A business can have a website, post daily on social media, run Google Ads, run social media ads and send newsletters without necessarily having a digital marketing strategy. Those are digital marketing activities. A strategy explains why the business is using them, who it wants to reach, how the different channels work together and what results they are expected to deliver.
This distinction is important because businesses now have more digital channels and tools than ever before. Without a clear strategy, it is easy to invest time and money in platforms simply because competitors are using them or because a particular channel is trending.
What is a digital marketing strategy?
A digital marketing strategy is a plan for how a business will use digital channels, content, data and technology to achieve its marketing and business objectives.
Asana describes it as a plan of action for achieving a business goal through online marketing channels. It should clarify your goals, target audience, key performance indicators and the timeframe within which you expect to achieve results.
For example, a professional services company may use LinkedIn to build credibility with decision-makers, Google Search to reach people actively searching for its services, a website to provide detailed information, email to nurture potential clients and WhatsApp to handle enquiries. The strategy defines the role of each channel and how they support the customer journey.
A useful way to think about it is this: digital marketing activities are what you do. Your digital marketing strategy explains why you are doing them and how they contribute to your goals.
What are the types of digital marketing?
Digital marketing can first be grouped into owned, paid and earned media.
Owned media includes digital assets that your business controls, such as your website, blog, email database, mobile app and social media accounts. Paid media covers visibility that you pay for, including search ads, social media advertising, display ads, sponsored content, paid influencer partnerships and retargeting. Earned media includes attention generated by other people, such as media coverage, online reviews, recommendations, social shares and brand mentions
Most businesses will use a combination of the three. A company may publish a useful guide on its website, promote it through LinkedIn advertising and later gain additional reach when customers or industry professionals share it.
What are digital marketing tactics?
Digital marketing tactics are the specific activities used to execute the strategy. This is where SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing, online advertising, website marketing and analytics come in.
The difference between strategy and tactics is straightforward. If your goal is to increase qualified leads by 20 per cent, your strategy may involve reaching high-intent customers online and nurturing them towards an enquiry. SEO, Google Ads, LinkedIn content, webinars and email campaigns are possible tactics for executing that strategy.
Businesses should therefore avoid choosing tactics before defining the objective. “We need TikTok” is not a strategy. The better question is whether TikTok can help you reach a relevant audience and contribute to a defined business goal.
How to Create an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy
1. Audit your current digital presence
Start by understanding where you are today. Review your website, social media channels, search visibility, email performance, paid advertising, analytics and existing customer data.
Look at what is working, what is underperforming and where opportunities exist. Competitor research is also useful because it can reveal gaps in the market, customer expectations and areas where your business can differentiate itself.
Begin with an assessment of current digital marketing performance and maturity before deciding where to invest or improve.
2. Define your business and marketing goals
Your digital marketing objectives should support wider business goals.
Instead of saying, “We want more social media followers,” define the result you actually need. A stronger objective could be: “Increase qualified enquiries from digital channels by 20 per cent over the next six months.”
Clear objectives make it easier to select channels, allocate budgets and determine which metrics matter.
3. Understand your target audience
Build your strategy around the people you want to reach. Understand their needs, problems, motivations, online behaviour and the channels they use when researching or making decisions.
Customer interviews, website analytics, search data, social listening, surveys and sales conversations can provide useful insight. Buyer personas can then help organise this information into clear audience segments.
4. Map the customer journey
Customers rarely move from seeing one social media post directly to making a purchase.
Someone may discover your business on Instagram, search for it on Google, visit the website, check LinkedIn for credibility, subscribe to a newsletter and eventually send an enquiry through WhatsApp.
Mapping this journey helps you understand which channels influence discovery, research, evaluation and conversion. Identify the channels and content customers encounter at different stages of their journey.
5. Choose the right channels and tactics
Your business does not need to be everywhere. Select channels based on your objectives, audience behaviour, budget and available resources.
Each channel should have a clear role. Search may capture existing demand, LinkedIn may build professional credibility, YouTube may support education and your website may provide the information needed before a customer takes action.
The channels should also work together rather than operate as separate marketing activities.
6. Set your budget, responsibilities and KPIs
Determine what you can realistically invest and who will execute each part of the strategy. Some work may remain in-house while specialist areas such as advertising, SEO, web development or content production may require external support.
KPIs should match the objective. Depending on the strategy, useful measures may include qualified leads, conversion rate, cost per lead, website traffic from priority sources, email conversions or return on advertising spend
7. Implement, measure and improve
A digital marketing strategy should not be written once and forgotten. Review performance regularly, test improvements and adjust priorities as customer behaviour, platforms and business needs change.
Build a strategy before adding more digital activity
An effective digital marketing strategy gives direction to your website, social media, content, search, email and advertising. It helps your business decide where to invest, what to measure and what each digital channel is expected to achieve.
Before asking which platform to join next, start with the business goal, audience and customer journey. The channels and tactics should follow from there.
Need help developing or reviewing your digital marketing strategy? Samodigital Agency supports businesses and organisations with digital strategy, social media strategy, content planning, digital campaigns and practical digital marketing training tailored to their objectives and audiences.
Contact us info@samodigitalagency.com
