If you’ve had Olympic fever for the past few weeks, we’re right there with you. The thing we love about the Olympics is how it inspires greatness.

And, of course, being the digital marketing enthusiasts we are, we thought it was only right that we dedicate a write-up specifically to winning the gold medal – of digital marketing.

Make Your Website a Gold Medal Winner

And if you don’t think your website can make the podium…well, it’s time to up your game.

Here’s what it takes.

Make a Plan

No Olympian made it to the games without a structured, planned approach. If you want your digital marketing strategy to make it to the winner’s circle, it’s not going to happen by chance.

Before you create a powerful, dynamic strategy, you need to take a few things into consideration:

First, each part of your strategy should align with your business’s overall goals and objectives. After all, your digital presence is simply an extension of your brand’s presence, so make sure your goals are in alignment.

Additionally, a gold medal strategy incorporates all aspects of digital marketing. Sure, a dynamic, user-friendly and beautiful website is critical, but a strategy that doesn’t incorporate content marketing and social media marketing elements won’t end up on the winner’s podium.

Think of your strategy like an athlete would think of her diet and exercise routine: if one is out of whack with the other, performance will suffer.

Guard Against Injury

Training your digital marketing muscles is important if you’re looking to turn your strategy into tactical success, but keep in mind that hurdles and hiccups along the way can stall, or even entirely prevent, your success.

Often, these hurdles come as a result of failing to plan your marketing strategy completely.

That’s why it’s so important to safeguard your brand against possible injuries to your good name. These injuries could include website downtime, an ill-advised social post, a poor performing product, or a terrible customer service experience.

Obviously, most of these hurdles are preventable, so keep them in mind in the planning phase of your journey.

Look to the Future

Ask any Olympian: the key to success is having a goal in mind.

Without that eye to the future, you’ll have little direction – not to mention motivation – with which to keep moving.

While you’ve undoubtedly already outlined your goals and objectives in the planning phase, it’s important to keep in mind that these goals may change depending on the market and industry around you.

For example:

When new apps and technologies hit the market, you’ll want to integrate them into your strategy. Likewise, when Google alters its algorithm or research shows consumer behavior shifting, it’s important that you react accordingly.

Keep on top of trends by following industry blogs, attending conferences, networking with other industry leaders, and paying attention to social signals.

Digital Marketing Gold

If you’re ready to go for the digital marketing gold, now is the time, but don’t despair if you don’t see immediate and spectacular results.

Digital marketing, like every aspect of running a business, is a marathon – not a sprint. Companies like NeONBRAND spend years examining the market, developing new strategies, and honing our skills to get those gold medal results.

No matter how small or how massive your company, you can find winning strategies for your business that fit within your budget, skills, and time constraints.

All you have to do is run your race.