{"id":13472,"date":"2022-02-15T13:43:06","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T13:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/15\/7-overlooked-digital-marketing-costs\/"},"modified":"2022-02-15T13:43:06","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T13:43:06","slug":"7-overlooked-digital-marketing-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/15\/7-overlooked-digital-marketing-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Overlooked Digital Marketing Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Compiling a digital marketing budget<\/span><\/a> from scratch is a complicated endeavor. It\u2019s not always easy to forecast how much you\u2019ll need to spend on various efforts or which campaigns deserve the lion\u2019s share of your spend \u2014 especially if you have little-to-no historical data to inform your decisions. And even if you\u2019ve been managing a budget for a while, there are always new platforms, tools, and spaces to consider.<\/p>\n

One of the worst mistakes you can make, though, is overlooking an essential expense. And while there are countless different ways to apply your budget, there are a few digital marketing costs that, if forgotten, can significantly impact your outcomes.<\/p>\n

Here are seven digital marketing line items you can\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n

7 Overlooked Digital Marketing Costs<\/h2>\n
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  1. Digital Marketing Expertise<\/li>\n
  2. Analytic Tools<\/li>\n
  3. Project Management Solution<\/li>\n
  4. Marketing Automation Software<\/li>\n
  5. Design and Video Editing Programs<\/li>\n
  6. Website Hosting and Security<\/li>\n
  7. Webinar Platform<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Digital Marketing Expertise<\/h3>\n

    If you\u2019re managing any portion of your digital marketing in-house, you\u2019ll need to invest in professionals who can execute your plan. This includes writers, editors, designers, videographers, and developers who can create your owned and paid content and bring it to life. You\u2019ll also need someone to review and interpret performance data and a project manager to keep campaigns on track.<\/p>\n

    In an effort to stay lean, some small businesses divide all of the above roles among a small handful of people. While this can work in a pinch, it will eventually limit your outcomes. Instead, it\u2019s better to outsource this work to freelancers or hire a digital marketing agency<\/span><\/a>. <\/p>\n

    Regardless of which path you choose, you\u2019ll need to identify those costs and ensure you have the budget to cover them.<\/p>\n

    Analytic Tools<\/h3>\n

    One of the greatest benefits of digital marketing, as opposed to traditional marketing, is that you can measure almost anything. From ad clicks, email opens, and blog bounce rates to asset downloads, video views, and user tracking<\/span><\/a> \u2014 not to mention revenue influenced \u2014\u00a0there\u2019s a lot you can glean if you know what to measure. <\/p>\n

    The problem is digital marketing generates so much data that it can be challenging to gather, sort, visualize, translate, and apply this information without the right tools in place. Analytics software will help you track campaigns and forecast outcomes so you can make more data-driven decisions and easily communicate performance to internal stakeholders.<\/p>\n

    Project Management Solution<\/h3>\n

    Even the most professional and capable people are hard to wrangle. And even if you hire an experienced project manager to set milestones, create timelines, and gather progress updates, they won\u2019t get far without the right software. <\/p>\n

    Project management programs help ensure teams stay on track and help automate all those pesky administrative tasks that can slow people down and send things off course. You need a platform to ensure everyone knows exactly what\u2019s expected of them and when each item is due to mitigate the chances of anyone dropping the ball. This will also help eliminate silos and foster better collaboration.<\/p>\n

    Marketing Automation Software<\/h3>\n

    Marketing automation<\/span><\/a> is an umbrella term that encompasses any software handling routine marketing efforts and manages multiple workflows simultaneously. Marketing automation platforms like HubSpot<\/span><\/a> help you manage paid advertising, email, social media and your website from one location. <\/p>\n

    These tools allow you to write, schedule, and track an email campaign, social media posts, and blog articles from one platform (instead of toggling back and forth between several different tools). And because everything is either handled through a single solution (or integrated with it), you\u2019ll have a more holistic view of your marketing efforts.<\/p>\n

    Design and Video Editing Programs<\/h3>\n

    Another one of the most commonly overlooked digital marketing costs is design software. Your designers will need access to programs like Adobe Creative Cloud, and your videographer will need a subscription to a high-quality video editing program. Without these tools, they won\u2019t be able to create the visual content you need for all of your various digital marketing efforts.<\/p>\n

    And when it comes to design and video editing \u2014 or any other software, for that matter \u2014 keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Investing in something just because it\u2019s the cheapest option will likely cause issues for even your best and most creative designers.<\/p>\n

    Website Hosting and Security<\/h3>\n

    You know your organization\u2019s website is essential to your business. In fact, the goal of most marketing campaigns is to drive prospective buyers to your website<\/span><\/a> so you can guide them on to the next step of the buyer\u2019s journey<\/span><\/a>. If your site goes down, it can bring all your digital marketing efforts to a screeching halt.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s precisely why you should select a reliable website host and invest in good website security, including an SSL certificate.<\/p>\n

    There are many website hosting companies to choose from, including HubSpot CMS Hub, Bluehost, and GoDaddy.<\/p>\n

    Many hosting services also include a security component so you can rest assured information is encrypted and less likely to be hacked. While there\u2019s not a 100% effective way to protect your site from cybercriminals, it\u2019s critical you take as many steps as possible to reduce the risk of exposing sensitive information like customer data.<\/p>\n

    Webinar Platform<\/h3>\n

    We\u2019ve all hosted and experienced a lot of webinars since March 2020, and we\u2019ve learned the quality of the platform has a profound effect on audience engagement. We also learned the videoconferencing tools we use internally don\u2019t always work well for large-scale events.<\/p>\n

    Thankfully, the uptick in webinar demand created competition in the space and led to much better innovation. Today, there are many webinar solutions available at a range of price points. But given the amount of time and energy that goes into planning online events, this is one of those digital marketing costs that shouldn\u2019t be an afterthought.<\/p>\n

    Consider All Your Digital Marketing Costs<\/h2>\n

    Marketing as a whole can be a hefty line item \u2014\u00a0and that\u2019s because it\u2019s essential for reaching prospective customers, nurturing them and ensuring your sales team has a steady pipeline of highly-qualified leads. But, because securing an additional budget can still be challenging, it\u2019s crucial you account for all of the above digital marketing costs the first time around. This way, you\u2019ll be well-covered.<\/p>\n

    \"Digital<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n