If it feels like there’s constantly a new strategy being rolled out to improve your business’s online performance, you’re not wrong. Metrics, measurements and algorithms change rapidly in the digital world. Keeping track of them — let alone keeping up with implementing them — can seem like a full-time job. (That’s because it is! But it’s our job, so we don’t mind.)
One of the emerging specialties that every business needs to be aware of is digital marketing optimization, or DMO. This is a new breed of search engine optimization (SEO) that focuses on more than just the technical side of SEO and is starting to gain more traction and attention — and rightfully so.
When properly implemented as part of an overall digital content marketing strategy, DMO can help businesses improve their efforts and outcomes. If you’re ready to learn more, grab your scuba gear, because we’re going to take a deep dive into DMO.
What Is DMO?
As you probably already know, optimization is the practice of fine-tuning strategies to improve efficiency or cut costs. It can be applied to both the online and offline worlds, but when used digitally, it involves tracking important metrics about user behavior that help you understand what’s working and what’s not. It gives you a better idea of where customers are spending their time and can help you craft a targeted approach that will be more successful in helping customers convert.
DMO takes existing digital strategies to the next level. It can be used on any type of content that you’re putting online, whether that is on social media, your website or a blog post. (That also includes content you might not be giving as much thought to in terms of optimization, such as hashtags or alternative text.)
However, in this expanding multi-channel universe, it’s important to realize it’s not limited to only traditional written content; it’s also relevant on platforms including podcasts, mobile apps, instant messaging and digital television.
Your DMO strategy will be used to gather information from all the platforms and places your content appears, and it will give you incredibly valuable insight into such metrics as:
- The browsers people are using to find you
- What devices (mobile, desktop, etc.) are most often using to find you
- The pages, content or actions that brought visitors to your site
- The success rate of each campaign
This information will also help you determine the cost per visit and help you determine where your marketing efforts can best be directed.
DMO vs. SEO: What’s the Difference?
Right now, you might be thinking that DMO sounds a lot like SEO. Both have similar goals, which is to improve your search engine rankings and, ideally, use that to convert customers. But there are important nuances that differentiate DMO and SEO.
SEO is designed to improve visibility on search engines; it’s been a highly successful tool for helping businesses get discovered. It helps you show up in Google searches, which is why many companies use professional SEO services to help develop, manage and improve campaigns using keyword research or developing new content.
DMO is less about keyword research and ranking, and more about creating a strong brand identity with multiple touchpoints. That means making content more accessible so that more users can discover it in more places. And it means that every piece of content and every image supporting that content must have the same messaging to create a cohesive brand identity across all channels and platforms.
Of course, DMO depends on a solid foundation to be successful. That begins with a well-planned content strategy that includes all your digital platforms and touchpoints. From there, digital tools (including SEO) will help gather data to see what’s working and where you’re getting the best reach.
Tools such as in-site microsurveys can be added, as they’re often effective for getting more feedback from users and will provide additional insight into customer behavior — such as what could be causing churn.
Then, armed with that digital data, it’s time to refine the process. DMO is influenced by the holistic picture of a business, and all the information collected along the way helps inform how that picture appears and what needs to be eliminated or retooled. DMO focuses on the user and the ideal target market to identify opportunities for optimization. This is usually done through A/B testing, focus groups and diving into the behavior flow of the website user.
Why Is DMO Being Used Now?
As mentioned, practices and strategies continue to change and evolve in the digital world. DMO is an extension of existing tools and strategies that improve your ability to rank higher in search results on every platform. It also brings together the many (and growing) digital arenas in which businesses can reach users and ensures that their messaging is consistent, effective and accessible.
Because the online world changes so rapidly, it’s important for businesses to take optimization seriously. Overlooking a channel or platform — or putting too much effort into reaching customers in a space that is becoming less relevant — can sideline marketing efforts and leave businesses in the dust.
Do I Need DMO?
If you’re wondering whether your business can benefit from DMO, that depends on your answer to these four simple questions:
- Are you online?
- Do you want to better target your marketing efforts and avoid wasting resources?
- Are you interested in continued growth for your business?
- Does your brand presence reside on multiple channels/platforms?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then digital marketing optimization is right for you. As new tools emerge, keeping up with the competition means keeping up with the latest execution strategies. DMO will continue playing an important role in improving processes and helping businesses reach their audiences.
It can help identify where opportunities might be missed and show you where to strengthen your efforts. It will inform your creative efforts and help shape your content marketing strategies moving forward. And it will make sure that you’re ready for the next level of tactics and strategies when they are introduced.
Hiring a skilled content marketing agency can help you implement the right strategy for your business and ensure that the latest techniques and strategies — such as digital marketing optimization and professional SEO services — are being used to help your business reach its full potential.
