are rival businesses doing online?
  • Internal Performance: How well are your current web pages or social channels performing?
• Example:
  • A new online cake shop reviews rival bakeries in their city and finds that competitors reply slowly on Instagram and lack an online menu.
  • This reveals a clear opportunity to stand out by offering fast replies and a digital menu.

3. Competitor Digital Audits

• Definition: Checking and scoring your competitors' online activities to learn what works and where they are failing.
• What to Audit:
  • Website & Content: Is their website fast? Do they write informative blog posts?
  • Search Engines: Do they show up on Google when people search for relevant keywords?
  • Social Media: Which platforms do they use, and do people like or comment on their posts?
• Tools Used for Auditing:
  • Similarweb / Ahrefs: To check website visitor traffic and ranking keywords.
  • Manual Check: Opening competitor Facebook pages to see how often they post.
• Example:
  • Auditing rival Travel Agency A shows they have 50,000 Facebook followers but almost zero comments because they only post simple product links.
  • This insight highlights that posting short video guides will likely yield much higher engagement.
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4. The RACE Framework

Developed by Dave Chaffey, RACE breaks down the customer lifecycle into 4 simple steps to organize digital activities.

  [ REACH ] ───► [ ACT ] ───► [ CONVERT ] ───► [ ENGAGE ]
 (Awareness)    (Interaction)    (Sales)        (Loyalty)

• Step 1: Reach (Get Noticed)
  • Goal: Build awareness and bring people to your page or website.
  • Example: Running Google search ads or posting short videos on TikTok to show a new tea brand.
• Step 2: Act (Get Interaction)
  • Goal: Encourage visitors to take a small initial action, like reading a blog or filling out a contact form.
  • Example: A visitor clicks your link, reads a free "Top 5 Travel Tips" guide, and submits their email address.
• Step 3: Convert (Get the Sale)
  • Goal: Turn an interested person into a paying customer.
  • Example: Sending a discount coupon to an email subscriber so they complete their online order.
• Step 4: Engage (Keep the Customer)
  • Goal: Build long-term loyalty so customers buy again and recommend you to friends.
  • Example: Sending birthday wishes with a 10% discount to existing customers.

5. Target Audience & Customer Personas

• Definition: A Persona is a detailed, fictional profile of your ideal buyer created using real data and market observations.
• Key Components of a Persona:
  • Demographics: Age, gender, job title, income, location.
  • Psychographics & Hobbies: Personal interests, values, lifestyle choices.
  • Pain Points & Needs: Specific problems they face and what they need to solve them.
  • Digital Habits: Which social media platforms they use daily and how they search for products online.
• Example:
  • Profile Name: "Student Ramesh"
  • Age & Role: 21 years old, IT student in Pokhara.
  • Goal: Needs a cheap, reliable laptop for coding projects.
  • Pain Point: Has a limited budget and fears buying a secondhand computer that breaks quickly.
  • Digital Habit: Uses YouTube and Reddit to watch laptop reviews before buying.
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Practical Exercises

Task 1: Choose Your Business

• Action: Pick 1 real or imaginary business to work on for the entire 7-day workshop.
• Examples:
  • Option A: A local coffee shop trying to sell ground coffee online.
  • Option B: An online clothing boutique targeting university students.
  • Option C: A freelance web design agency looking for local business clients.

Task 2: Define 3 Core Digital Objectives

• Action: Write down 3 clear, measurable digital marketing goals using the RACE model framework.
• Template Structure:
  1. Reach Goal: Increase website traffic or social media reach.
  2. Act / Convert Goal: Get a specific number of leads, email signups, or sales.
  3. Engage Goal: Keep existing users active or turn them into brand advocates.
• Example (For a Local Coffee Shop):
  • Objective 1 (Reach): Get 1,000 website visits per month through Instagram posts.
  • Objective 2 (Convert): Generate 50 online coffee orders during the first month.
  • Objective 3 (Engage): Get 20 repeat orders from existing customers by sending monthly discount codes via email.

Task 3: Draft an Initial Customer Persona

• Action: Fill out this simplified target profile template based on your chosen business:

Field	Example Details
Persona Name	Eco-Conscious Anish
Age & Profession	28 years old, Bank Officer
Location	Lalitpur
Primary Goal	Wants organic, locally sourced coffee beans delivered directly to his office
Main Problem / Pain Point	Hard to find fresh, quality local roast coffee in regular supermarkets
Preferred Digital Channels	Instagram and Google Search
How to Reach Him	Short Instagram reels showing the coffee roasting process, with a direct purchase link