How Do I Build a Digital Marketing Strategy?
A digital marketing strategy is a plan for using digital channels to achieve a specific business objective. It determines who you’re trying to reach, what you want them to do, where you’re most likely to reach them and how you’ll measure success. The mistake is starting with the channels.
Start with the objective. Then build the digital strategy around it.
1. Define the Objective.
What does the business actually need the marketing to accomplish?
That might be:
A clear objective gives every other decision a purpose.
2. Understand the Audience.
Who are you trying to reach? Go beyond basic demographics.
Consider:
01
What do they need?
02
What problem are they trying to solve?
03
What questions are they asking?
04
What influences their decision?
05
Where do they look for information?
06
What might prevent them from taking action?
The better you understand the audience, the easier it becomes to determine where and how to reach them.
3. Map the Customer Journey.
Not every customer is ready to buy. Someone may first discover your business through social media or video. Later, they might search Google, visit your website, read an article, compare alternatives and return days or weeks later.
Think about the journey as:
01
Awareness
02
Consideration
03
Evaluation
04
Action
05
Retention
Different digital channels can support different stages.
4. Choose Channels Based on Their Job.
Don’t choose a channel simply because it’s popular. Choose it because it has a role in the strategy.
For example:
5. Connect the Message to the Audience.
The channel gets you in front of someone. The message gives them a reason to care.
Ask:
Strong digital marketing connects the right audience + right message + right moment.
6. Decide Where the Audience Should Go.
A click isn’t the objective. What happens after the click matters just as much.
That might mean sending someone to:
A service page
A landing page
A product page
An article
A booking page
A contact form
The destination should continue the same message and make the next step obvious.
7. Define How You’ll Measure Success.
Determine the important metrics before launching. Depending on the objective, that might include:
Measurement shouldn’t simply tell you what happened. It should help you decide what to do next.
Keep the Strategy Simple Enough to Use.
A useful digital marketing strategy doesn’t need to be complicated.
At its core:
01
Objective
02
Audience
03
Customer Journey
04
Message
05
Channels
06
Destination
07
Measurement
If you can clearly define those seven things, you have the foundation of a digital marketing strategy.
What Comes Next?
Once the strategy is clear, the next decision is where to put it into action.
Which Digital Marketing Channels Should I Use?
Search? Social? Google Ads? Video? Email? SEO?
The answer depends on the audience, objective and role each channel needs to play.
Build the Strategy Before You Buy the Clicks.
PLAY helps businesses connect objectives, audiences, messages, channels and digital experiences into a marketing strategy designed around what the business needs to accomplish.